Here is yet one more example of how the Confederate flag is being associated with racism. Yesterday, a post written by "nabnyc" relayed his thoughts on how Rand Paul has embarrassed himself by making a statement on national television about how he questions the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The writer had the audacity of associating Paul's statement with the Confederate flag. "It’s kind of like the people who keep waving the Confederate Flag," the writer says. "It’s over Rebs, you lost. Go on back to the farm."
I am not overly concerned with the sentiments of Rand Paul, who I believe was referring to the immigration issue. What I am concerned about is the injustice served by associating a racial slur with the Confederate flag. This seems to be an all too common occurrence, as many people today are clueless about the origins of the Confederacy. I suppose the views became slanted after 150 years, due to Jim Crow laws and such, but the initial ideals of the Confederacy must remain intact if we are to accurately retain history.
Stating that Rand Paul is a racist who waves the Confederate flag is offensive, to say the least. Just because he is from Kentucky doesn't make him "southern." In fact, Kentucky was a divided state during the Civil War, with equal numbers fighting for both sides. Confederate soldiers were no more racist than Union soldiers were, but that seems to have been forgotten with time. The Rebel army fought for state's rights and protection of their homeland; the Yankees for Union preservation. Slavery was nothing more than a side issue, used as economic leverage by Lincoln. The writer winds up his article with a derogatory reference to Southern ignorance and stereotypes, which makes me think he is no better than the people he is referring to. Check the post out for yourself. Go to:
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/50566
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2 comments:
Hi, I'm Holly, a random internet person. I grew up in MS, so I find your posts-particularly this one-very interesting. It's a shame that the deep-seated political and economic reasons for the Confederacy are ignored in favor of a simplistic "slavery v. non-slavery, Bad Southerners v. Good Northerers" explanation. From what I've read, the north was just as racist as the South, and the U.S. government did a better job of rebuilding Japan after WWII than they did rebuilding the South after the Civil War.
Hi Holly. This is all true as far as I know. History becomes more condensed and simplified over the course of time, and sadly, the truth is sometimes covered over with more prevalent, politically correct issues that blur the real issues. Such is the case with the Civil War. Because the North won, Lincoln is a hero and Jeff Davis is shunned, even though he served his country faithfully before the war's outbreak. History has been corrupted as far as blacks are concerned, making them the ultimate victims, when in fact there were many documented slave owners who were black. And yes, at the time, people in the North were just as racist if not more so. Irish immigrants resented freedmen and revolted against them, as did other ethnic groups throughout American history. The Civil War is the only American war where the defeated were not compensated/assisted by the U.S. government. Instead, the South was further victimized by carpetbaggers. General Grant's assention to the presidency had much to do with this. I could go on and on! Thanks Holly for taking notice of my blog!
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