Ole Miss are now the Black Bears, congrats on caving to a bunch of PC nonsense! (home, movies)

[poptones]

Wow you're way too late to the discussion. The parallels have already been drawn here pages ago; the points are valid; the contexts given are valid. No one here attributed genocide to confederate rebels. So what? Owning people as property is "not so bad" because they at least have enough value we don't kill them?

"It has been a conviction of pressing necessity, it has been a belief that we are to be deprived in the Union of the rights which our fathers bequeathed to us, which has brought Mississippi into her present decision. She has heard proclaimed the theory that all men are created free and equal, and this made the basis of an attack upon her social institutions; and the sacred Declaration of Independence has been invoked to maintain the position of the equality of the races. That Declaration of Independence is to be construed by the circumstances and purposes for which it was made. The communities were declaring their independence; the people of those communities were asserting that no man was born—to use the language of Mr. Jefferson—booted and spurred to ride over the rest of mankind; that men were created equal—meaning the men of the political community; that there was no divine right to rule; that no man inherited the right to govern; that there were no classes by which power and place descended to families, but that all stations were equally within the grasp of each member of the body-politic. These were the great principles they announced; these were the purposes for which they made their declaration; these were the ends to which their enunciation was directed. They have no reference to the slave; else, how happened it that among the items of arraignment made against George III was that he endeavored to do just what the North has been endeavoring of late to do—to stir up insurrection among our slaves? Had the Declaration announced that the negroes were free and equal, how was the Prince to be arraigned for stirring up insurrection among them? And how was this to be enumerated among the high crimes which caused the colonies to sever their connection with the mother country? When our Constitution was formed, the same idea was rendered more palpable, for there we find provision made for that very class of persons as property; they were not put upon the footing of equality with white men—not even upon that of paupers and convicts; but, so far as representation was concerned, were discriminated against as a lower caste, only to be represented in the numerical proportion of three fifths.

Then, Senators, we recur to the compact which binds us together; we recur to the principles upon which our Government was founded; and when you deny them, and when you deny to us the right to withdraw from a Government which thus perverted threatens to be destructive of our rights, we but tread in the path of our fathers when we proclaim our independence, and take the hazard. This is done not in hostility to others, not to injure any section of the country, not even for our own pecuniary benefit; but from the high and solemn motive of defending and protecting the rights we inherited, and which it is our sacred duty to transmit unshorn to our children."

Jefferson Davis, from his Farewell Address to the US Senate

There is no denying what that war was about... and what the confederate soldiers were defending.

[suprascooby22]

Originally Posted by peppermint

My experience is completely different from yours. I was raised in MS and educated in MS and TN. My husband and I moved to the northeast as 20-somethings and lived there for years.

• 
  I only had one person ever make fun of my accent.
• Most people commented about how wonderful the pace of life was in the south.
• Many rural folks, even up north, watch NASCAR.

I think there's a hypersensitivity about outsiders criticizing Southerners and Southern life. There is an us v. them mentality that still exists within some Southern minds. Most people outside the south really don't care about these trivialities. However, when MS is in the news in negative or controversial ways (the Constance McMillen controversy and the Lee County judge jailing a lawyer for not saying the pledge), it negatively effects MS's image around the country.

I applaud Ole Miss for taking steps to improve their image and, in so doing, the image of the state. Truthfully, I don't care what they do, as it has no effect on my life at all (MSU alum here), but I appreciate the (perceived) intent.

I challenge you to name more than a couple of movies that project white southerners in a positive light.

[poptones]

What's a positive light? Oh Brother was a great film, does it cast southerners in a negative way? No more than The Big Lebowski casts Californians in a negative light. We're all human, we all have weaknesses and failings. Nobody accuses American History X of casting Californians as neo nazis. What about Happy, Texas? Black Snake Moan? Hound Dog? Bones McCoy graduated Ole MIss, and he's been setting the bar for space doctors almost fifty years now. Sheldon on Big Bang Theory is the smartest one in the crew and he's from a fundamentalist family in Texas, an irony he often points out especially when his accent comes out. Faith Ford's character on Murphy Brown was one of her best friends. Then there's the whole Dixie Carter/Designing Women thing. And pick ANY Robert Duvall movie.

Oh yeah.. and been to Wal-Mart lately? Don't matter what the tv says, it's hard to argue with that kind of success. Don't forget Jim Barksdale as well...

[suprascooby22]

Originally Posted by poptones

What's a positive light? Oh Brother was a great film, does it cast southerners in a negative way? No more than The Big Lebowski casts Californians in a negative light. We're all human, we all have weaknesses and failings. Nobody accuses American History X of casting Californians as neo nazis. What about Happy, Texas? Black Snake Moan? Hound Dog? Bones McCoy graduated Ole MIss, and he's been setting the bar for space doctors almost fifty years now. Sheldon on Big Bang Theory is the smartest one in the crew and he's from a fundamentalist family in Texas, an irony he often points out especially when his accent comes out. Faith Ford's character on Murphy Brown was one of her best friends. Then there's the whole Dixie Carter/Designing Women thing. And pick ANY Robert Duvall movie.

Oh yeah.. and been to Wal-Mart lately? Don't matter what the tv says, it's hard to argue with that kind of success. Don't forget Jim Barksdale as well...

Apples and Oranges comparison. Californians are represented a million different ways in all forms of media. Sames goes for most other parts of the country. While there are a few examples in the media of the white southern male being a good thing, it is more like a 100 to 1 where we are projected in a negative light. It also doesnt have to be blatant, anytime we are shown to be slack jawed rub's, that is a negative sterotype even if it's done in a comical way. How can any objective person deny that the South and southern white culture is almost always negatively portrayed in the media. Far more than any other region!

[poptones]

I deny it because it's not true. Hey I played your game, now it's your turn: give examples (more than I just gave) where southerners are portrayed negatively in stereotype.

I'm guessing you never READ Faulkner? Does that count? Hey Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence (and that other duyde who makes like 10 movies a year) all have made careers out of making fun of black folk. Oh wait, "Big Momma" is also southern! So does it count more that those characters are black, or southern?

Honestly, I think you are experiencing a hypersensitivity based on some feelings of your own. IOW you're stuck feeling the elephants tail, and refuse to move far enough to see it also has a trunk.

[suprascooby22]

Originally Posted by poptones

I deny it because it's not true. Hey I played your game, now it's your turn: give examples (more than I just gave) where southerners are portrayed negatively in stereotype.

I'm guessing you never READ Faulkner? Does that count? Hey Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock and Martin Lawrence (and that other duyde who makes like 10 movies a year) all have made careers out of making fun of black folk. Oh wait, "Big Momma" is also southern! So does it count more that those characters are black, or southern?

Honestly, I think you are experiencing a hypersensitivity based on some feelings of your own. IOW you're stuck feeling the elephants tail, and refuse to move far enough to see it also has a trunk.

We will just agree to disagree.

[poptones]

Disagree about what? Your refusal to respond in kind to your own game?

Aren't you exhibiting the exact behavior lamented so early in this discussion? Oooh Colonel Reb is gfone because some minority of folk were OFFENDED by him! Seems to me your entire argument is based upon that exact same characteristic... are you not yourself calling for political correctness?

[suprascooby22]

Originally Posted by poptones

Disagree about what? Your refusal to respond in kind to your own game?

Aren't you exhibiting the exact behavior lamented so early in this discussion? Oooh Colonel Reb is gfone because some minority of folk were OFFENDED by him! Seems to me your entire argument is based upon that exact same characteristic... are you not yourself calling for political correctness?

Nope just pointing a blatant double standard. Just because Ole Miss is a southern school they are having to cowtow to this nonsense. NO non southern school would have to do this unless they had an Indian as a mascot and even then the NCAA allows them to vote on keeping it. To my knowledge there was NEVER an option given to keep Col. Reb. Only options on what the new mascot had to be.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by suprascooby22

Nope just pointing a blatant double standard. Just because Ole Miss is a southern school they are having to cowtow to this nonsense. NO non southern school would have to do this unless they had an Indian as a mascot and even then the NCAA allows them to vote on keeping it. To my knowledge there was NEVER an option given to keep Col. Reb. Only options on what the new mascot had to be.

My goodness you are completely lost on this issue!

No organization is "forcing" Ole Miss to change. The NCAA is not forcing anything on Ole Miss.

The leaders of Ole Miss decided themselves that it was time for a change, as the status quo was indefensible.

Ole Miss is free to keep waving confederate flags, dressing as confederate soldiers, and playing "The South will Rise Again." Fortunately Ole Miss' leadership realizes the impact decisions like that would have on the reputation of the school, and of their graduates, as well as economic reasons.

[oldenfatt]

Administration never does something to alienate well-heeled alumni unless bigger dollars are at stake.