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None of my relatives would have looked to Forrest as their hero. My grandparents were fleeing the South during the late 1940s. My mothers side of the family is southern-bred and none of them have anything nice to say about Forrest, or any other Confederate general.
I hope that I didn't give the impression that I myself considered NBF a hero. I was a Brooklyn Yankee Jew-bastard raised in the South. So you can bet that I saw and experienced my share of bigotry and racism first hand while growing up. At the time we Jews and Negroes in Charlotte had close bonds. My grandparents organized and ran a major yearly fund raising benefit for the local Black community. I don't recall our families discussing anything at anytime about the Civil War. This was a kid thing. But no doubt there must have been more broader influence from related adults.
But it didn't end there for me. After moving to the Chicago area in the '60's, I was then that damn Rebel kid...
Do you need a helping hand to carry that broad brush?
In 2005, the then chairman of the RNC apologized to the NAACP.
Today, most white supremacists identify as Republican. It hardly defines the party or most Republicans.
Primary voters are, by nature, the more radical and fervent of the right. No one can deny that.
The "white" broad brush largely applies if the pics and videos and feeds of the Republican Convention, CPAC and the various state legislatures means anything. The "male" label fits also.
Of course, that doesn't mean "all republicans are white and male", but it does mean "most Republicans are white or male" and many other descriptors.
It's like that old IQ test...like, if some A's are B's and all C's are B's, are all A's C's?
Or, put another way "if it walks like a Duck"...
With the Tweeter in chief expressing virtually every form of racism and sexism and authoritarianism know to mankind....and the Party almost 100% in line behind him, it's hard to discuss the old "New England Republicans" or anything of the sort...since they don't exist any longer as leaders.
There's no denying that the Lost Causers started their attempt at legitimizing considerably earlier, but that at least had the effect of reintegrating the South somewhat - they could cling to the idea that they had a righteous cause and were defeated by factors outside heir control, and that made defeat less humiliating. It served a higher purpose, at least temporary.
But the civil rights era boost in Confederate worship was substantial, and it came with no redeeming effects whatsoever.
I don't deny that the civil rights era boost of Confederate worship was substantial. You are right about that. I'm just saying it started long before then. And it was indeed about clinging to the idea of "the south was right, everyone else was wrong".
Cool, you present an alternate hypothesis. What event, in your mind, suddenly triggered a resurgence in the thirst for Confederate pageantry in the 1950s and 1960s? I'll get you started:
Yep. If there is any doubt that the Confederate flag has long been a racist symbol, there is no doubt now. Think about it. It is the Confederate flag being flown. The "it's heritage not hate" argument is a load of bull feces.
Cool, you present an alternate hypothesis. What event, in your mind, suddenly triggered a resurgence in the thirst for Confederate pageantry in the 1950s and 1960s? I'll get you started:
Have you also read books about the entire countries racial, discriminatory and segregationist attitudes through history and the struggles for civil rights.
Touting a picture of one group of people holding Confederate flags hardly gives you insight into all white people in Tennessee, now does it.
Fringe groups have often adopted symbols to promote their agenda.
I don't deny that the civil rights era boost of Confederate worship was substantial. You are right about that. I'm just saying it started long before then. And it was indeed about clinging to the idea of "the south was right, everyone else was wrong".
We're in agreement about what Confederate monuments and the Confederate flag are about. It's not hard to agree with you about it. I just merely wanted to point that the fetishizing of such dates back long before the Civil Rights era.
Have you also read books about the entire countries racial, discriminatory and segregationist attitudes through history and the struggles for civil rights.
I sure have. In doing so, it became pretty clear which states had to have their arms twisted to do what was right, and also which of those states reacted by instituting their childish displays of "Confederate Pride", whatever that even means.
We're in agreement about what Confederate monuments and the Confederate flag are about. It's not hard to agree with you about it. I just merely wanted to point that the fetishizing of such dates back long before the Civil Rights era.
True that - although I'd argue that the motive has shifted.
Cool, you present an alternate hypothesis. What event, in your mind, suddenly triggered a resurgence in the thirst for Confederate pageantry in the 1950s and 1960s? I'll get you started:
This is just a reflection of liberal hate for southerners in general.
What message does the "La Raza" flag transmit? How about the Nation of Islam? What about the Hammer and Sickle? How about the BLM flag? What about libs flying the North Vietnam flag in the 60s?
I don't necessarily agree with people flying the confederate flag (a few of my neighbors do), but at least it is a symbol of their heritage, not mine. The above listed flags are not of anyone's heritage, but are flown to incite violence. However, such symbols are okay with libs, as they do not oppose the concept of flying potentially offensive flags, just ones that support their views.
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