Read on Twitter
I have first hand experience of how things become so normalized as to become detached from their meaning. I know, acedemically, that “dixie” references the confederate south. But having spent my formative years in SC, it just became ... a word. https://twitter.com/nytimesarts/status/1276188330200379397
When Lady Antebellum changed to Lady A (and antebellum always immediately made me think of plantations so yeah) a few ppl brought up Dixie Chicks and I realized their name didn’t bother me - but I knew they needed to change it.
Like my first job was at Winn Dixie, a “southern heritage grocery chain.” What TF is a ‘southern heritage’ grocery store? They sell the same sh*t every other store does.
But that’s the problem centering the tear down of confederate monuments. All this “southern pride” and “southern heritage,” all stems from the south taking a hard and firm stance against progession. Starting with the abolition of slavery.
Who wraps a whole tradition of “pride” and identity up in the LOSING SIDE of a war?
What sense of utter denial and disrespect leads to such fierce love for a dead flag?
What sense of utter denial and disrespect leads to such fierce love for a dead flag?
“It represents southern heritage” which means what, exactly?
When I’m in the south, the rebel flag used to not bother me either. I’ve said before it’s like the yankee logo in NY. Now they’ve put some juice back on it, but it was only jarring above the mason/dixon. Normalcy
When I’m in the south, the rebel flag used to not bother me either. I’ve said before it’s like the yankee logo in NY. Now they’ve put some juice back on it, but it was only jarring above the mason/dixon. Normalcy
So I do get, as a Black person who spent her formative years in the south, that at least two generations of ppl came up with this symbols, words, inconography so inmeshed in regional culture they didn’t think twice about origin and evoltution....
HOWEVER...
HOWEVER...
... where they tip their hands is in how *personally* attacked they feel by change. Like the wicked witch when Dorothy threw water on her.
FEAR & RAGE.
FEAR & RAGE.
Which also leads to a conversation about Country music and the prevalence of “colloquial” names like “Lady Antebellum” and “Dixie Chicks,” and how if they weren’t crossover mainstream acts this probably wouldn’t be a discussion ...
... but Country ain’t ready for that convo. Not yet.
“It was about the economy!!”
Yes, an economy reliant on slavery.
https://twitter.com/zengrrrl47/status/1276209581618860032?s=21 https://twitter.com/zengrrrl47/status/1276209581618860032
Yes, an economy reliant on slavery.
https://twitter.com/zengrrrl47/status/1276209581618860032?s=21 https://twitter.com/zengrrrl47/status/1276209581618860032
This reminds me that I need to check on what’s going on at my alma mater, Wade Hampton High School, which sits off of Wade Hampton Blvd (a main thoroughfare). A Black student transferred in from out of state I think two years ago and was like “Wait..y’all serious with this name?”
She started a peition to change it. There’s still alot of alum that live locally and I’m imagining they killed that quickly (same dumb ass pride argument) but I need to revist.
If you think Black people shouldn't talk about slavery because it's ancient history, then you should also be good with letting go of symbolic tributes to the Confederacy - since they ended the same year.
https://twitter.com/TKurrass/status/1276329807987585024?s=20
https://twitter.com/TKurrass/status/1276329807987585024?s=20
Also, if our school systems were better and actually taught real history, #yall would know that nobody's gonna forget about dixie because a country group changed their name.
"How will kids learn if the monument we never paid a lick of attention to is gone, or the former slave isn't on the syrup bottle?!?!"
I mentioned earlier that I went to a high school named after a Confederate General. So here's the thing: there wasn't a single conversation or lesson about his ass, ever. It's not history- it's a commemorative gesture. A monument. That people don't even remember the reason for.
