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MicaelS

(8,747 posts)

92. I think I can explain it to you.

Fri Jun 19, 2015, 08:53 PM

Jun 2015

The South flat out lost the Civil War, period. No, ifs ands, or buts. And Southerners refuse to accept that. I’m from Texas, so you can't call me a Southern or Texas basher.

This was, and still is, one of the most religious portions of the US. By Religious I mean Protestant, mainly Southern Baptist. Southerners are people who believe in a “Personal God” who take an active interest in the affairs of the individual people who worship Him.

Since their view of God is that he is All Powerful, and All Knowing, and "Has a Plan" for them. These people alive at the time fervently believed they were correct in their views of The Civil War. They used the Bible to defend Slavery. They truly thought God was “on their side”, because he worshiped him fervently. Yet the lost the war, their slaves, and thus their way of life.

So, if God is All Powerful, and has a Plan, that means God Made the Decision for them to lose and suffer.

He Turned His Back on His Faithful. He Punished Them for Their Sins. And they can’t accept that. Something or someone else must be at fault. So they transferred their anger from a God they could not blame to the nearest target, their former slaves and their descendants.

And if you are not up on your Bible, there is this point. One view of some Fundamentalist Christians from the 18th to early 20th Century was that Africans are descended from Cain. When Cain slew Abel God marked Cain. That mark was seen as some as dark skin.

Google “black skin and the curse of Cain” or variations of that.

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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