Embracing my Coon-Assness

--> My bevy of coon-asses (inclusive of coon-asslets)












From www.coonass.com, A little history on the origin of the term - "People call me that "crazy Cajun" or that "CoonAss". Both the word Cajun and CoonAss are used to refer to people of Acadian descent. Both have been in a derogatory manner. Both have been used in pride.
The origin of the term is said to have come from the French word "conasse". During the Second World War, many Cajun men served in the armed forces. When in France, many of the French heard the Cajuns speaking in a French that was both very old and in a French that had some very odd words. The Frenchmen called the Cajuns "conasse" which translates to a very low-grade prostitute. I would think this comes from the fact that, although they spoke a form of French, the Cajuns weren't real Frenchmen.
Of course, the "American" servicemen heard "conasse" as "CoonAss". In a world where "RedNeck" is heard often, "CoonAss" fits right in. Just like RedNeck, it wasn't originally used as a term of endearment. But many Cajuns carry it as a description of themselves as good as any other. In Louisiana, you can find vehicles with bumper stickers reading "Registered CoonAss" or "I'm a CoonAss, Me!" Wide spread use came about during the oil boom in Louisiana during the 60's and 70's.
As I grew up, Cajun and CoonAss were synonyms for uneducated and uncouth. Now, the wonders and beauty of the Cajun culture are being experienced world wide. I carry the name CoonAss.com as a reminder of how our culture nearly disappeared and how we as a people have taken the bad traits outsiders associated with being Cajun and have turned them into something good."

I used to be slightly embarrassed by my Cajun accent. I say 'slightly', because at the same time, I was proud of it. The accent makes me feel special in an odd sort of way. It's as if I've been invisibly tagged 'I'm from Louisiana'. But you can't uncover that fact until my mouth opens. It happens all the time, when I'm traveling or even here in Louisiana. I ask someone something and they'll just look at me with a grin and say, 'Where are you FROM?'. If it's here at home, I'll say 'New Roads' and they'll say with a knowing look, 'Yeah, I was figuring it was somewhere in that area. Or maybe Lafayette'. In another state, they usually give me a look as if to say, 'So THAT'S what a Louisianaian sounds like!'.

Not all of us though. That's the great thing about Louisiana, there are so many different accents to choose from. And most times, we can tell what vicinity someone comes from by their accent. 'You must be from up North' (Shreveport, Monroe) or 'Are you from Lafayette?!' (OMG, that one is usually pretty obvious).

An LSU student that used to work with me was from Lutcher. He had the king of all accents. I loved it so much, I would just want to kiss him square on the lips when he said 'paypuh' (paper) or 'RuhNAY' (my name). It made me long for an accent like his that just screamed 'LOUISIANA'. Mine kind of states it loudly, but doesn't quite scream it. I'm working on it though.

One of my husband's most endearing qualities is the fact, that after being a military brat, and living in various places while growing up, he has developed quite a distinctive Coon-Ass accent that says 'I live in New Roads, Louisiana'. Kinda makes me horny. ;^)

I'm stopping right short of the 'Proud to be a Coon-Ass' bumper sticker though. I'll just let my accent do the talking.