[.cnI redruM]

As soon as I here some arrogant Northern Liberal start in on the South, I reach for the barf bag and the pepto bismol. I guess today, it's the CSM's turn to condescend.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I hear ya over here.

[righthand man]

bump for later

[Clemenza]

Florida is only a "su-thun" state north of Orlando in the Pork Chop region.

[TC Rider]

How racist is this?

Gaffney, SC

[SittinYonder]

I'm nearing the end of Webb's "Born Fighting." Being of Scotch-Irish descent and Southern (by the grace of God), I relate very much to the book. It is a fascinating read and he nailed the Southern culture in a way that the Christian Science Monitor never could begin to understand.

[southernnorthcarolina]

College towns have been mentioned on this thread, and as it happens, both of my Southerm alma maters have been embroiled in controversies over Confederate Memorials. The United Daughters of the Confederacy were involved in both cases.

Vanderbilt University: In 1935, a grant of $50,000 (and that was serious money in the middle of the Depression) by the United Daughters of the Confederacy helped fund the construction of dormitory named Confederate Memorial Hall on the campus of Peabody College (Vanderbilt has since taken over Peabody, whose campus is across 24th Avenue, South from Vanderbilt's main campus).

A few years ago, Vanderbilt summarily decided to remove the name "Confederate," in an effort to be "more inclusive." They were sued by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, who alleged breach of contract. The Court found the contract regarding the name of the building to be null and void, so "Confederate Memorial Hall" is no more, alas.

Ah, but Vanderbilt can't completely run from its past. The late Senator from Mississippi, Theodore Bilbo, whose views on racial matters were, shall we say, at odds with the current concept of enlightenment, was an alum of Vanderbilt Law -- something I've never heard the university brag about.

University of North Carolina: In 1913, a statue of a Confederate soldier, paid for by the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and in honor of the approximately 1,000 students of UNC who served in the Confederate armed forces (that was about 40% of the enrollment at the time) was placed in a prominent location in the old part of the campus, McCorkle Place, facing Franklin Street. The soldier carries a rifle, and he soon came to be known as "Silent Sam": legend has it that he fires his rifle every time he sees a virgin, hence his quietude (or at least, that's the story which is always told to parents during parental orientation tours).

Silent Sam has been under sporadic attack by the NAACP, certain professors, and liberal groups for quite a few years; thus far, efforts to remove him have failed.

[KC_for_Freedom]

wizened black butlers still wait on gaggles of white golfers at certain exclusive clubs

I can't figure the reason they dropped this line in.. Is it because the waiter's jobs are not sought out and that somehow these black waiters are being put down? Or is it because this golf club is restricted and therefore Tiger Woods can't play there?

What a bunch of cr*p (either way)

From my traveling perspective, the South is so popular that I surly will rise again. *sports rebel flag on trailer.

[45semi]

"Even the word "South," in some quarters, has become a slur -
a convenient repository of national guilt over the exploitation of Africans
in the Cotton Belt a century and a half ago"

Wonder who the hell this author is talking about???
Do I feel 'guilty'? Doh! Nope...
Dont recall anyone I know ever saying:
"Ya know, I sure feel guilty about some people who were slaves a hundred or so years ago"
Where do these people come up with this crap they scribble for the rest of us to read?
Was it Richard Pryor who said something to the effect of
"Sure glad my ancestors couldnt outrun the slaver catchers...
...sorry for them, but glad I'm not over in Africa worrying about lions and sh_t like that..."

[SuziQ]

Even the word "South," in some quarters, has become a slur - a convenient repository of national guilt over the exploitation of Africans in the Cotton Belt a century and a half ago.

And why isn't "North" a slur since it was businessmen in the North who helped finance the slave trade with their trade with the West Indies for sugar and rum?

[ken21]

i know a guy that was fired because his southern accent grated on his employer and peers in texas.

the northerners run the tv stations and they'd make fun of his language. they're a transient lot, always moving up the ladder from market to market, hoping to get to the big markets like los angeles or new york city. so, they reflect urban, northern culture.

yes, his own state. fired for speaking texan.

[Darnright]

>Today, doubts rise alongside pride in regard to these sculpted heroes.<

Oh, good grief. And how much of this doubt comes from northern transplants who make a career out of telling Southerners what's wrong with the South?