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CC Resources for Washington and Lee University
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10-13-2009, 04:32 PM
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#1 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 207
| Confederate Flag in Dorm Room
DS#2 is very interested in W&L, and has spent some time looking at their website. Last night, he showed me a picture of a freshman blogger (Lee) standing underneath a NC confederate flag that the blogger had hung in his dorm room. It frankly gave my husband and I some concern. Is honoring the confederacy pervasive at W&L? And we wonder why the school did not ask the young man to remove the picture on their website.
I understand Lee's right to hang the flag on his wall, but I am surprised that the university would want that divisive visual on its official website. And, surprisingly to us, there were no comments from readers about the flag, although other installments had received comments.
Are we reading too much into a single photo, or is it representative of the political philosophy of many other students?
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10-14-2009, 10:25 AM
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#2 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 59
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We are visiting W&L in 2 weeks so I'm hoping to see any replies you receive.
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10-14-2009, 10:45 AM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,665
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Well, you do know who the "Lee" in the school's name was, don't you?
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10-14-2009, 11:02 AM
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#4 | | Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 567
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LOL Hunt.
OP, just curious - where do you live?
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10-14-2009, 11:04 AM
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#5 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,077
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read the "honestly now" thread that is below for a view on the college honor system.....it really has nothing to do with the flag but more to do on the way the college runs things. I read this thread yrs ago and its one of the few that sticks with me. I have no knowledge of W&L other than this forum.But as a parent I'd read it
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10-14-2009, 11:15 AM
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#6 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: New England
Posts: 275
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OP said: "Is honoring the confederacy pervasive at W&L?"
It's a Southern thing. The dishonorable meaning that we northerners impute to that flag simply do not recognize the more complex set of meanings that the flag engenders in the South.
W&L is in the South. It's similar to what I said about my move from coastal California to New England: sure I'd like to move; I've always wanted to live in a foreign country :-)
Kei
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10-14-2009, 11:24 AM
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#7 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,665
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I guess I would say that if you want to go to W&L, you should at least have a nuanced view of the Civil War (or the War of Northern Aggression, as it is called by some).
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10-14-2009, 01:32 PM
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#8 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,370
| Quote: |
It's a Southern thing. The dishonorable meaning that we northerners impute to that flag simply do not recognize the more complex set of meanings that the flag engenders in the South.
| Knowing that the Conf flag is offensive to most black people and not caring says a lot about the college's values. That would wipe W&L off my list, though to be honest I've always had that stereotype about it.
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10-14-2009, 01:39 PM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,665
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Here's a link to W&L's common data set: Washington and Lee University* 2
It doesn't have a lot of URMs, but it does have some (it has more black students than Asians).
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10-14-2009, 04:57 PM
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#10 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 207
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We live in Missouri. My husband grew up in Kentucky and Texas, and would never consider owning, hanging or flying the confederate flag. And we are not African-Americans or any other URM.
Again, my concern is not whether there are some students at W&L who are fond of an era that has ceased to exist in more than a century. My concern is if most of the student body feels that way, as well as the administration. Pride in one's heritage is one thing, but pride in a war that almost severed this country in two over the economics of owning human beings in quite another.
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10-14-2009, 05:26 PM
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#11 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,665
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If you don't want to hear about what a great man Robert E. Lee was, you should probably avoid Washington and Lee. There are lots of other schools.
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10-14-2009, 07:19 PM
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#12 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 208
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Runmanstl - I concur with your concern and would be interested if this kid's glorifying of flag or era is a fluke or is it pervasive? I hope it is a fluke. There will always be a few yahoos around celebrating atrocities.
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10-14-2009, 08:06 PM
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#13 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 50
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can you link to the blog? not that i dont believe you i just want to read the blog myself
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10-14-2009, 09:51 PM
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#14 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 207
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10-14-2009, 10:11 PM
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#15 | | Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,665
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If you think somebody who puts up the flag in the picture is "celebrating atrocities," I think you probably wouldn't be happy at Washington and Lee.
And just to note: isn't that an Asian kid in the picture? Well, maybe his name is Lee also.
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