Long ago, I asked a question about the Confederate flag – if
it's not racist, why is it used at neo-Nazi rallies?
Ryan Booth, as relayed by Rod Dreher, eloquently answered my question. He said, in part,
If there are so many of who are
not racist who honestly honor Southern culture and heritage so much, why wasn’t
there a giant protest group in Charlottesville, pushing away the Nazis while
chanting “heritage, not hate”? Why did you leave the opposition to the Left?
I’ll tell you why. It’s the same
reason that the Confederate flag became associated with racism in the first
place. It’s because a great many of you, all protestations to the contrary,
secretly support the racists. I know too many who say “heritage, not hate” and
belong to the League of the South, or who subscribe to American Renaissance,
including people in my own family.
Most of you who support Southern
heritage are just a little bit less racist than the Nazis in Charlottesville.
You would probably say that you aren’t racist, yet you probably would prefer
that a black family not live next door to you. You would be less likely to hire
a black person for a job, and you definitely wouldn’t want your child to marry
a black person, but you don’t think of yourself as racist.
And that’s why the Confederate
flag has become verboten by our culture, and why the monuments are coming down.
Because of you and people like you.
Thank you, Mr. Booth, for speaking. For doing a Hard Work.
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