TV land has pulled repeats of the classic Dukes of Hazzard over the confederate flag controversy.
The Duke boys are being put on the bench.
TV Land has pulled reruns of Dukes of Hazzard in light of the recent uproar over the Confederate flag, which is emblazoned on the roof of the show's iconic General Lee 1969 Dodge Charger, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The show has faced criticism over the depiction of the controversial flag in the wake of the June 17 shooting in Charleston, S.C., that left nine dead, and what many viewed as South Carolina's delayed decision to take the flag down.
Oh god, these idiots are going to feed into a backlash when time comes to ban Confederate flags in the remaining public spaces. We need to fight the real battles against racism, not this trivial crap. I support focusing on the real outrage of anything government related glorifying this flag. The Dukes is a freaking harmless show that is campy. I find certain videos by country artists glorifying the good old south in a tone I find kind of uncomfortable compared to just seeing a confederate flag display.
There was an over the top reaction when 9-11 happened where any show (such as Friends) that had a shot of the twin towers would be edited. Seriously, pulling repeats of a harmless old show does nothing to help in the fight against racism. Limit the fight to public spaces and look down on any private use the way we would look down on someone wearing something trashy. That should be good enough.
THe worst thing is I doubt the execs at TV Land even care that much about the fight against racism. THey are just doing it as a display of corporate overcaution.
What I fear is moves like this will only harden the moderates in the south. We already won the fight in public spaces. Let time and soft disapproval dissipate the appeal of the confederate flag. We do not want to lose the decent people who are guilty of being overly sentimental to something they have been exposed to for their lifetime to the dark side of the many hardcore racists that glorify that flag. I want real change and there is still way too much racism to worry about alienating people over a freaking harmless show like this one.
Real courage and a real statement is what Bree Newsome did in taking that flag down. I don't need some network either pandering or paranoid in making a decision like pulling a harmless show from circulation. Can you imagine TCM having to pull so many movies from the old days because of offensive symbols or stereotypes?
While I support many progressive causes, we always have to be wary of overreach. Justified or not, I have come to the conclusion that a significant number of human beings can take only so much negative stuff and will tune out the rest even if the stuff they tune out are legitimate. So we need to be strategic in what we bring to the forefront. Not every southern white person who may have a sentimental attachment towards the flag is a racist. It's been drilled into their heads as kids. It doesn't mean we have to respect that flag. It doesn't mean we can't abuse that flag. It just means we have to let some things slip by.
P.S.: I also will go on the record as someone who was fond of this show and its classic theme song as a teen. Not because I had any kind of attachment towards the flag. It's just a very likable harmless show. My grandfather and his parents suffered at the hands of the British in a direct way. Physically, racially, and financially. Movies like Gunga Din INFURIATED me the first time I saw it. Yet, I wouldn't want to see such a movie banned from TV. Now I just laugh at that movie for its imperialistic tone. I just tell my relatives to not bother watching that offensive junk unless they are a real movie buff and want to check it out for movie related reasons.
[UPDATE]: Even the guys on Larry Wilmore's panel on Comedy Central had nothing bad to say about the show. As they themselves quoted the show "Just'a good ol' boys
Never meanin' no harm."