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To me, this is a good reason for the (generally) rich, entitled KA frat boys not to wear Confederate Army uniforms. They certainly don’t act like they are portraying those poor guys–rather, they are into the “flower of the Confederacy” and “honorable gentleman” thing, which is basically a fraud. Robert E. Lee was a decent guy in many ways, but he led an army of poor guys to defend the indefensible.</p>
<p>But mark my words–the KAs will just start dressing up as plantation owners.</p>
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<p>Interesting argument, and one which I haven’t heard before. I’d counter by arguing that the “old money” types in the south who make up a large part of KA today probably still can lay claim to ancestors who fought in the Confederacy. The leaders of the CSA were without a doubt wealthy and still behaved heroically and gallantly in battle. KA tends to glorify these “leaders” rather than the average poor footsoldiers of the CSA anyways.</p>
<p>I think the KA are to be commended for dropping the uniforms. OTOH, maybe everyone should just calm down and take a listen to Percival Everett’s classic short story: [WNYC</a> - Selected Shorts: Passions Run Deep (February 15, 2009)](<a href=“http://www.wnyc.org/shows/shorts/episodes/2009/02/15]WNYC”>http://www.wnyc.org/shows/shorts/episodes/2009/02/15)</p>
<p>Why was this thread not started in the election and politics forum? Cuse must have known the kind of responses he would get from the way he phrased the OP, referring to political correctness, etc.</p>
<p>How about this for a compromise–allow KAs to wear the Confederate uniform, but only if they are in ROTC. That way they can show that they understand what a military uniform really means.</p>
<p>This is one of the reasons why my kids are not allowed to go to colleges south of the Mason Dixon line.</p>
<p>Now there’s a fine example of close-minded and bigoted thinking. However, those of us who live in the South are very glad that those who think that way do keep themselves north of the M-D line.</p>
<p>Hunt, I like your suggestion!</p>
<p>The years after the Civil War must have been interesting times. I was looking at the names of my great grandfather’s 17 children. One was Robert Lee <last name=“”> (born in 1872); another was Ulysses Grant <last name=“”> (one year younger). Robert Lee died at age 10.</last></last></p>
<p>This thread made me think about the fuss when Prince Harry wore a Nazi uniform to a party: [BBC</a> NEWS | UK | Harry says sorry for Nazi costume](<a href=“http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4170083.stm]BBC”>BBC NEWS | UK | Harry says sorry for Nazi costume) — I really don’t think he understood what the fuss was about. </p>
<p>And I think, similarly, that many of those who wear Confederate uniforms or fly Confederate flags really don’t think about what those symbols mean to other people. To me, the Confederate flag celebrates the southern slave plantations–with all their attendant horrors. I recoil in disgust that anyone could fail to understand the pain and damage that slavery inflicted on the enslaved–and on the slavers.</p>
<p>Frankly, my first thought when I see a Confederate flag or other symbol, is “can’t that person read?”</p>
<p>Many confederate flags are flown because of identification with country music or redneck or cracker culture. But when they act as though they can’t understand why anyone would be offended, I wonder how they’d feel if people started flying “Jesus Sucks” flags. We already know the answer: there’s a movement to prevent people, particularly college kids, from flying the Mexican flag because white people get so afraid.</p>
<p>I do think there’s still a strain of rebelliousness in some Southernors–I think some of them fly the Confederate flag not so much because it offends blacks, but because it offends liberals and Northerners. Perhaps one benefit of the Tea Party movement is that some of those people may replace the Confederate flag with the “Don’t Tread On Me” flag.</p>
<p>There are people in the rural portions of the Pacific Northwest who plaster confederate flags over everything too. I doubt any of them have “heritage” from the south. I think it’s supposed to show the world what a badass anti-government rebel they are or something. I hold the confederate bumper sticker in the same esteem as “Truck Nuts” . . . not very high.</p>
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<p>I’ve now spent about half my life in the south and half in the midwest, so I think I can form an opinion here. I also still visit family enough to have my growing-up observations affirmed. And my kids have traveled down there enough times to see it.</p>
<p>Many people in various regions have their own biases against other regions. But this thread is about the south. Except for a handful of locations and/or schools, I’m glad my daughters did not choose to look at any schools down there. They both ended up at schools in the northeast.</p>
<p>Since my H is from the midwest (Chicago area) and we visit there often, we are very familiar with how grossly racist some are, so following the above logic, I guess I should be glad that my kids don’t go to college in that area. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>This makes me very sad and disappointed.</p>
<p>“This is one of the reasons why my kids are not allowed to go to colleges south of the Mason Dixon line.”</p>
<p>There is nothing more mean, more biased or more intolerant than a liberal who believes they have permission to hate.</p>
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<p>This is exactly it. Emphatically. Same reason many buy large pickup trucks that get 10 mpg.</p>
<p>What about Civil War reenactors?</p>
<p>[The</a> Civil War Reenactors Home Page](<a href=“http://www.cwreenactors.com/index.php]The”>http://www.cwreenactors.com/index.php)</p>
<p><a href=“http://americancivilwar.com/reenactment/[/url]”>http://americancivilwar.com/reenactment/</a></p>
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<p>I would match person for person against anyone in the midwest vs. the south and am pretty confident that racists in the south outnumber the midwest. I don’t hear of any fraternities around here like KA (not that there aren’t other fraternities around here that don’t get negative publicity). I’m not going to go back and find all the stories that have turned into threads on CC that have to do with racism/intolerance that have taken place in the south… but Constance McMillen does comes to mind.</p>
<p>Our community does a Civil War reenactment every summer. I’ve heard it’s very professionally done and with the goal of educating in mind. I have absolutely no problem with them. And people have a choice as to whether they attend or not. Now, if someone decided to go stage a reenactment right in the middle of the south side of Chicago, with no community invitation, I’d have a problem with that.</p>
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<p>Some of the most prevalent racists actually live in the North. Southerners are typically more tolerant of blacks/minorities because these people are prevalent in huge numbers in the south, and it is impossible to live your life without day to day interaction with them. Not so much in the north. The amount of racism that is present in places like Philly and Boston is mind boggling.</p>
<p>Cuse, remember the age of the people you are talking to. We remember when blacks couldn’t drink out of water fountains or sit in the front of the bus. Where did that happen again?</p>