Steven P. BarrettWHY A NORTHERNER LOVES THE SOUTH (Newsweek, Pt. 3)
August 5th 2008 03:54
By Steven Barrett
In this day of so much racially and regionally and ethnically charged politics -- it's damned hard to say you LOVE a place that's got a lot of "baggage" concerning race, slavery, rebellion and all sorts of other politically incorrect and inconvenient baggage. But, even though I'm a Yankees baseball fan, I've made my peace with an improved and more peaceful Boston, but it'll be a cold day in hell or a snow storm in Miami before I switch from the Yanks to the Bosox.
I'm a Northerner, a baseball Yankee fan, but I'm not an ethnic northern Yankee, but I'll have to admit the North had the better case for war during the War Between the States, or as what some die-hard historians up here still like to call "The War of Rebellion," or the "Great Rebellion."
Down South the war's referred to as the War Between the States (yes, I do use the Southern term sometimes) or the "War of Northern Oppression," or "War of Northern Aggression."
Truth be told, one of my reasons for making this a "three-fer" is that I'm a big Civil War buff. Not to the point of getting all dressed up and becoming a reenactor. (That's an expensive hobby, folks. I'd like to keep my hobbies affordable. But if I were to do so, I'd like to be in either Irish Brigade or Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's 20th Maine.
One thing I have decided to do someday soon is to write a book about key characters and how their examples can serve as positive or negative examples for young people today
And then see if I can get them to ask and answer that one question: Was it worth it?
Was it worth the loss of 600,00 plus casualties, most of them from Dixie? Was it worth it from an economic perspective, given the staggerin losses the war unleashed on the civilian population, not to mention what the damn carpetbaggers did after the war?
I'm just throwing questions out for discussion and not really giving much thought to turning this into a burning emotional and intellectual issue. More or less a "what it" sort of exercise centered around a Food for Thought posting.
I think the South fought for all the wrong reasons to frame their reasons for rebelling around "states rights:" and I'm referring to the rights of each state to set its own policies regarding slavery, not to mention the individual's "right" to own another human being. (Lord knows how many parallels I, or another wrter can come up with regarding abortion towards slavery. Just for starters there's Lincoln's remark that if he didn't want to be a slave, he wouldn't feel right owning one either.) Looks like I've probably started ringing William Seward's "Firebell in the Night" with this.
But I love the South because of the friendliness of so many people living in an area that's been dumped on for so many years with so many stereotypes and falsehoods -- not to mention the first and most thorough military defeat in modern history before that of Germany's and Japan's. And despite all the's taken from her northern cousins who still fashion themselves as intellectually and morally superior -- the South's population has continually supplied so many of our greatest military heroes in all ranks and from all races.
Have to admit it however, another reason I'm glad the South lost and we became THE United States that spoke as ONE Nation -- just look at what the world went through since Lee surrendered to Grant. What if there wasn't a United States to help the Allies in World War I & II, the Cold War, and now fight to keep the religious terrorists at bay? And what about our contributions to the world in science, economics, supplying food, you name your own favorite contribution.
The South has come a long way her old ways to the new and far more progressive society in ways nort herners prefer to ignore lest it expose their own regional hypocrisies and shortcomings.
She hasn't lost her distinctiveness -- no matter who's president next year. The South and a newer and better South will always be at the forefront now that we've been a fully united country ever since Appamattox Court House in 1865.
Let me wrap up this series here with a more cheerful note, (if you'll pardon the pun.) Here's a look at this ponderous issue from an expert on things-Southern, no less than Hank Williams, Jr., "If the South had one the war." )
If the South would’ve won we'd a had it made, (Hank, Jr.)
I'd prob’ly run for President of the Southern States.
The day Elvis passed away would be our national holiday,
If the South would a won we'd had a it made.
I'd make my Supreme Court down in Texas,
And we wouldn't have no killers gettin’off free.
If they were proven guilty, then they would swing quickly,
Instead of writin’ books and smilin’ on T.V.
We'd all learn Cajun cookin in Louisiana,
And I'd put that capitol back in Alabama.
We'd put Florida on the right track ‘cause,
we'd take Miami back,
And throw all them pushers in the slammer.
If the South would’ve won we'd a had it made,
I'd prolly run for President of the Southern States.
The day young Skynyrd died we’d show our Southern Pride,
If the South would a won we'd had a it made.
I'd have all the whiskey made in Tennessee,
And all the horses raised in those Kentucky hills.
The national treasury would be in Tupelo, Mississippi
And I'd put Hank William’s picture on one hundred dollar bills.
I'd have all the cars made in the Carolina's,
And I'd ban all the ones made in China.
I'd have every girl and child
sent to Georgia to learn to smile,
And talk with that southern accent that drives me wild.
I'd have all the fiddles made in Virginia
Cause they sure can make'em sound so fine.
I'm goin up on Wolverton mountain and see ole Clifton Clowers,
And have a sip of his good ole Arkansas wine.
Hey, if the South woulda won we'd had it made
I'd prolly run for President of the Southern States,
When Patsy Cline passed away
that would be our national holiday,
If the South woulda won we'd a had it made.
If the South woulda won we'd a had it made.
We might even be better off.
Well, I don't know if I'd go THAT far, but I can't help a guy for showing some pride in his roots.
In this day of so much racially and regionally and ethnically charged politics -- it's damned hard to say you LOVE a place that's got a lot of "baggage" concerning race, slavery, rebellion and all sorts of other politically incorrect and inconvenient baggage. But, even though I'm a Yankees baseball fan, I've made my peace with an improved and more peaceful Boston, but it'll be a cold day in hell or a snow storm in Miami before I switch from the Yanks to the Bosox.
I'm a Northerner, a baseball Yankee fan, but I'm not an ethnic northern Yankee, but I'll have to admit the North had the better case for war during the War Between the States, or as what some die-hard historians up here still like to call "The War of Rebellion," or the "Great Rebellion."
Down South the war's referred to as the War Between the States (yes, I do use the Southern term sometimes) or the "War of Northern Oppression," or "War of Northern Aggression."
Truth be told, one of my reasons for making this a "three-fer" is that I'm a big Civil War buff. Not to the point of getting all dressed up and becoming a reenactor. (That's an expensive hobby, folks. I'd like to keep my hobbies affordable. But if I were to do so, I'd like to be in either Irish Brigade or Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's 20th Maine.
One thing I have decided to do someday soon is to write a book about key characters and how their examples can serve as positive or negative examples for young people today
And then see if I can get them to ask and answer that one question: Was it worth it?
Civil War Re-enactors
Was it worth the loss of 600,00 plus casualties, most of them from Dixie? Was it worth it from an economic perspective, given the staggerin losses the war unleashed on the civilian population, not to mention what the damn carpetbaggers did after the war?
I'm just throwing questions out for discussion and not really giving much thought to turning this into a burning emotional and intellectual issue. More or less a "what it" sort of exercise centered around a Food for Thought posting.
I think the South fought for all the wrong reasons to frame their reasons for rebelling around "states rights:" and I'm referring to the rights of each state to set its own policies regarding slavery, not to mention the individual's "right" to own another human being. (Lord knows how many parallels I, or another wrter can come up with regarding abortion towards slavery. Just for starters there's Lincoln's remark that if he didn't want to be a slave, he wouldn't feel right owning one either.) Looks like I've probably started ringing William Seward's "Firebell in the Night" with this.
But I love the South because of the friendliness of so many people living in an area that's been dumped on for so many years with so many stereotypes and falsehoods -- not to mention the first and most thorough military defeat in modern history before that of Germany's and Japan's. And despite all the's taken from her northern cousins who still fashion themselves as intellectually and morally superior -- the South's population has continually supplied so many of our greatest military heroes in all ranks and from all races.
Have to admit it however, another reason I'm glad the South lost and we became THE United States that spoke as ONE Nation -- just look at what the world went through since Lee surrendered to Grant. What if there wasn't a United States to help the Allies in World War I & II, the Cold War, and now fight to keep the religious terrorists at bay? And what about our contributions to the world in science, economics, supplying food, you name your own favorite contribution.
The South has come a long way her old ways to the new and far more progressive society in ways nort herners prefer to ignore lest it expose their own regional hypocrisies and shortcomings.
She hasn't lost her distinctiveness -- no matter who's president next year. The South and a newer and better South will always be at the forefront now that we've been a fully united country ever since Appamattox Court House in 1865.
I'll bet they'll agree.
Let me wrap up this series here with a more cheerful note, (if you'll pardon the pun.) Here's a look at this ponderous issue from an expert on things-Southern, no less than Hank Williams, Jr., "If the South had one the war." )
If the South would’ve won we'd a had it made, (Hank, Jr.)
I'd prob’ly run for President of the Southern States.
The day Elvis passed away would be our national holiday,
If the South would a won we'd had a it made.
I'd make my Supreme Court down in Texas,
And we wouldn't have no killers gettin’off free.
If they were proven guilty, then they would swing quickly,
Instead of writin’ books and smilin’ on T.V.
We'd all learn Cajun cookin in Louisiana,
And I'd put that capitol back in Alabama.
We'd put Florida on the right track ‘cause,
we'd take Miami back,
And throw all them pushers in the slammer.
If the South would’ve won we'd a had it made,
I'd prolly run for President of the Southern States.
The day young Skynyrd died we’d show our Southern Pride,
If the South would a won we'd had a it made.
I'd have all the whiskey made in Tennessee,
And all the horses raised in those Kentucky hills.
The national treasury would be in Tupelo, Mississippi
And I'd put Hank William’s picture on one hundred dollar bills.
I'd have all the cars made in the Carolina's,
And I'd ban all the ones made in China.
I'd have every girl and child
sent to Georgia to learn to smile,
And talk with that southern accent that drives me wild.
I'd have all the fiddles made in Virginia
Cause they sure can make'em sound so fine.
I'm goin up on Wolverton mountain and see ole Clifton Clowers,
And have a sip of his good ole Arkansas wine.
Hey, if the South woulda won we'd had it made
I'd prolly run for President of the Southern States,
When Patsy Cline passed away
that would be our national holiday,
If the South woulda won we'd a had it made.
If the South woulda won we'd a had it made.
We might even be better off.
Well, I don't know if I'd go THAT far, but I can't help a guy for showing some pride in his roots.
| 38 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
