I’ve written many diaries in Top Comments about life in a red state, about things that happen here, attitudes, perspectives, encounters. As everyone knows, the state of South Carolina has been in the news a lot lately. A couple of friends have asked my thoughts on the developments. I can’t write that in its entirety on any given evening, but I can begin work on a small portion of it. Please consider this a first installment.
The terrorist attack at African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston resulted in the deaths of 9 fine human beings. That is the most important thing. Their lives, their families. And yet the focus soon turned to something much less important, that hideous flag on the statehouse grounds.
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The history has been covered in many places, let me just recap, briefly. It was initially placed atop the statehouse in 1962. In 2000, an outcry that insisted only on its removal from the top of the statehouse resulted in that removal, and in an act of sheer spite, the state legislature had it reinstalled in a much more prominent position on the flagpole you’ve all seen.
Now, it’s down, of course, but in its way the debate rages on. That flag is now seen on some automobiles, and on various private properties. It isn’t so common, but much more so than it was six months ago, as ‘protesters’ and clear racists rally to the ‘cause.’ Some of those wishing to keep the debate alive are pure racists. Some are less clear. All promote the argument that its ‘demotion’ constitutes a repudiation of ‘Southern heritage.’
One thing that is also a part of ‘Southern heritage’ is the selective reading and interpretation of a romanticized, inaccurate history, in accordance with bullshit anti-authoritarisnism and belligerence. Foremost among them is the idea that that flag is the one the Confederacy cherished. It is not so. There were a number of ‘Confederate flags,’ the one flying over the SC statehouse grounds was not among the originals, and, as it is currently shown, did not fly in battle with any Confederate troops, even if the ‘battle flag’ (on which the SC version was based), was carried by the Army of North Virginia. The version flown in South Carolina has a taint of particularly acute racism because of its favored status with the Ku Klux Klan.
Let me re-emphasize that. The flag is not racist because ‘liberals’ say so, or the ‘liberal media,’ or any other hated-by-the-Tea-Party group. It’s racist because the Ku Klux Klan say it is. They have come out with a lot of ‘disclaimers’ that they have no official flag, but Google images says otherwise. (For hate groups, truth and reality can be a real bitch.)
Even so, not all aspects of every ‘heritage’ are EVER celebrated and honored.
How to illuminate that?
I turned to one of the most sordid cases of the 20th Century, the murders and atrocities performed by serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer. (Dahmer represents a little known corollary of ‘Godwin's Law.' As an Internet discussion goes on, the likelihood that the name of Dahmer will be invoked approaches .0001.)
I have to mention my surprise about this diary. If anyone had ever told me I'd write a diary focused on Jeffrey Dahmer, I'd have shaken my head, wondering what possibly could prompt that. I do recall thinking of him once before, in political context: thinking about who would have to be the alternate candidate to dubya (really though, any Republican candidate in the past 20 years) that might make me vote for him, and Dahmer came up as a possibility. But, otherwise, no. Yet, here I am.
Dahmer's story is well known, I don't need to recount the terrible details. But I would like to make a couple of points.
In one of the most difficult episodes of the Dahmer story, Dahmer drugged 14 year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone and injected muriatic acid into his skull. Sinthasomphone was found naked and incoherent in the street. Three women called police and requested investigation, but Milwaukee police returned Sinthasomphone to Dahmer’s custody. Dahmer completed the killing of Sinthasomphone once the police left.
Do you think Milwaukee police celebrate that incident as 'part of their heritage?'
Jeffrey Dahmer's father is still alive, and he never changed his name to escape the unimaginable stigma of association with his son (I give him credit for that). With his second wife (Dahmer's birth mother is deceased ), he conducted a long interview with Larry King, to try to help people understand and possibly recognize some of the serial killer red flags he himself (and his wife) missed.
Dahmer's younger brother, by contrast, did change his name and his identity to escape the devastating associations with the serial killer. I don't blame him for that. I suspect it would color every aspect of every social exchange he ever had. Not in a positive way. Just dealing with the morbid curiosity of people would have to be excruciating. The endless, repetitive questions, most of which he wouldn't be able to answer.
Though Lionel Dahmer kept the Dahmer name, do you think Dahmers the world over celebrate cannibalism, necrophilia and murder as part of their heritage?
The things about ‘Southern heritage’ worth celebrating (I can’t think of any at the moment) are not overt racism, lynchings, burnings, assassinations. That might be a heritage the Tea Party would embrace, but no decent human beings.
I’ve had some success with heritage argument, and the debate still comes up from time to time. It’s surprising how few decent people willing to consider the racists’ heritage argument have considered that no one celebrates all aspects of heritage. It’s time to let this one go.
This issue pales in comparison to the losses those nine families have suffered. May they find peace in the arms of the community, and may they feel the love and sympathy we send their way. Many nights they’ve been in our thoughts, and many more to come.
Tonight's comments were collated and formatted by our dear brillig! Most appreciated, my fine friend!
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From Steven D:
La Feminista's comment in Jen Hayden's diary Off-duty police officer caught on video threatening to 'blow a hole' through man's head is short and speaks for itself.
From cville townie:
As detailed in gjohnsit's diary, the Obama administration having upgraded Malaysia in its human-trafficking enforcement report, just to get Malaysia eligible for the TPP and the fast-track trade procedure being used to pass it, as well as the fact that 1/4 of some goods made in Malaysia (including electronics), many of which would be covered by this trade agreement, are made by slave labor...
and rwiley had this perfect response to imsodizzy's setup.
From David Nir:
This comment by Tarheelman1993 left me speechless.
Also, here's a great comment from LKBPA,a candidate we just endorsed.
(brillig here: yes, the comments are out of range but the first is a truly poignant and insightful comment, the second, what we do here).
From belinda ridgewood:
Tom Tomorrow's excellent Donald Trump cartoon prompts boran2 to make a related comment. Then raptavio gives it the perfect twist.
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