On Issues of Race
Sunday, March 15th, 2009
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.
Here is one of the clearest explanations I’ve seen on the subject. It is from page 15 of