Confederate Colonel

All too rare - a black man displaying pride in his Southern Heritage

When I first started the Confederate Colonel forum, it was my intention to stay far away from all discussion of race. I believed that we, as Southerners, had been too closely tied with racial issues already; I did not want to add to that. It wasn’t until I watched the evolution of the forum that I realized that I was being quite naive in hoping to avoid all discussion of race. In no particular order, here are some key points on the topic:

1. If we had our way, The South would be a land where blacks and whites peacefully coexist as friends - either mixing together or staying apart as individuals see fit to do rather than by government enforcement. Blacks have certainly earned their place in Southern heritage, and they would be welcomed as fellow Southerners - not as “black Southerners”, but as Southerners. There is no doubt that our preference would be to simply not discuss racial issues here - because there were none; however, we are not given that option.

2. As much as we would like to see Southern blacks embrace Southern heritage and culture, it is simply not going to happen to any significant degree. That blacks fought in the Confederate Army is beyond question; that this fact is seen as an embarrassment by modern-day blacks is also beyond question. They are ashamed of the dedication, honor, and heroism of their ancestors who fought for their land.

3. The hostility that Southern Culture receives is, for the most part, either directed by blacks or by white liberals who are motivated by a false sense of guilt. There may be some hostility that is exclusively a matter of white Yankees without any racial overtones, but it is a very small portion of the hostility. The vast majority of hostility toward Southern Heritage and Culture can be either directly or indirectly attributed to racial issues.

4. We cannot turn our back and ignore attacks. “Turning the other cheek” is a well established Biblical principle given to us by God, but that is not what we are dealing with here. We will not respond by attacking that which blacks hold dear - but we will defend the honor of our ancestors and the rich cultural heritage which has been passed down to us.

5. I have read convincing, but circumstantial evidence indicating that the motivation for the NAACP’s attacks on the Confederate flag is primarily a fund-raising strategy. About 20 years ago, the NAACP was scandal-ridden, nearly bankrupt, and in desperate need of a “hot button” issue to motivate their contributors. Attacking the Confederate flag was a lot more palatable than something like a program to reduce the high illegitimacy rate of black children, encouraging responsible fatherhood, or encouraging black students to focus on getting a good education. They have apparently forgotten the meaning of their name: “National Association for the Advancement of Colored People”. The logic escapes me.

6. I understand the feelings of blacks regarding the history of slavery - as they see it. I understand that they see the Confederate flag as a symbol of slavery. The South is a nice convenient target as long as one ignores the facts of how those slaves were captured, who captured them, who bought and sold them, who transported them to America, the South’s efforts to peacefully end the practice of slavery, etc. What frustrates me is why some people pretend to be so easily offended and have so little regard for the beliefs and heritage of anyone but themselves.

It saddens me to see that racial strife appears to be a permanent part of Southern culture and heritage. At the same time, it is a relief to know that this is imposed on us by external forces rather than by our own choice. At Confederate Colonel, we welcome any Southern Gentleman or Lady, regardless of skin color. We have no use for “token” blacks to be paraded around to say to the world, “see, we aren’t racist - we have blacks among us.” No, we would welcome those of any race as fellow Southern Gentlemen and Southern Ladies - and hold them to the same high standards as any Southern Gentleman or Lady.

Sometimes we just need to be reminded of the proper position of a Southern Gentleman, so I am using this post as a reminder - to me most of all. It is far too easy to let the constant attacks that we receive become a festering sore and then lash out in anger. We strive to be Gentlemen here, and that means showing restraint in the face of adversity. All too often we fail; but then we get back up, admit our mistakes, and get on with life while striving to live up to the high standards we have set. Let’s remember that our focus here is on the Southern Gentleman and the Southern Lady - not on those who are hostile to those noble ideals.

Social and political forces are now lining up in a “perfect storm” against all we stand for. Let no one point to the Confederate Colonel forum and website and have reason to say we are not Gentlemen.

One of the projects of Confederate Colonel has been to develop a formal Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette. These symbols have been abused and desecrated not only by those who hate The South, but increasingly by well-meaning Southerners. This Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette is designed as a guide for those who respect The South. If Southerners will not respect the Confederate flag, then how can we expect others to respect it?

It is our hope that this Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette will be adopted by Southern organizations and individuals as a guide to respecting and honoring the symbols of our beloved South and those who sacrificed and died to defend her.

Following discussion on the Confederate Colonel forum, the Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette was released on 04/19/2008. The main web page for the code is here. It is also available in PDF format.

The Preamble to the Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette reads as follows:

The flag and other symbols of the Confederate States of America represent the dreams of a Southern nation for which our ancestors sacrificed their lives and their fortunes, and for the high and noble standards that we should once again strive for. The flags and other symbols of the Confederate States of America should be treated with the highest respect and never used or modified in a manner that diminishes the image of a great and noble South. Use of the Confederate flag should be held to the same high standards as any other national flag.

Since the focus of Confederate Colonel is The Southern Gentleman, it’s appropriate to try to define what that means. Before we start with that though, it’s good to point out that the title of “Southern Gentleman” should be thought of as a goal, and not a destination. I suspect that even Robert E. Lee would have seen room for improvement in his own life. It’s kind of like growing up - even though I’m in my 50’s, I still see myself growing and maturing. We never really “arrive” at that destination.

Here is what I found in the book, 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About The South:

Daniel Hindley was a Harvard-trained lawyer from Alabama who wrote on the subject in 1860. He described the Southern Gentleman as having “a natural dignity of manner” and “the utmost self-possession - that much coveted savoir faire, which causes a man to appear perfectly at home, whether it be in a hut or a palace.” He is “remarkably easy and natural, never haughty in appearance, or loud of voice - even when angry rarely raising his voice above the ordinary tone of gentlemanly conversation.”

I like that part about “in a hut or a palace”. It makes the point that being a Southern Gentleman has nothing to do with wealth. Any Southerner who has paid any attention to such things has met men with dirt and grease under their fingernails and grease-stained cloths, who are truly Southern Gentlemen. At the same time, there are plenty of “wannabes” who think that having money somehow qualifies one as a Southern Gentleman. The only association between Southern Gentleman and wealth is that the qualities that make one a Southern Gentleman are the same qualities of responsibility, duty, and the absolute drive to do what is right, that is valued in any society. In most situations, that translates into a higher salary or other financial compensation.

Today’s post was inspired by this article about a 19 year-old displaying an Obama sign along with the Confederate Flag. This is why Confederate Colonel is so strongly opposed to those who identify themselves as “Rednecks” and “Rebels”. While claiming to be a Southerner supporting The South, he is an embarrassment to all we stand for.

• He is either not smart enough or too lazy to learn what Obama is all about and why he is supported by the radical Left.
• As with virtually all those who claim “Redneck” status, he identifies himself as “lower-class” and proud of it. The word used for someone who takes pride in being lower-class rather than working to improve his lot in life is “Loser”. Unless you’re born into a wealthy family, everyone starts at the bottom. Losers are content to stay there and wallow in their own self-pity. Southern Gentlemen do what it takes to improve themselves and their families.
• He is looking to the federal government to take care of him and save his job - the same federal government that invaded and destroyed The South that he claims as his heritage. Jobs come and go, but as long as government stays out of the way, a dedicated, responsible man will always have gainful employment. The only jobs that “need saving” are the jobs of losers who think a high-paying job is an entitlement owed to them.

Whatever happened to the idea that a man is responsible for his own fate rather than looking to the government? Most of the time, boys grow up into men; we can only hope that will be the case for Josh Jones. This 19 year old boy has all the maturity of a spoiled 7 year old demanding that mommy buy him some candy at the grocery store. It is truly frightening that people like him are allowed to vote.

Here are a few quotes from the article:

“I’m just a lower-class, hard-working person just like millions of others down here in the South but also in the North and all over this country, who might lose their jobs but nobody gives a **** about us,” he says.

“And if you don’t like my rebel flag or my Obama sticker,” he says, “then you can just kiss my country ***!”

The South lost the War for Southern Independence - losers like this just serve to show smug Northerners how completely they destroyed Southern Culture. Should the spirit of Robert E. Lee come upon Josh Jones, he would pause, shake his head in sadness, and perhaps wipe away a tear before riding past this pathetic puppet of the Left.