This is also my blog entry on the subject from last night. I haven't seen anyone make this point, so I thought I'd drop it in here.
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Yep, nothing like a little opportunism to make a political season. And the aforementioned RtV debate gave us a shining example of both opportunism and the famous Democratic circular firing squad in action. Dean made a comment about wanting the vote of folks with "Confederate Flags" (I'm short handing due to laziness). In an example of Pavlovian conditioning, it took the rest of the field about 1.5 seconds to attack. The fact that most of them were giving the same comments a full standing O at the spring DNC meeting is irrelevant. If you haven't learned to expect hypocrisy from politicians yet, you're either an idiot or live under a rock.
Now Sharpton I understand. He's been in a "mine's bigger than yours" contest with Jesse Jackson as long as I've been old enough to vote. When Jackson's son endorsed Dean, it was a foregone conclusion that he'd attack at the first pretext. Edwards and the rest are just pure opportunism.
I have to say I was disappointed in Dean...for his recent apology and "loathsome symbol" comment. The fact is that the guy is right. I understand that the press was digging him a grave unless he groveled, so I'm not going to hold it against him too much. But it would have been nice if he would have held his ground a bit more, apologizing for causing offense, but not retracting the bulk of his comment.
And in a wonderful example of media screw jobs, after browbeating that apology, we now have an article which excoriates Dean for apologizing and thus insulting southerners. But I have to give article its due, there are many folks down south that revere the "Stars and Bars" but don't have a racist bone in their body. It really is all about the fact that their great granduncle Zeke was killed serving under Robert E. Lee.
What we have are two radically different interpretations of a symbol, and two sets of people talking past each other, and inflaming each other's sensibilities. There's the view listed in the article. Then there is the wholly legitimate revulsion of the African-American community, due to the connotation of slavery. But, like many historical issues, there really is no objectively "right" view.
Quick, who has the right to the land, the Israelis or the Palestinians? You can't choose both. See what I mean? Other than ideologues from either group, the answer is very complex, and effectively is "both". Same with this issue.
In a rational world, one could easily come to a compromise. The painful view of the African-American community trumps the cultural identity view when it comes to official government cases. Those Statehouse flags have to go, especially because they were directly placed up in defense of Jim Crow. But folks should have the right to have personal items without being hassled. Consider it separation of flag and State.
In the case of Dean's comments, he's spot on. It's about time we uptight right thinking northerners get over ourselves. Because we're mighty selective about our self-righteous moral sensibilities, aren't we? Look, every one of you that was scandalized about that flag comment because it was so insensitive about slavery, unless you actually believe that the Confederacy was formed and then they rushed out and grabbed a bunch of slaves...
Well, Lucy, you got some 'splainin to do.
Let's face facts, Slavery existed in the United States from the day of its creation, until the end of the Civil War. Also, along the same time the United States intentionally force marched the peaceful and assimilated Cherokee Nation into near genocide. It imprisoned the Nisei-Americans in WWII for the crime of being, well...Japanese. And it was the United States, not the vile Confederacy that allowed Jim Crow to be established and exist for almost 100 years. You see, the Confederate Flag can't be the symbol of Jim Crow, given...er..well...the Confederacy lost. It didn't exist anymore. It wasn't like the South was in a position to secede again when Crow started its ugly appearance.
The rest of the country just didn't give a damn.
So, my fine upstanding liberal DC fellows, in the immortal words of Bob Dole, "where's the outrage" about that most vile of all symbolic flags, the "Stars and Stripes"? All of what I just described (and I only touched the tip of the iceberg) happened under proudly flying US Flag. By the logic of the reaction to Dean, you should be utterly scandalized that we still fly such a symbol that is soaked in the blood of many more innocents than the Confederate Flag will ever be. Shouldn't we be decrying it? Why in the world after 9/11 was it a good thing that everyone was putting one of those "loathsome symbols" up?
(Please note - I don't really think we should revile the US Flag. History is grey. But it is an interesting comparison.)
I'll tell you why. We won, and winners write the history books. It's a lot easier for a pampered white DC liberal to tut tut and look down upon the "Stars and Bars", than it is to consider that maybe blowing $50K on a Range Rover is obscene when Anacostia is so poor. Or that outside of the secretaries and foreigners, their office is mostly nice and lily white. Or consider why they really chose to live in their suburban neighborhood or tony NW location, and how there don't seem to be many black folk there. To deal with those issues would take work, require a realization of extreme personal hypocrisy, and potentially damage one's career. It's a lot easier and more comfortable to insult a marginalized group's symbol instead, and puff one's self up with sanctimony on the cheap. And it's really nice that these folks are usually lower economic class comparatively, so you enjoy the "redneck" stereotype and sense of smug superiority as well.
You might want to think about that. And then reconsider why the recent election returns show the South moving further to the Republicans. Then perhaps consider what Dean said about reaching out to Southerners and what we share in political need, and not assuming everyone with a Confederate Flag is a raving racist. So as I said, Dean was right the first time, and it's about time we got over our nice smug self-congratulatory sense of moral superiority and tried to do something about it.
But to be honest, I expect more hate mail about how insensitive or "racist' I must be, than anyone actually thinking about it. The former is also is much easier.