http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7un2SZBT6A
I chose the above youtube song because it is absolutely outrageous! It has everything to do with what we have been studying thus far. It is outright racist and full of bigotry!
From Zinn to Takaki to Johnson, we have been reading about the history of racism from the beginning of time and how it still exists today. Yet, today we not only have people just saying derogatory racist things, but making music about it as well!
I find the video and song to be absolutely repulsive and unnecessary. What reason or rationale would one have to justify such a thing and why doesn't youtube regulate some of this stuff? I have a coworker whose son's best friend was beaten in a park and it was because he is a self proclaimed bisexual. He is only twelve years old. They put the beating on youtube and it was allowed. I'm a firm believer in freedom of speech but some of it is just blatantly wrong and/or illegal. It makes me shake my head and want to ask, "What? Really?"
Source:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7un2SZBT6A
Sunday, August 3, 2008
"Desegregation is the True Rebellion"
http://www.swimport.com/flags/rebel.JPEG
The above website should take you to a photo of the confederate flag. I chose this image because we have been discussing a great deal about racism this semester and it relates to the Civil rights movement and how its impact on the North an the South. There has been a bit of confusion or misrepresentation of what the flag actually is supposed to mean. Wikipedia does a great job breaking it down as follows, which also includes a photo of the Confederate Flag:
"The Confederate Flag
th century combination of the Battle Flag's colors with the Second Navy Jack's design. Actual historical flags of the CSA have become more obscure." src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Confederate_Navy_Jack.svg/250px-Confederate_Navy_Jack.svg.png" class="thumbimage" border="0" height="159" width="250"> What is now often called "The Confederate Flag" or "The Confederate Battle Flag" (actually a combination of the Battle Flag's colors with the Second Navy Jack's design), despite its never having historically represented the CSA as a nation, has become a widely recognized symbol of the South. It is also called the "rebel" or "Dixie" flag, and is often incorrectly referred to as the "Stars and Bars" (the actual "Stars and Bars" is the First National Flag, which used an entirely different design).
In the early- to mid-20th century the Confederate flag enjoyed renewed popularity. During World War II some U.S. military units with Southern nicknames, or made up largely of Southerners, made the flag their unofficial emblem. Some soldiers carried Confederate flags into battle. After the Battle of Okinawa a Confederate flag was raised over Shuri Castle by a soldier from the self-styled "Rebel Company" (Company A of the 5th Marine Regiment). It was visible for miles and was taken down after three days on the orders of General Simon B. Buckner, Jr. (son of Confederate General Simon Buckner), who stated that it was inappropriate as "Americans from all over are involved in this battle". It was replaced with the flag of the United States.[15]
The use of the flag by soldiers came under investigation after some African-American soldiers filed complaints. By the end of World War II, the use of the Confederate flag in the military was rare.[16] However, the Confederate flag continues to be flown in an unofficial manner by many soldiers. It was seen many times in Korea, Vietnam, and in the Middle East.[citation needed]
[edit] Controversy
[edit] Displaying the flag
 | This article or section contains weasel words, vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified or removed. |
The display of the Confederate flag remains a highly controversial and emotional topic, generally because of disagreement over the nature of its symbolism. Opponents of the Confederate flag see it as an overt symbol of racism, both for the history of racial slavery in the United States, and the establishment of Jim Crow laws by Southern states following the end of Reconstruction in late 1870s, enforcing racial segregation within state borders for nearly a century until the Civil Rights Movement. Others view the flag as a symbol of rebellion against the federal government of the United States, as many past and present enemies of the United States such as the Vietcong during the Vietnam War and the Iraqi Republican Guard of Iraq during Saddam Hussein's regime sometimes used the flag[who?]. Some hate groups use the Southern Cross as one of the symbols associated with their organizations, including racist groups such as the Neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan.[17] The flag is also sometimes used by separatist organizations such as the Aryan Nation.
White southerners often see the flag as merely a symbol of southern culture, a "country music flag" without any political or racial connotation. An example of this would be the Bocephus Rebel Flag often sold at concerts performed by country music star Hank Williams, Jr., and southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd For some, the flag represents only a past era of southern sovereignty.[18] Some historical societies such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy also use the flag as part of their symbols. The flag has also been used as a symbol of generalized working-class masculinity, suggesting rowdy rebelliousness, and detached from any intended historical, Southern regional, or racial significance, although almost always in a white context, such as construction workers in Montreal [2].
As a result of these varying perceptions, there have been a number of political controversies surrounding the use of the Confederate flag in Southern state flags, at sporting events, at Southern universities, and on public buildings. According to Civil War historian and native Southerner Shelby Foote, the flag traditionally represented the South's resistance to Northern political dominance; it became racially charged during the Civil Rights Movement, when fighting against desegregation suddenly became the focal point of that resistance.
Symbols of the Confederacy remain a contentious issue across the United States and have been debated vigorously in many Southern state legislatures over their civic placement since the 1990s.
[edit] Display at the South Carolina capitol
On April 12, 2000, the South Carolina State Senate passed a bill to remove the Confederate flag from the top of the State House dome by a majority vote of 36 to 7. Originally placed there in 1962,[19] "the new bill specified that a more traditional version of the battle flag would be flown in front of the Capitol next to a monument honoring fallen Confederate soldiers." The bill also passed the state's House of Representatives, but not without some difficulty. On May 18, 2000, after the bill was modified to ensure that the height of the flag's new pole would be 30 feet (9 m), it was passed by a majority of 66 to 43. Governor Jim Hodges signed the bill into law five days later after it passed the state Senate. On July 1, 2000 the flag was removed from atop the State House and placed on a monument on the front lawn of the capitol. Current state law prohibits the flag's removal from the State House grounds without additional legislation.
In 2005, two Western Carolina University researchers found that 74% of African-Americans polled favored removing the flag from the South Carolina State House altogether.[20] The NAACP and other civil rights groups have attacked the flag's continued presence at the state capitol. The NAACP maintains an official boycott of South Carolina, citing its continued display of the battle flag on its State House grounds, despite an initial agreement to call off the boycott after it was removed from the State House dome" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_the_Confederate_States_of_America).
I have to say that, in my experience, that many people still display the "rebel" flag and it has nothing to do with country music. Typically, those I have met who display them are the most racist people I have ever met. So, as we know, the North was more liberal than the South as far as racism goes, thus, I think that the people I have met are displaying the flag because they do not agree with the North's policies of the time. Either way, I don't think the flag does or ever did mean anything good. When we segregate, it only allows us to complicate!
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_the_Confederate_States_of_America.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)