Yesterday I wrote a diary hoping to engage in civil discussion about Joe Wilson's fight for the Confederate flag to fly over South Carolina's Capital. Update: Racist?, No. Leftie?, Yes. Southerner? You betcha!
Unfortunately, civil debate turned into extremely hate-filled comments directed at me and my defense of the Confederate flag being a source of pride for a lot of Southerners, including African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans.
A little known piece of history about the war between these states we call America, is that the Confederate Army had 60,000 to 90,000 non-white members. Whatever their reasons for fighting on the side of the secessionists was/is still largely unknown. http://www.37thtexas.org/...
Yes, there is still racism in the South, there is hatred here. But the hatred that I saw in the comments from yesterday's diary, far outweighs anything I have seen in my 50 years of living in the South.
I tried at first to respond in logical ways and to explain where it was obvious that my post had offended some, that possibly my ability as a writer is lacking, but that I had posted an honest and open diary about how I and many others view that flag, not as a symbol of hatred or to glorify slavery but as a source of pride in our Southern heritage. Until I became offended myself at the hatred spewed forth in some of the comments. Then I ended up writing angry, non-nonsensical replies that were just as ridiculous as the commentator's venom.
Hatred in any form, whether it be racism, violence, or hate-filled words is still hatred. Refusal to open up our minds and eyes to see that our thoughts and beliefs may be different from someone else is still bigotry. Until we Americans learn to accept differences in each other and to treat each other with respect, there will always be division and discord. Where there is division and discord, little progress can be made. This site, should be a place for progressive discourse, a place to logically and thoughtfully discuss ways, attitudes and means of furthering our country forward with fairness and tolerance for all.
In the words of my life-long hero, I leave you with this thought;
"I have a dream that someday my children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
Hate is not a characteristic that my children have been raised to admire, regardless of how justifiable it may seem.