O'Heir: "Poisonous addiction to the suicidal myth" of the Confederacy

[Bradshaw3]

5. Good points, especially the last one

People seem to have to immortalize their warfighter ancestors and justify whatever conflict they are in, no matter as the Grant phrase in the article says, was one of the worst causes anyone ever fought for. Also, that impulse you point out regarding poor white people's aspiration to that gentry lifestyle was just used by their betters to cement power.

That, of course, continues today and is used by right wing media to push aims and by corporate America to make money by pushing the "American Dream" - which looks coincidentally enough like the lifestyle of those country gentry you talked about with manicured lawns surrounding McMansions.