Rescuing the Dukes

Southern folk we like .. Poster courtesy of Wikipedia

by Trebor Snillor
Today

We actually have a “heat dome” over North Texas and sunny blue skies. Now that the heat is unrelenting I’m wondering if I wouldn’t like some cloud cover after all. I’m going for a walk in Las Colinas with a friend this afternoon so I need to double up on the SPF.

Miscellaneous other

I was appalled that Donald Trump led in the GOP polls for the last week.. The man is truly a train wreck and even many of his fellow Republicans can see that. Yesterday he essentially insulted all veterans by saying that John McCain was not a war hero. Let’s hope that one comment is enough to end his juggernaut. His die hard supporters should be ashamed of Trump’s pettiness and move their support to a serious contender.

Sanitizing the South?

Since the huge brouhaha around the Confederate Flag, the Legions of Political Correctness have taken aim at everything Confederate or Southern. There is talk in Dallas of renaming Robert E Lee Park and Stonewall Jackson Elementary. The Lee statue (dedicated by FDR in 1937) has even been vandalized. I have some comments about all the wrongness here. First of all, vigilantism and vandalism are never a good approach. If you don’t like the statue you should work through government – don’t turn yourself into a graffiti artist.

I’m also reminded of a local movement to remove the word “nigger” from school editions of Tom Sawyer. This kind of literary cleansing actually does something opposite of its intent – it takes away race as a relevant topic. It imposes a cloak of silence over what should be very much reviewed, discussed and understood. It’s a close relative to book burning.

I’m reminded of ISIS tearing down ancient “pagan” statues or Soviet GOSPLAN members renaming St. Petersburg to Leningrad. Such arrogant cultural cleansings do way more harm than good.. they create fissures and resentments that invite a future reckoning. We should never try to pave over things that are troubling or divisive in our collective past – we should remember where we came from.

Baby versus Bathwater

And where does the denial stop? There are many Old South symbols – Aunt Jemima Pancakes, mint julips, Tara-style mansions, and even expressions like “Lawd have mercy”. I’m of southern heritage and I indulge frequently in my Southern peccadillos. I also vote Democratic and I’m decidedly left of center. Don’t anyone deny me of a “Dukes of Hazard” episode or a pecan pie while figuring out which Southern tropes and symbols to stomp on. Some of it like “Dukes of Hazard” has a self-knowing parody at work anyway. They aren’t writing a Boss Hogg recommendation.

Everyone get a grip – listen to “That’s What I Like about the South”. We are keeping the magnolias and the azaleas along with sweet tea, Tex Mex and chicken fried steak. Resident Yankees should know where the EXIT door is if they want to squelch everything Confederate. Surprise – I can make all the relevant distinctions thank you.

© 2015 Snillor Productions