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0rganism

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40. my wife worked for a southern "aristocrat" back in the '80s

Fri Jun 19, 2015, 01:31 PM

Jun 2015

he was one of the people behind the "Hee Haw" show, which was popular for a while.

anyway, he lived on what was basically a plantation in Tennessee complete with a castle imported from Europe piece by piece, and had a lot of black ... help. many of them were elderly, and probably had some clear memories of Jim Crow. they basically lived in cabins on-site and worked around the place as if emancipation never happened. my wife, a white woman, was repeatedly advised by both employers and fellow staff (including the black people) not to associate with them other than to boss them around. there remained a very significant differentiation between how people of different races were treated. the black employees accepted it as the way things were.

i don't know how much that's changed in the last 30 years.

i don't understand it either.

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I don't understand the South. [View all] cali Jun 2015 OP

No. You sure don't. cwydro Jun 2015 #1

So educate instead of one liners. Blue_Adept Jun 2015 #2

I was in the first forced busing cwydro Jun 2015 #8

I hear you... OneGrassRoot Jun 2015 #33

Well deserved in some cases LordGlenconner Jun 2015 #4

What is your heritage? B2G Jun 2015 #6

Scotch-Irish LordGlenconner Jun 2015 #7

Good to know nothing bad was ever done by the Scotch or the Irish. B2G Jun 2015 #9

Depends LordGlenconner Jun 2015 #12

What do you think? B2G Jun 2015 #13

I'm sure bigots and racists everywhere are celebrating LordGlenconner Jun 2015 #17

Which establishes that this isn't a uniquely "Southern" problem onenote Jun 2015 #77

And if Germany was still proudly flying swastikas, that would be somewhat problematic, DanTex Jun 2015 #47

Exactly. My point entirely...I've been thinking...do the Germans have special sections CTyankee Jun 2015 #99

Who are your people. npk Jun 2015 #68

Exactly. The Scots-Irish migrated heavily to the south and played a large LondonReign2 Jun 2015 #74

Interesting. okasha Jun 2015 #78

Yes LordGlenconner Jun 2015 #116

Lincoln can't help it if he got shot by a white supremacists. betterdemsonly Jun 2015 #10

How could Lincoln have been too conciliatory after the war if he was killed before it was over? KitSileya Jun 2015 #29

Plans for reconstruction were well underway at the time of his assasination LordGlenconner Jun 2015 #32

The war was over before he was shot. linuxman Jun 2015 #94

You must dig ISIS. In the ME, they're doing what you advocate for in this post. Pooka Fey Jun 2015 #57

this was in no way a "south-hating" or south bashing op cali Jun 2015 #70

It's just not that hard to understand Major Nikon Jun 2015 #72

I was referring to the culture cali Jun 2015 #75

There is no Confederate culture Major Nikon Jun 2015 #88

They are simply raw political opportunists who have advanced up ladjf Jun 2015 #3

In some ways, many in the former MineralMan Jun 2015 #5

Native Southerner here. Haley and Jindal are about nothing but lining their pockets. onehandle Jun 2015 #11

thanks I've spent some time in the deep South, but confess to feeling uncomfortable cali Jun 2015 #14

I grew up in the Houston suburbs, and still live in Texas virtualobserver Jun 2015 #34

Some are in my back country nadinbrzezinski Jun 2015 #16

The basin/mountain back country was settled by mormons betterdemsonly Jun 2015 #18

Good analogy as well. nadinbrzezinski Jun 2015 #24

When I moved to the south in the mid-80s I was DURHAM D Jun 2015 #15

You were given good advise nadinbrzezinski Jun 2015 #23

Yes, that is so true but they are not the only Americans who lost wars. Native Americans did also jwirr Jun 2015 #35

"There is no shame of lost here because they were not holding slaves" EX500rider Jun 2015 #91

The operative word is "before the European" They did not lose a war because they wanted to jwirr Jun 2015 #93

They lost wars to each other often mythology Jun 2015 #113

Most people that I see obsessing about the civil war are northerners. nt redgreenandblue Jun 2015 #19

Define obsessing. jwirr Jun 2015 #36

Most southerners these days marions ghost Jun 2015 #20

Most southerners are not loud mouthed racists. Jamastiene Jun 2015 #27

Very good points. Behind the Aegis Jun 2015 #31

You may be right but this kid said it was about racism and wanting to start a new race war. That jwirr Jun 2015 #39

Not really. There are similar movements in Idaho and Montana, hardly the South. Behind the Aegis Jun 2015 #44

I think people stereotype Southerners as racist marions ghost Jun 2015 #50

More and more marions ghost Jun 2015 #54

"Most"? Would you agree that democracy tends to reflect collective attitudes? lumberjack_jeff Jun 2015 #30

You can target SC if you want marions ghost Jun 2015 #53

That is actually incorrect npk Jun 2015 #71

I live part of the year in rural MI snpsmom Jun 2015 #21

It's romanticism and searching for someone to look down on. jeff47 Jun 2015 #22

this, exactly ^^^^ magical thyme Jun 2015 #37

LBJ explained it perfectly more than 50 years ago hifiguy Jun 2015 #48

And it's exactly the same mechanism okasha Jun 2015 #82

I spent my junior and senior year of high school Blue_In_AK Jun 2015 #25

What year was that? Lurker Deluxe Jun 2015 #38

Oh, Spring Branch, our great rivals. Blue_In_AK Jun 2015 #56

dunno Lurker Deluxe Jun 2015 #60

South Houston is part of the Pasadena Independent School District, Blue_In_AK Jun 2015 #61

I graduated from Spring Branch High in 1970. n/t oneshooter Jun 2015 #86

IMO, the South believes it should still be part of Britain. CK_John Jun 2015 #26

Eh? okasha Jun 2015 #83

Points ieoeja Jun 2015 #117

I lived in the deep south for several years. DCBob Jun 2015 #28

my wife worked for a southern "aristocrat" back in the '80s 0rganism Jun 2015 #40

You don't understand it because you buy into the silly South bashing we partake in here on DU. ileus Jun 2015 #41

What South do you live in? I live in a South that is still seething with anger McCamy Taylor Jun 2015 #43

Va / WV ileus Jun 2015 #45

Read "The Mind of the South." McCamy Taylor Jun 2015 #42

I discussed this in a post yesterday responding to lovemydog hifiguy Jun 2015 #46

Thank you. That's one of the best explanations of the phenomenon I have ever read. Nay Jun 2015 #62

Joe's Deer Hunting With Jesus is a must-read. hifiguy Jun 2015 #63

Yeah, I miss that guy so much. If you haven't read his essays, I think his blog is still Nay Jun 2015 #65

Japan's revisionism re WWII and denial of WWII crimes is well known Pooka Fey Jun 2015 #67

But Japanese militarism/imperialism is a thing of the past. hifiguy Jun 2015 #69

Joe Bageant angel823 Jun 2015 #49

+1 hifiguy Jun 2015 #64

I know what you mean angel823 Jun 2015 #118

I grew up exposed to that whole rebel pride thing, but luckily wasn't raised by it. arcane1 Jun 2015 #51

Not only in the south CTBlueboy Jun 2015 #52

Do you also want to bulldoze confederate cemetaries? oneshooter Jun 2015 #87

my honest answer ? CTBlueboy Jun 2015 #96

My family at that time were farmers and merchants, they owned no slaves. oneshooter Jun 2015 #98

My views of history? CTBlueboy Jun 2015 #100

The point that was being made... HooptieWagon Jun 2015 #101

In my family is refered, when it is discussed, as the"War between the States". oneshooter Jun 2015 #103

Have a nice day CTBlueboy Jun 2015 #107

Sure will. oneshooter Jun 2015 #111

Your ancestors were played for patsies. raging moderate Jul 2020 #119

+1. Jindahl and Haley are easy, racism is what it usually takes to get elected statewide there.. Hoyt Jun 2015 #55

There's lots of icky racists in the north, too. But there's more of them per capita in the south. Zorra Jun 2015 #58

Jindal and Haley certainly DO understand it, they just care about their own political ambitions more JI7 Jun 2015 #59

I don't either and I was born and raised there. MoonRiver Jun 2015 #66

Interesting read frustrated_lefty Jun 2015 #73

See the LBJ quote upthread. okasha Jun 2015 #84

I was born in NC and do not understand the south. my folks were adamant about everyone being equal peacebird Jun 2015 #76

As a white woman of moderate means, when I see the confederate flag, CrispyQ Jun 2015 #79

So what do you think racism in other parts of the country is rooted in? onenote Jun 2015 #80

It's change resistant for sure, but they get some things right, IMO BeyondGeography Jun 2015 #81

Thanks for that Drive-By Truckers song. lovemydog Jun 2015 #104

Great album BeyondGeography Jun 2015 #115

Our racists just have more of a backstory, that's all. dawg Jun 2015 #85

The "Civil War." The Poverty that happened after Reconstruction when Lincoln was Assassinated. KoKo Jun 2015 #89

Am I mistaken or don't you live Texasgal Jun 2015 #90

I think I can explain it to you. MicaelS Jun 2015 #92

Your experience is way different from mine. Texasgal Jun 2015 #95

Southern Baptist Convention ethics person supports taking down the flag csziggy Jun 2015 #108

Excellent...long overdue. n/t MicaelS Jun 2015 #109

Particularly considering that Southern Baptists have used the Bible to support csziggy Jun 2015 #110

I attended a SBC Church in a small town in Texas... MicaelS Jun 2015 #114

I'm from the South (though not deep south). It's a place of contradictions. mmonk Jun 2015 #97

Haley and Jindahl have no skin in the game. onecaliberal Jun 2015 #102

Stereotypes of Southern racism are wrong Man from Pickens Jun 2015 #105

I'd say it depends on educational level in the South, among other factors steve2470 Jun 2015 #106

The failure goes back to Reconstruction. roamer65 Jun 2015 #112