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Endless complaints. |
Posted on 12/31/2004 2:21:30 PM PST by Caipirabob
What's wrong about this photo? Or if you're a true-born Southerner, what's right?
While scanning through some of the up and coming movies in 2005, I ran across this intriguing title; "CSA: Confederate States of America (2005)". It's an "alternate universe" take on what would the country be like had the South won the civil war.
Stars with bars:
Suffice to say anything from Hollywood on this topic is sure to to bring about all sorts of controversial ideas and discussions. I was surprised that they are approaching such subject matter, and I'm more than a little interested.
Some things are better left dead in the past:
For myself, I was more than pleased with the homage paid to General "Stonewall" Jackson in Turner's "Gods and Generals". Like him, I should have like to believe that the South would have been compelled to end slavery out of Christian dignity rather than continue to enslave their brothers of the freedom that belong equally to all men. Obviously it didn't happen that way.
Would I fight for a South that believed in Slavery today? I have to ask first, would I know any better back then? I don't know. I honestly don't know. My pride for my South and my heritage would have most likely doomed me as it did so many others. I won't skirt the issue, in all likelyhood, slavery may have been an afterthought. Had they been the staple of what I considered property, I possibly would have already been past the point of moral struggle on the point and preparing to kill Northern invaders.
Compelling story or KKK wet dream?:
So what do I feel about this? The photo above nearly brings me to tears, as I highly respect Abraham Lincoln. I don't care if they kick me out of the South. Imagine if GW was in prayer over what to do about a seperatist leftist California. That's how I imagine Lincoln. A great man. I wonder sometimes what my family would have been like today. How many more of us would there be? Would we have held onto the property and prosperity that sustained them before the war? Would I have double the amount of family in the area? How many would I have had to cook for last week for Christmas? Would I have needed to make more "Pate De Fois Gras"?
Well, dunno about that either. Depending on what the previous for this movie are like, I may or may not see it. If they portray it as the United Confederacy of the KKK I won't be attending.
This generation of our clan speaks some 5 languages in addition to English, those being of recent immigrants to this nation. All of them are good Americans. I believe the south would have succombed to the same forces that affected the North. Immigration, war, economics and other huma forces that have changed the map of the world since history began.
Whatever. At least in this alternate universe, it's safe for me to believe that we would have grown to be the benevolent and humane South that I know it is in my heart. I can believe that slavery would have died shortly before or after that lost victory. I can believe that Southern gentlemen would have served the world as the model for behavior. In my alternate universe, it's ok that Spock has a beard. It's my alternate universe after all, it can be what I want.
At any rate, I lived up North for many years. Wonderful people and difficult people. I will always sing their praises as a land full of beautiful Italian girls, maple syrup and Birch beer. My uncle ribbed us once before we left on how we were going up North to live "with all the Yankees". Afterwards I always refered to him as royalty. He is, really. He's "King of the Rednecks". I suppose I'm his court jester.
So what do you think of this movie?
It'll be a hack job. Hollywood is not going to be able to say anything nice about the south. Especially after the election.
Southern Mississippi Ping (not USM)
They made such a big deal after the election on how the "red States" map looked like the "Slave States" map before the civil war. I suspect it won't be pretty at all.
As a historian, I find counterfactuals (alternate histories) fun to play with but the danger is maintaining any sort of REAL objectivity is impossible.
I suspect this will be an opportunity for the left to rant about how evil the south (and thus red-staters) are.
Slavery was not the primary reason that the vast majority of people fought for the Confederacy. Very few people even owned slaves, perhaps 5% or less. Back 140 years ago people were MUCH more dedicated to their state and region than now. The heavily populated and insudtrialized northern states were doing MANY different things that were intended to enrich the northern states at the expense of the southern ones, such as putting high tarrifs on imported machinery so that Southern states would be forced to buy inferior northern machinery.
The issue is much as it is today with liberals; they continually try to spin every issue to make it something that it is not. BTW, if slavery was the issue, why did Lincoln wait two years to sign the Emancipation Proclamation (which did not free a single slave)?
"I suspect this will be an opportunity for the left to rant about how evil the south (and thus red-staters) are"
Exactly. I question the director's motives in making such a flick...is he/she liberal/leftist/race baiter?.
That's a refreshing idea on this subject. Too often people forget that what we currently accept as being obvious, in an ethical sense, only became the standard response after much thought, blood, and change. I loathe Hollywood's incessant anti-South position, but I equally loathe some of the sentiments of some southerners on this issue, too. People today have the benefit of hindsight, but also of not having their entire lives ripped up--something Hollywoodies should think about re: Southern society and individual lives and property, and Southerners should think about the slaves whose lives we all know about.
Also, we can't ignore the fact that MANY NORTHERNERS CONTINUED TO PRACTICE SLAVERY. It's not as if they're necessarily on the moral upside, they just happened to be losing and needed the manpower along with a perceived moral arguement to continue to wage war.
No one bothered to free the slaves before the war. It was all talk.
Churchill wrote such an account, I wonder if they'll borrow from him. As I recall, it all ended up pretty much the same anyways, after all was said and done.
That's what I like... a man that knows his history.
Executive Producer: Spike Lee
aka Shelton J. Lee
March 20, 1957
ATLANTA GA
Full blown hatred of white people packaged as introspection.
Harry Turtledove has a whole set of novels with this premise.
Lee hasn't really done that sort of thing for a while. His last film, 25th Hour was awesome. And executive producers have no say in what a film is like. By the way, this film, which was made by a small indie outside of the Hollywood system, is apparently a comedy/satire.
"It's an "alternate universe" take on what would the country be like had the South won the civil war."
Given the feelings blue-staters have for
red-staters, not to mention Southerners,
you just KNOW it won't be pretty.
Guess I'll be looking out for Shrek 3...
What's wrong about this photo? Or if you're a true-born Southerner, what's right?
I love The South as much as the next guy, but this picture is a slap to the US Marines. The original is of the United States Marines, not the Confederate States Marines.
BTW, if slavery was the issue, why did Lincoln wait two years to sign the Emancipation Proclamation (which did not free a single slave)?
Hell, the Emancipation Proclamation only freed slave in the Confederacy! Maryland was a slave state and in the Union yet they retained their slaves.
Yea, I knew it was propaganda. The Emancipation Proclamation only "freed" slaves in the south while ignoring the slavery that existed in Maryland.
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