He's a Kennesaw Boy?

What exactly does that mean though? I was born and raised in Kennesaw, Georgia. Not too far from here in Marietta, I still expect at least some (if not most) of the people in our class may not have heard of it. Hell, we haven't even made it onto the weather map on the Channel 12 news yet. But that's besides the point.
From what I've heard, the assumptions associated with Kennesaw are usually humorous. First off, many people poke fun at our “Every household must own a gun” law. Mostly it's attributed to the fact that people in Kennesaw are exceptionally redneck (which we here in the south know isn't true). But whenever I talk to someone about Kennesaw they laugh and ask me “What, do they require guns so you guys can keep the blacks off your property?” That usually makes me chuckle too, but also brings us to the next assumption. Most people in Kennesaw are very racist. This is also a general southern assumption of course, but from stories I've heard from the black friends of mine, it especially holds true for Kennesaw because of our police department. I've known people get pulled over for going 3 mph over the speed limit, a friend got a ticket because his “window” tint was too dark, another black friend of mine got pulled over for speeding and the first question he got asked was “Is this your vehicle, boy?” And speaking of “boy,” people in Kennesaw are also noted for having a noticeably more Southern, Southern drawl. Which is often true, I'm afraid to say.
Anyway, the main question is do all these attribute themselves to me? Has Kennesaw left a mark on me that can't be removed? Of course it has, but not in any of these ways. To start, my household doesn't own any guns. (Just don't tell the feds!) Though we really ought to at least get a BB gun, our house has a major squirrel problem. I've only ever even shot a gun while I was in Boy Scouts, and even then we were shooting black powder rifles, which I would hardly count. Secondly, I have numerous black friends, and I am certainly not racist. Though Kennesaw has awakened me to the racist jokes, which are quite funny just because of how untrue they are. I'll make those jokes occasionally just with close friends who don't take me seriously. Nonetheless, that is a mark from Kennesaw that I can't remove. I have a tendency to take racism a tad too lightly, even when it is serious. Lastly, Kennesaw has not affected my accent. Perhaps my dialogue, yes. But I still sound like a northerner according to new people I meet. It's even made me a few friends! At orientation for this school, a guy in my group came up and started chatting with me, and he said it was because “I seemed cool, and didn't have a southern drawl like the rest of the kids.” Though there is an obvious reason. Both sides of my family were from Italy and Germany, and emigrated to Queens, New York to open businesses. My parents were both born there, and then went temporarily to the University of Arizona where they met. Then moved to Georgia right after. So I was raised in a northerner household essentially.
But enough about my family history. Kennesaw has definitely left marks on me regarding words I use and the ways I think, but none of the stereotypes regarding it really fit me. However, it will always be my home.

~Mark Fredricks