I was born in Minnesota, so I know cold, in the south they think snow is cold, they are unaware of so cold it cant snow. I still shovel snow in my crocs

The shorts kind of help feel warmer if you are bundled up everywhere else. It focuses the feeling of cold on your legs where it feels less bothersome.

As an Okie, I'll admit that our "cold" isn't truly cold. Our coldest nights on average are like -3°C. In fact, the coldest it's ever been in my neck of the woods is -25°C, and that was that freak polar vortex that knocked out power in Texas for several days in Feb '21. The coldest verified recorded temperature in Oklahoma happened in Nowata in Feb 2011, where it dipped to -35°C. And that was also a freak occurrence, and it was 24°C again within a few days. In my part of the state, it gets above freezing point about 355 days of the year. Rarely do we ever spend a full 24 hours below freezing, though it happens once or twice a year. We also get a decent snow or two most years, but it never sticks around for long. New snow is beautiful. But once it's a day or two old, it's disgusting. It's nice that it all melts away within a few days.

And yes, I am a white man, and I wear shorts all year and in any weather.

Don't ask me about the hot, humid hell we become over summer.

Am white guy that cab spend hours in a -10F freezer with just a lightweight coat and beanie. I wear shorts as long as it's not windy and walked a mile in -15F one winter. That was a bit cold and had to take a warm bath after that.