Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are)

An intriguing documentary on MSNBC that deals with the affect the Civil War has played in forming peoples' opinion about how we think about country, ourselves and race. The American south has a very complicated and complex idea about a war they lost. Usually the victors get to shape the narrative, in this case it is the south who lost the war but "won" keeping an emancipated group of the population down. The Confederate flag is very much a part of who many of the south still want to be. This documentary surprised me at how deep it is willing to go to let people have their say. As a northerner, it is difficult to understand why anyone would be proud of a confederate flag, a symbol of oppression and want to have their state identified with it, still? That flag is so clearly a mark of ignorance, defiance and hate. By contrast and comparison the only Germans, identified with a Nazi swastika, are considered to be ignorant thugs in their own country. A symbol of shame that Germany has dedicated itself to educate every generation to know and understand their shameful history. Back in America, five states still use elements of the "stars and bars" portions of the Confederate battle flag, but Mississippi is the only state still incorporating the entire battle emblem into its state flag.