I swear, sometimes Southerners are their own worst enemies.
I spend a lot of time on various Internet forums defending my reasoning for flying and displaying the Confederate Battle Flag, and I spend even more time correcting the half-truths, myths, and downright lies about the reasons the South fought the war that are held as “factual beliefs” by a majority of the non-Southern population. Both of these could very well be, I realize, an unending chore, but if that’s the case then I guess I’ll be working at that chore until the day I die.
But every now and then I’ll run across some brainwashed, intentionally-ignorant, self-righteous Southern fool who steadfastly refuses to either acknowledge that one of the many causes of the War for Southern Independence was slavery, or refuses to acknowledge the historical fact that seven of the eleven Southern states specifically cited the preservation of slavery as a reason for secession in their Articles and/or Acts of Secession. These people will steadfastly, arrogantly, and in most cases, insultingly and rudely stand by their misbegotten beliefs that the one and only reason the War was fought was for State’s Rights, and that slavery had absolutely nothing to do with it.
Like John Lackey, for instance.
I have long said that anyone who refuses to believe and/or acknowledge that slavery was one of the major factors – if not THE major factor - which led up to the War is a fool. All you have to do to realize this is to simply read the Articles of Secession of the various Southern states, and you’ll see what I mean. But there are folks out there who “poo-poo” this as “Yankee propaganda” and foolishly stand by their beliefs, insulting anyone and everyone who dares disagree with them no matter how wrong they are.
Like John Lackey, for instance.
These folks seem to believe that in order to be a true Southerner, you absolutely must believe their version of history and agree with them that no, slavery didn’t have anything to do with the war, the only reason the war was fought was for State’s Rights. And if you dare disagree with them they’ll insult you, talk down to you, and basically treat you as if you were the scum of the Earth.
Like John Lackey, for instance.
These poor, misguided fools live their lives believing a lie, refusing to accept historical fact as the truth that it really is. They cling to their ill-conceived, one-sided, inaccurate beliefs as if they were clinging to the Holy Bible and their soul was at stake. They steadfastly refuse to do ANY reading of ANYTHING that may burst their bubble, insisting instead that YOU read the things THEY recommend and call “gospel,” slinging insults at you if you dare disobey them.
Like John Lackey, for instance.
No, rather than make any attempt to increase their knowledge of the South and the true causes of the war by reading things like “Look Away!” by William C. Davis which does a fantastic job of describing the rush to war on the part of the Southern aristocracy, these people would rather go on the Internet and read the drivel posted on so-called “pro-Confederate” web sites. And naturally, the things they read on those sites supports their twisted version of “historical fact” and echoes the intolerant, insulting and caustic actions of the people who hold those misbegotten beliefs to be true.
Like John Lackey, for instance.
I can deal with the people who know only of the War and the causes for it what they were taught in their Yankee-influenced school system, both North and South. (In case you didn’t know, ALL of the text books being used in the school systems nowadays are printed in the North, and you can guess which version of the war is making it into print.) The saying has long been that “the victor gets to write the history books,” and this is a fine case in point because the victor has done exactly that. Schoolchildren have been taught the Yankee version of the War for the past 35 years, and I don’t see that fact changing any time soon.
But like I said, I can deal with that. I take no small amount of pride in the number of people I’ve informed of the real and varied reasons for the war, and on the number of people who’s minds I’ve changed about the true causes for the war and the role slavery played. I’ve lost count of the times that has happened, and I’m proud to have been a part of it.
What really chaps my ass are the Southerners who are so badly misinformed and so obviously wallowing in self-imposed ignorance of the truth as to be completely unable to see the truth if it was standing in front of them, and who are absolutely incapable of holding a sane, mature, adult discussion on this point without resorting to rude behavior and insults. These buffoons think they’re defending the South and doing it with honor, when in reality all they are doing is reinforcing the popular image of the typical Southerner as an inbred, knuckle-dragging, tobacco-chewing, overall-wearing snaggle-toothed redneck driving a beat to hell pickup truck with a Confederate flag waving from a bamboo pole in the bed, hollering “YEE-HAW!” and “THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN!”
Like John Lackey, for instance.
These people are doing more harm than good, and they’re too stupid to realize it. Like I said, sometimes Southerners are their own worst enemies.
Like John Lackey, for instance.
IHC
4 comments:
On the one hand, I whole-heartedly agree with you and feel like this woman is an idiot. Maybe she thinks she has a point to prove, or maybe she wants to mark the place for the police to find the body at a later date.
Problem is, as you have pointed out, is the knee-jerk reaction and ingrained mindset of everyone else concerned here. To them, this ain't an OK thing. But, seems I remember in New Orleans a bunch of years ago when I lived there that city workers in particular began a practice of plastering city vehicles that they were using with a green/black/red flag that was called the "Afro Flag". It caused an uproar then, but was allowed because it was displaying their ethnic pride. Another example of political correctness gone even crazier.
Uh, what woman?
Oops, soory, Ray. Was commenting on the post about the woman and the flag in the black neighborhood and clicked the wrong one here.
No sweat! And just for an update, the neighbors have received a parade permit from the city and plan on staging a peaceful parade up and down her street, demonstrating their displeasure with the display of the Battle Flag.
And the woman? She's already said that she won't be home when the "parade" is going on, and will return when it's over.
I'll keep you updated!
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