Monday, May 24, 2010
The Confederacy
Today I had to go and attempt to pay our personal property taxes. I do not understand the taxes here. Somehow to pay taxes on our cars it requires stop to three different departments and every year we confuse them as we used to lease and apparently we are the only people in AR who have ever leased a vehicle. However, I digress. . . . One of the very interesting things about living in the South is its deep attachment to the Confederate Era. It is very, very interesting. Growing up in the North, you never see things about the Civil War as almost all of it (or all of it?? Were there any battles on Northern land? I'm not sure - I don't think so.) was fought on Southern land. When we go to the court house here, I love looking at the statues depicting Confederate soldiers and all of the plaques with various sayings. Today it just struck me how different the war is remembered between the two halves of the Nation. Wars are clearly remembered very differently when the fighting occurs on your front yard rather than hundreds of miles away. Perhaps this helps me understand better the attachment to the Confederate flag here? Maybe a little. But perhaps not when the majority of people displaying this flag are clearly racist and in no way honoring a fallen great great great grandfather or uncle. Anyway, my deep thought for today while running errands with the kids! I do love the history of this area though - very different perspective from what I grew up!
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6 comments:
I would see any war differently if it was fought in my back yard.
Yes, there were battles fought in the northern states, but the northern economy was not at stake.
Should I go on ... I think not. This is really deep.
You mean the War Between the States? Or perhaps the War of Northern Aggression?
Yes, I am referring to both of those. Geesh, how sad is that? Did you know Mississippi prior to the war was the wealthiest state in the nation? Now it is the poorest.
see Monument Blvd in Richmond Va if you want to see statues honoring confederate generals; they are the largest and most elaborate monuments to generals anywhere, including Washington DC;the south may have lost the war thanks to Lee's blunders at Gettysburgh, but the civil war goes on in the hearts and minds of many southerners and will forever
I'm about ready to wage a one-man war on the south...
The longer I live here, the more I understand their perspective...minus the racism. Racism negates any good point they might make. Wish they knew that! Interesting post, J!
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