Cultural cues

Watching a movie with Pat last night ("Frailty", which was a great study of religious psychosis until the last 15 minutes, when it turned into a so-so Buffy wannabe), I noticed the Southern US mannerisms and speech patterns of the main characters... the subtle undercurrents underneath the surface layer of congeniality and politeness. Elements of apparent conflict-avoidance, while underneath a battle raged. Diplomacy sometimes works like this... polite and unassuming on the surface, give-and-take underneath.

( Why non-Southerners need to be careful in my presence... )