I have an acquaintance from the past who is fond of proclaiming his fondness for and fealty to the Confederacy, it’s leaders, and the cultural milieu from which it arose. In light of the recent resurgence of white nationalism, I feel an obligation to respond when these sentiments are brought into my field of vision.
It was with this in mind that I requested that he further explain how his defense of an economic system that based it’s existence on slave labor and support of an insurrection that promised to sustain such an institution is in any way honorable or consistent with a proud heritage. I conceded that he was perfectly entitled to engage in the fantasy that the antebellum South was an idyllic land filled with honorable gentlemen, southern belles, and laudable behavior in spite of the ugly truth of human enslavement that occupied the moral center of its bankrupt white supremacist ideology. To celebrate its resurgence in the aftermath of the recent election, however, is tantamount to praising the onset of incipient fascism under the guise of patriotism and cultural pride. Indeed, we should all look away (look away) from this shameful iteration of Dixieland. While some feel it necessary to embrace this vision, others are left with the task of clearing the polluted air that lingers in its wake.
Meanwhile, the South continues to rise; this time proclaiming the advent of a multicultural and multiethnic society asserting with a full voice the values of equity, inclusion, freedom, and human rights so long denied it’s otherwise marginalized citizens. Look ahead, Dixieland!
