A Cinematic Hate Crime?

[RedJohnson]

I was checking out imdb.com, and check out there message board for the movie and saw this posted. Thought everyone should read it, figured it would happen sooner or later.

Even with the humanistic progression the 21st century has embraced us with, it's still quite tragic this extremely racist show is being honored with a film version to it's likeness.

Everytime the image of that confederate flag dons the roof of the General Lee; it's a further-painful reminder-the holocaust of slavery seen through the eyes of present day White America was nothing more than another big business opportunity to cash in on the suffering and existential dismantling of persons of non-Euporean lineage.

Now, with such observance, the obligatory white response of, "it's part of Southern Hertiage" will no doubt feebly attempt a retaliatory rescue.

And with the counter-blockage of, "is a hertiage carrying such blood-drenched acknowlegment really worth holding on too", more than likely falling well out of "truth-realization"...

it's no wonder such acts of burnt down churches and communities, dismemberment by truck & chain, and the bias of just about any aspect of productive life is so blindly in vogue.

But, with a Hollywood system eager to continue it's traditional Gone With The Wind-brand-of opportune dilapidation, the average white citizen being feed such garbage, will continue to sadly adhere to it's destructive path of debilitating rhetoric.

[Brian Coltrane]

Well, that was one of the better compositional efforts I've seen on the topic.

I think this debate over the flag will never end. It's always gonna offend some people, while inspiring others. The misuse of the flag by hate groups, unfortunately, has gone a long way towards it being cast as a racist symbol.

Everything offends somebody. Ask a Native American of the Dakotas how they feel about Mount Rushmore, for example. Nothing like having the faces of four white Presidents overlooking the land where your ancestors were slaughtered wholesale.

Back to the Dukes aspect.....there's just one response that I would offer to that imdb post. Namely:

It's just a movie.

Brian

[Clay162]

Isn't it sad that some people have to make something out of everything? I'm not going to start singing Kum Bay Yah or anything, but is the decal on the roof of a car (the coolest car ever, by the way) really that big of a deal?

[travelerF150]

If people want to make slavery an issue they should be just as mad about the American flag as the Confederate. The Confederate flag is nothing more than a symbol of regional pride for people like us. Other may have a twisted view of it and try and use it as a symbol of hatred. Those people are not American and certainly not Southern, and as far as I'm concerned they are nothing more that a waste of fresh air everytime they breath. I wouldn't pee on them if they were on fire!

[StonewallBrigade]

Here in Gettysburg, the very liberal Gettysburg College had an 'art' display by an 'African-American' 'artist' who displayed the Confederate Battle Flag hanging from a noose, and called the display "The proper way to hang the Confederate flag." It was basically a Confederate Flag hate-fest. The Sons of Confederate Veterans staged a protest in town and the 'artist' ended up not showing up for the unvailing of the display...probably the wisest decision he'd made in a long time.

[StonewallBrigade]

Black Speaker Defends Souths Confederate History

http://www.greene.xtn.net/index.php?table=news&template=news.view.subscriber&newsid=119664

[rebel_17268]

look people i'm going to take some words from a t-shirt i own and wear proudly "if this flag offedns you, you need a history lesson" . this flag has been missused and missunderstood soo much over the past 144 years since it was made. general forrest of the confederate army started the klu klux klan as a confederate veterans gentlemans club type of association but some jerks got in there and made it a hate group so that damn falg may have been used at on time in history yes but that is not what the hell it means. i am a confederate re-enactor and i carry that flag during the battles i respect it with all my heart because i respect what those men did for their beleifes. what they did was suscide and beleive it or not more black people fought for the south than in the north the only reason people deny it is because it is recorded in the north because they were segregated in the north until vietnam so if any flag is a sign of racism it is our own american flag because look at all those things that happened in america with all the blacks were killed during the segregation period. i think people who see the confederate flag as a sign of racism should do some research before they open their mouths and start in with stuff because i have already done that and i know what the hell im talking about. so if warner brothers doesnt put the flag on the general lee what the hell is the point of making the damn movie if you cant even get every thing right? oh and one more thing look where the slaves came from, look at who the white man bought them from, any body know? they african americans actually sold us their slaves so if its anybodys fault for the slavery issue its the blacks. im not being racist but hey look at the facts!!!

[REBEL DUKE]

Stonewallbrigade,your link was great . My name is Rebel and I can't tell you how many doors it has opened for me . I have to believe that most people black or white don't care about the flag one way or the other The Civil War was not about slavery, it was about economics . Just look at the slave owning forefathers of America . George Washington was one of many .Not racist ,just Rebel and proud

[Jamanda]

I (Amanda) agree that at first, the Cival War was not about slavery...at first. These are the facts as I remember them from my American History class in college.

The Southern States wanted to succeed from the Union and become their own country, since their culture and economy was so vastly different anyway. The North however, wanted the country to stay together the way it was. Hence, the war began.

The South was doing well, as they had fine generals, the battles were on their land, and they had a better cause, independence. President Lincoln, in a brilliant strategic move, changed the cause of the war with the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves in the Union. Now that slavery was the issue, and not independence, the North had the stronger cause. That, along with other advantages, enabled them to win the war.

As I see it from history, the Confederate flag was never a sign of slavery, but of independence, as the Confederate States of America.

[JESSI DUKE]

Maybe we the younger generation of this great nation. Need to teach the bulled head hollywood types and others what the confederate flag means. So many people have wronged this flag and made it into something its not. How are we suppose to teach our children not to be racist. When Hollywood shows them its ok to do things like this. If our children our supposed to do better then we are. Why is hollywood and our goverment showing them its o.k to hate. Shouldn't we be showing love and peace and not hate.

Jessi Duke 8)

[StonewallBrigade]

In almost every case:

Person offended by Confederate Flag=Person who is not educated about the Confederate Flag.

[duke gril]

what in the tarnations are they talkin about what about that big ol x i see blacks havin on ther hats that stands for that malcom fellew if they can show thier dam heritage so can we now i have black friends and all that was just singling folks out i'm gone!

[Divia]

I can see how the flag is associated with slavery. I'm not saying its right or wrong but I can see the connection.

North and south were divided. South wanted to expand slavery in the West. South wanted to keep their lifestyle the way it was. Throw in Bleeding Kansas, Harpes Ferry, etc. and we have a lot of tension.

The flag was used as the symbol of the new goverment..country..what whatever you want to call it. And the new gov..country or at least the rich white plantation owners liked the idea of slavery.

So they have been interconnected.

As for Gone with the Wind...GET A GRIP. It was made in the 30s, which was based on a book...in the 30s. The author protrayed slaves as happy because that was her idea of how the south was from the stories she heard.

I dunno about you but I dont see many happy slave movies now..or books written about happy slaves.

Futhermore, people need to get a bloody life. The damn flag stays on the car! If people want to protest it...so freakin be it! Let' em. All the more power to em but this P.C feeling nice crap is getting to be too damn much.

My rant is now over...

[Dixie Lee_01]

I would not say all slaves were happy, on the contrary. However, I also would not say all were *un(happy or mistreated. I think it depended largely on the conduct and character of the whites around them. With that said, I am *not* for slavery (in case people surmise otherwise).

*However*, slavery is not truly the topic here. That's the whole point about the flag - some very loud and important people have made that the issue when it wasn't.

I think the comments posted here so far about this are very good. If only we could go re-educate everyone around us, eh?

[Southernpride]

My Great-Great Grandfather was a Corpral in the Confederate Army. I am soo proud of him that I was planning on naming my second child after him. (Turned out that John Beau. was not a good name for a girl) I can't stand how people are turning this into an apology for being Southern!

If I may add, I had a student recently ask if they were doing this movie because she was a big fan. I told her yes, but they may not have the flag on the General. She was agast! And she is black!!

[Dale The Bold]

Some people hate ALL blacks because they know of some black people who did awful things. We call them racist.

Some people hate ALL people who display the confederate flag because they know of some people who do awful things in the name of the flag. Are they flagists?

I find it very hypocritical for people to make terrible generalizations about the flag. Prejudice is a terrible thing, and they don't think about how serious of an accusation it is to imply that someone is racist.

To me, the flag actually means the opposite of what they think. I see it as a symbol of standing up against corruption. Basically that, no matter the odds, you stand up for what is right. That is what the South meant by it when they wanted to secede from the Northern states. They felt that the North was reaping all the financial benefits while their economy suffered. They wanted equality, so they rose up against corruption. That is exactly the context that the Dukes of Hazzard demonstrated with their use of the flag. People should respond to that flag with a thumbs up and say "Yeah, fight the system!"