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Culture War Roundup for the week of October 23, 2023

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I am curious and confused why you have lumped “white people” in with Confederate history. Surely most white people in America were not Southern rebels, and there’s more to that culture than Robert E Lee? I realize that as a Southerner yourself it feels a bit more personal but… again, I really feel the Confederate issue doesn’t generalize. And part of it is just that Southern primary education more or less lies to its own people about this part of history. Not only do many texts outright lie about the causes of the Civil War, the South may have claimed that slavery would die out, but their actual actions reveal an active attempt at spreading it. A lot of these “reasonable complaints” just boil down to economic issues, made worse because the South didn’t want to take steps to rebalance their economy away from slavery. And they certainly didn’t want to treat Black people like the humans they are. That’s not something you can just glaze over.

They don’t just attack confederate symbols. Last time I checked Christopher Columbus was cancelled too. They pull his statues down which do have significant to my people.

I think his post was a little hyperbolic but it’s also sort of true.

And part of it is just that Southern primary education more or less lies to its own people about this part of history.

Ah, yes. This old canard.

Sorry, but I had to take 400-level history courses on Southern history before the notion that 'Well, the Civil War may have had other factors beyond slavery that caused it' even got brought up.

I'll believe my own eyes and experience, thanks.