Lawn jockey: yard and garden statuary in the post-racial South
A question of black and white
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Confederate PTSD: Curing the South
When I was in graduate school at Iowa State in the late 1980s I hit a period, during my second year, where a little homesickness set in. So I did something to remind myself of the place and people I was missing: I bought a Confederate flag and affixed it to my desk in the office, which I shared with
Read moreIt’s time we stopped worshipping our “founding fathers”
For our founding fathers, “people” was a euphemism” that meant “rich white men.” Sadly, the same is true for many of our current leaders.
Read morePaula Deen, “compassionate racism” and is it always wrong to use that ugly, ugly word?
I’ve been thinking about the Paula Deen mess lately. As any number of previous posts here will suggest, I don’t have a lot of sympathy for her or her kind. At the same time, I grew up in the racist South like she did, and I see the situation in more nuanced terms than do her critics these past few
Read moreSaturday Video Roundup: Shit Southern women say
My little sister sent me this the other day and I’ve been having flashbacks ever since. There’s only one false note: no Southern woman in history ever said “is my hair too big?”
Read moreSecession: it’s fun to talk about, but is it actually plausible?
Ever since FOX called Ohio for Obama last Tuesday night (touching off a near-hysterical conniption from Karl Rove), talk of secession has been rampant. Groups in all 50 states have started petitions aimed at leaving the Union, with Texas (predictably) reaching the minimum threshold of signatures first. We’ve written about secession here at S&R a good bit, with Frank Balsinger’s piece
Read moreDeciphering those S&R Obama/racism poll results
Last week, a highly unscientific Scholars & Rogues poll asked our readers this question: What percent of the popular vote do you believe Barack Obama would win in the upcoming election if he were white? The results are in, and I’d like to spend a few moments examining what they reveal. First, the numbers: Less than 50% 15.15% Roughly 50% 10.61%
Read moreJim Booth guest commentary over at Southern Creatives
If you’ve been paying attention you know that our boy Jim Booth recently published a novel. And that it’s really good. And that it presents us with the opportunity to consider fame and substance at war over the soul of an artist. He has now authored a guest essay on “Southern Rock Stardom, Postmodernism, and the Persistence of Memory” over at
Read moreHigh noon in the garden of polite and evil: the ugly truth about “Southern hospitality” (by a guy who grew up there)
I grew up in the South. I have lived roughly 33 of my 51 years below the Mason-Dixon and past the occasional trip for business or to visit friends and relatives I shan’t be going back. The reasons are numerous, but the one I’m concerned with today involves that most sinister of myths. I’m referring, of course, to Southern hospitality. To
Read moreStop leeching off us hard-working taxpayers you lazy socialist losers!
We’ve written a lot here at S&R about the “donor state/taker state” phenomenon, especially in the context of talk about secession. Of course, you know what they say about the pictures-to-words exchange rate, I’m sure, so instead of boring you with a thousand more words, have a picture. Credit: Thanks, UpWorthy.
Read moreMitt Romney, Man of the People, unleashes his inner hillbilly
At a campaign stop in Mississippi, Mitt Romney declared hisself an “unofficial Southerner.” After accepting Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant’s endorsement, Romney turned his attention to his bodyguard, Garrett Jackson — a Mississippi native — whom he credits for his transformation into an “unofficial Southerner.” “He is now turning me into an, I don’t know, an unofficial Southerner,” Romney said. “And I’m
Read moreWhy Rush wants to own an NFL team
UPDATE: We’ve revised this post to replace disputed Rush comments with confirmed-by-video ones. After all, we want to be fair. And balanced. ________________ Rush Limbaugh wants to be an NFL owner. Or does he? Jason Whitlock says it’s a publicity stunt, and he may be right. Glenn Beck has been getting a lot of run lately and Rash needs to
Read moreColumbine and the power of symbols
Part three of a series. In the days following the murders at Columbine High School I visited the school and the grounds of Clement Park. Those walks produced this piece, which was originally published ten years ago today. We have learned a great deal about the events that took place at Columbine since this essay was written (for instance, we
Read moreAmerica’s Negro Cracker Problem: none of us are free
Part two in a series. There’s a rising tide on the rivers of blood But if the answer isn’t violence, neither is your silence – Pop Will Eat Itself, “Ich Bin Ein Auslander” When all is said and done, nothing communicates the racism and knee-buckling stupidity of all-too-wide swaths of our nation quite like video. So if you don’t trust
Read moreAmerica’s Negro Cracker Problem: Ich bin ein Auslander
Part one in a series. Listen to the victim, abused by the system The basis is racist, you know that we must face this In 1991 Pop Will Eat Itself produced one of the most damning comments on racism in society in the history of popular music. “Ich Bin Ein Auslander” was specifically aimed at anti-immigrant racism in Europe, but
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lullaby pit 