I always find these types of people interesting. He's holding onto some "old-world" values but it's very clear Franks intent is not racist. While there are certainly people out there who focus on...
I always find these types of people interesting. He's holding onto some "old-world" values but it's very clear Franks intent is not racist. While there are certainly people out there who focus on the more discriminatory aspects of the Confederacy, I would argue most people like Frank are just enamored with the old south way of life. What they refuse to acknowledge is how ingrained slavery and racism were in that way of life and economy. The "days of the old south" would not have been what they were without slavery. He mentions that 9 of his ancestors fought for the Confederacy and none of them owned slaves, as if that meant something. All it means is that his family was not wealthy enough to own humans. It's nice and good for him to take a trip to the National Museum of African American History along with all the other things he does to prove he's not racist but when you say stuff like:
"We’re not claiming bad things never happened,” Frank said, “but it wasn’t all whippings and killings, either.”
What are people supposed to think? I'm sure there were moments where slaves weren't miserable, but they were still slaves. I can agree with most of the stuff Frank was saying but when you say something like that, it makes it seem like you're either putting up a front or you're so far removed from reality that you think we can forgive our ancestors for owning other humans and even celebrate their culture.
It doesn't really surprise me to hear this kind of thing, frankly. This kind of person simply does not understand how racism works or what it means to be stripped of human rights. It's very...
It doesn't really surprise me to hear this kind of thing, frankly. This kind of person simply does not understand how racism works or what it means to be stripped of human rights. It's very important to realize that this kind of argument comes from ignorance and should not be taken seriously.
I know you're exaggerating to make a point but that is an unfair comparison. These kind of people are fixated on a manufactured culture because of the things that they find appealing in it. If we...
I know you're exaggerating to make a point but that is an unfair comparison. These kind of people are fixated on a manufactured culture because of the things that they find appealing in it. If we are going to go that far, you could argue that we are no better living the type of lifestyle we enjoy. Our culture depends on the labor of underpaid workers in countries that we will probably never go to. Just like Frank, we allow ourselves to ignore bits of truth in order to enjoy something that wouldn't exist otherwise.
I live in a majority black country in the developing world (in fact, one that has a significant number of people whose ancestors left Oklahoma in the 1920s), so my perspective may be a bit...
I live in a majority black country in the developing world (in fact, one that has a significant number of people whose ancestors left Oklahoma in the 1920s), so my perspective may be a bit different than this. I would counter that it is an unfair comparison, in that it is unfair to the Nazis, insofar in that they were a temporary, aberrant perversion of the German culture, whereas U.S. southern culture was the norm between the founding of the U.S. and the civil war. After the war, the South's image was quickly rehabilitated for political reasons. U.S. southern culture is simply the beneficiary of American exceptionalism and a sustained cultural effort to sweep the worst aspects under the rug.
I always find these types of people interesting. He's holding onto some "old-world" values but it's very clear Franks intent is not racist. While there are certainly people out there who focus on the more discriminatory aspects of the Confederacy, I would argue most people like Frank are just enamored with the old south way of life. What they refuse to acknowledge is how ingrained slavery and racism were in that way of life and economy. The "days of the old south" would not have been what they were without slavery. He mentions that 9 of his ancestors fought for the Confederacy and none of them owned slaves, as if that meant something. All it means is that his family was not wealthy enough to own humans. It's nice and good for him to take a trip to the National Museum of African American History along with all the other things he does to prove he's not racist but when you say stuff like:
What are people supposed to think? I'm sure there were moments where slaves weren't miserable, but they were still slaves. I can agree with most of the stuff Frank was saying but when you say something like that, it makes it seem like you're either putting up a front or you're so far removed from reality that you think we can forgive our ancestors for owning other humans and even celebrate their culture.
It doesn't really surprise me to hear this kind of thing, frankly. This kind of person simply does not understand how racism works or what it means to be stripped of human rights. It's very important to realize that this kind of argument comes from ignorance and should not be taken seriously.
In my book, this is akin to flying a swastika because you like the rallies and uniforms.
I know you're exaggerating to make a point but that is an unfair comparison. These kind of people are fixated on a manufactured culture because of the things that they find appealing in it. If we are going to go that far, you could argue that we are no better living the type of lifestyle we enjoy. Our culture depends on the labor of underpaid workers in countries that we will probably never go to. Just like Frank, we allow ourselves to ignore bits of truth in order to enjoy something that wouldn't exist otherwise.
I live in a majority black country in the developing world (in fact, one that has a significant number of people whose ancestors left Oklahoma in the 1920s), so my perspective may be a bit different than this. I would counter that it is an unfair comparison, in that it is unfair to the Nazis, insofar in that they were a temporary, aberrant perversion of the German culture, whereas U.S. southern culture was the norm between the founding of the U.S. and the civil war. After the war, the South's image was quickly rehabilitated for political reasons. U.S. southern culture is simply the beneficiary of American exceptionalism and a sustained cultural effort to sweep the worst aspects under the rug.