So Anti-South Region Bashing is All the Rage at DU now? [View all]

[FlaGatorJD]

It's really not new here, but I'm a bit surprised at
the level. I'm not sure about any of you, but
I'm certain that I didn't choose where I was born.

I chose to come to DU to commiserate with fellow
liberals after Bush was elected. I stuck around
through the next election, as I had been hired by the campaign,
and was spending my days doing that, and DU was a great way to
keep pumped in the fight against the neocons and to relax in the evening.

Nowadays, I usually just check the LBN or Greatest list,
and use the info to contradict all the conservative crap
on FB. The overall tone at DU has changed though.
There has always been emotional arguments, especially during
primaries, but this is different, and since intelligent and
respectful discourse has devolved into angry stereotyping,
I guess DU just may not be the place for me anymore.
I'm willing to accept that.


Besides, it's getting tiresome battling RW nutjobs on
FB in the day and the angry self-righteous group here at night.

I just thought I might share a FB post of one of my
ignorant racist Southern friends before I go, so you can
see how some of us ignorant racist Southerners
are talking about and handling this situation :


(FB post)
Seems to me the argument for keeping the flag is that it represents our Heritage. I say "Our" because I was born and raised in the South. But which heritage exactly should we hitch our wagons to? The Confederate States of America existed for four years. I have underwear older than that. I'm probably wearing it now. During those four year the CSA had three (3) national flags; the last of which was adopted a month before the end of the war.

The region that comprises the South shares a longer history with England (Jamestown 1607) but no one wants to fly the Union Jack over their capitol or sport the of Cross of St. George on their license plate as part of their "heritage". And for those citizens that are calling for tougher immigration standards; too late... The Spanish colonized parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Louisiana five hundred years ago. Anyone for integrating the symbol of Spain or France into your state flag?

Heritage and symbols both make and represent who we are. Good, bad or indifferent. I understand that. I empathize with that and I realize that people can lose their minds and sometimes their perspective when told that what they believe is out of step with the mainstream or in the case of the Confederate flag just plain wrong.

I appreciate the "American by birth, Southern by the grace of God" adage. It's part of who I am. My manners and demeanor were shaped by Southern parents and grandparents that preached "Yes Ma'am" and "No Sir", standing up to greet someone and never speaking ill of another despite their shortcomings, "God bless 'em".

Change can be hard. It can be sad. Or, it can be a catalyst to push us forward to a better place. As Southerners we do have many things to wave in the face of the rest of the world: Blues, Rock n Roll, college football (of the SEC variety), Soul food, world class authors, the voices of James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman, Coke, NASCAR, sweet tea et al. The one thing we should not be waving is a flag that represents a period of time when oppression ruled the land politically, economically and socially.

If we want to be honest about our heritage then we need to embrace it warts and all. There is much to be proud of but "we" also have a heavy cross to bear but one that is easier to carry when everyone helps to lighten the load.

The Southern way of life, how ever you define it will not come crashing down. I suspect you'll find we will become a better, stronger South. Certainly more respected... and what's wrong with that? To paraphrase William Faulkner, "I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail." We in the South are a lot like that. Or, as the quintessential Southern Belle Scarlett O'hara reminds us, "Tomorrow is another day."

Thank you