Southern US Culture and Heritage

Basically, without the south there would be no discernable American Culture. One example is music.. there would be no blues, jazz, rock and roll, country, folk music and all of the other musical offshoots of those genres.. we'd still be listening to tin pan alley, European drinking songs and minuets. Things would be boring.
Most people who hate on the south have never been there and have been indoctrinated by the typical fallacies. It's one of the most culturally and geographically diverse places I have ever been. Like most marginalized populations, you will only hear bad things about it in the media, because that is all they want you to know about it.

I always found the Confederate Flag to be a symbol of States Rights as well and Liberty. I always respected that the South tried to secede and frankly, I would have fought for them, because I don't like the bullies in Washington. It doesn't have anything to do with slavery TO ME. I see it as a beautiful idea that when a country no longer serves the people of a state (or province, etc) they have an absolute RIGHT to secede and become free.

I don't really think about the racist aspect, because I see that more as a construct of the current social engineering. I don't think the elite in Washington like symbols that represent liberty and independence. This is my opinion, your mileage may vary.

originally posted by: FyreByrd

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

originally posted by: FyreByrd

originally posted by: DEANORULES24
YET, Another thread on the "CONFEDERATE FLAG"
Let it go !!!!

I really want to know what is special about southern culture.

A lot of things...we still open doors for people here. My kids say please, thank you, yes ma'am, yes sir, and are always respectful of others as long as they receive respect in return. Southern family values, true southern family values, are not seen anywhere else.

I am proud to be a southerner, but like I said earlier....it's a flag.....

I guess on the flip side of your question you could ask why people hold on to the belief that southerners are racist haters since that all started when the flag was around....and is FAR removed from my generation and even farther from my kids.

When you say 'true southern family values' I don't know what you mean.

I was taught to say please and thank you, sir and ma'am too and far from the South. Taught to respect and help my elders and protect youn'uns by both my southern mother and northern father.

I get it, and it is hard to explain in words. Southern hospitality would likely describe it best.

Only way I could accurately get the vision across is for whomever is wondering to come for a visit...and as another poster mentioned, if in summer, a nice glass of sun brewed iced tea will take care of the heat...that and a porch fan.

Not really sure how to describe it other than a feeling and a sense of pride of being southern.

And I can't say everything we do is exclusive to here, but the vibe you get when here , is. I have traveled all over the world, and can say I love the south here and will likely be here until I am dead. Funny thing is my other favorite places are Southern Italy and Southern France....

People tend to be laid back. Might have to do with the heat in the summer.

originally posted by: ItCameFromOuterSpace
Basically, without the south there would be no discernable American Culture. One example is music.. there would be no blues, jazz, rock and roll, country, folk music and all of the other musical offshoots of those genres.. we'd still be listening to tin pan alley, European drinking songs and minuets. Things would be boring.
Most people who hate on the south have never been there and have been indoctrinated by the typical fallacies. It's one of the most culturally and geographically diverse places I have ever been. Like most marginalized populations, you will only hear bad things about it in the media, because that is all they want you to know about it.

If I had to live without Mississippi blues and jazz....I may not want to live.

And yes...media tends to always find the white trash examples of the south to put on camera....

The flag itself is just a piece of cloth. It becomes a symbol when people make it into one, and the power of that symbol depends on how many people give it that power. The meaning of the symbol can vary depending on those who view, use or take that symbol as their own.

People all around the world have different symbols that they use, or think of when it comes to their own culture. For many, world wide, the flag of their country can come to mind. For most Americans, the US flag is a symbol of their country and culture. This is true all over the world.

However, within a country, you can have several different cultures. Take Great Britain, you have English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish cultures. Each have symbols that they identify with as part of their culture. This holds true for those who live outside their cultures.

But it's a very personal thing too. For me, living outside of the UK, when I think of Tea or Big Ben, I think of those who are English. Clovers remind me of the Irish. Kelts, bagpipes and the world "Laddie" makes me think of my ancestors, the Scots. And for the Welsh?

That would be Torchwood. heh. Sorry, but Doctor Who and Torchwood makes me think of the Welsh....

Here in America, we have the same thing. We have cultures based on where people live. Cultures on HOW people live, and even cultures based on people's historical origins (Chinatown in San Fran, CA. Little Italy in New York City).

We have plenty of symbols here in the US also that people identify with depending on where one is from. Not everyone does, but many do.

The thing is: a culture can have many symbols, but sometimes a single symbol maybe one that people feel identifies them all. Just as the US Flag does for all Americans, A Cowboy hat, A longhorn steer, or the Alamo might be a symbol that many people from Texas feel is a symbol that represents them.

Here in the south where I live, we have many, many different things that can be symbols of our culture down here:

Fried Chicken.
Moonshine.
Watermelon.
Blackeyed Peas
Butter Beans
Mustard based BBQ sauce
Collard Greens
Banana Pudding
Sweet Ice Tea
Burbon
Jack Daniels Whiskey

And those are just a few of the FOOD things.

Tobacco leaf, cotton plants, pecans, sasafrass, hickory, every damn type of Oak you can think of, muscadines, poke weed (poke weed salad, mmm mmm!), are just some of the plants.

Muscle cars, guns, hunting wild boar / deer / morning dove / squirrel to name a few animals, fishing big mouth Bass and Catfish (especially Catfish).

Lifestyles: having two first names that you're called by, like Billy-Bob, or like my oldest son, his name is John Raymond, I call him Ray, but everyone here in the south calls him John-Ray.

The big cities down here are not a good representation of the South as a whole. For that, you need to get out in the country, especially to the small towns and cities were people tend to know a lot of other people. We even look at our big city folk with narrow eyes, heh, mainly because their is a world of difference between those of us like me that live out in the country, and those folks that live in the big cities. You've seen other posters talk about family values, saying "Please", "Thank you.", holding a door open for a lady, and just being friendly (did that today, held a door open for a lady that I'd never met, she said thank you, I told her welcome, and then we chatted about the weather while standing in line to pay for our gas. Have no idea what her name was. Don't need to.

The Rebel Battle Jack. It's the most famous of all the flags from the Civil War. Yes, many here in the South identify with it as a symbol of the South.

For many, it's just a symbol that says: The South. or Southerners. and the meaning doesn't go beyond that.

For some, it's a symbol that represents Southern heritage.

For some, it's a symbol that represents slavery and, unfortunately, hate.

How you view it will depend on many things: where you lived, how you were brought up, what you were taught and what you come to believe it means.

No mater what each person thinks: it's still just a piece of cloth. It has no power on it's own. A child raised with it hanging on their wall in their room, who is never told anything about it, will never come to think of it as more than something that is hanging on their wall that has shapes and colors.

On the other hand, if that child is taught that the flag hanging there means everything about hate, and that people with certain skin color should be slaves, then yes, most certainly that is what that child will grow up believing and thinking about that flag.
Same goes if that child is simply taught that it represents Southern culture and nothing more, they won't identify it as a symbol of hate and slavery.

But in the end, it's still just a piece of cloth. It can be part of Southern culture, or it can be whatever one wants to make of it.

It's purely up to the individual and what they want to think of it.

Or what they get pounded into their heads.

originally posted by: eriktheawful
The flag itself is just a piece of cloth. It becomes a symbol when people make it into one, and the power of that symbol depends on how many people give it that power. The meaning of the symbol can vary depending on those who view, use or take that symbol as their own.

People all around the world have different symbols that they use, or think of when it comes to their own culture. For many, world wide, the flag of their country can come to mind. For most Americans, the US flag is a symbol of their country and culture. This is true all over the world.

However, within a country, you can have several different cultures. Take Great Britain, you have English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish cultures. Each have symbols that they identify with as part of their culture. This holds true for those who live outside their cultures.

But it's a very personal thing too. For me, living outside of the UK, when I think of Tea or Big Ben, I think of those who are English. Clovers remind me of the Irish. Kelts, bagpipes and the world "Laddie" makes me think of my ancestors, the Scots. And for the Welsh?

That would be Torchwood. heh. Sorry, but Doctor Who and Torchwood makes me think of the Welsh....

Here in America, we have the same thing. We have cultures based on where people live. Cultures on HOW people live, and even cultures based on people's historical origins (Chinatown in San Fran, CA. Little Italy in New York City).

We have plenty of symbols here in the US also that people identify with depending on where one is from. Not everyone does, but many do.

The thing is: a culture can have many symbols, but sometimes a single symbol maybe one that people feel identifies them all. Just as the US Flag does for all Americans, A Cowboy hat, A longhorn steer, or the Alamo might be a symbol that many people from Texas feel is a symbol that represents them.

Here in the south where I live, we have many, many different things that can be symbols of our culture down here:

Fried Chicken.
Moonshine.
Watermelon.
Blackeyed Peas
Butter Beans
Mustard based BBQ sauce
Collard Greens
Banana Pudding
Sweet Ice Tea
Burbon
Jack Daniels Whiskey

And those are just a few of the FOOD things.

Tobacco leaf, cotton plants, pecans, sasafrass, hickory, every damn type of Oak you can think of, muscadines, poke weed (poke weed salad, mmm mmm!), are just some of the plants.

Muscle cars, guns, hunting wild boar / deer / morning dove / squirrel to name a few animals, fishing big mouth Bass and Catfish (especially Catfish).

Lifestyles: having two first names that you're called by, like Billy-Bob, or like my oldest son, his name is John Raymond, I call him Ray, but everyone here in the south calls him John-Ray.

The big cities down here are not a good representation of the South as a whole. For that, you need to get out in the country, especially to the small towns and cities were people tend to know a lot of other people. We even look at our big city folk with narrow eyes, heh, mainly because their is a world of difference between those of us like me that live out in the country, and those folks that live in the big cities. You've seen other posters talk about family values, saying "Please", "Thank you.", holding a door open for a lady, and just being friendly (did that today, held a door open for a lady that I'd never met, she said thank you, I told her welcome, and then we chatted about the weather while standing in line to pay for our gas. Have no idea what her name was. Don't need to.

The Rebel Battle Jack. It's the most famous of all the flags from the Civil War. Yes, many here in the South identify with it as a symbol of the South.

For many, it's just a symbol that says: The South. or Southerners. and the meaning doesn't go beyond that.

For some, it's a symbol that represents Southern heritage.

For some, it's a symbol that represents slavery and, unfortunately, hate.

How you view it will depend on many things: where you lived, how you were brought up, what you were taught and what you come to believe it means.

No mater what each person thinks: it's still just a piece of cloth. It has no power on it's own. A child raised with it hanging on their wall in their room, who is never told anything about it, will never come to think of it as more than something that is hanging on their wall that has shapes and colors.

On the other hand, if that child is taught that the flag hanging there means everything about hate, and that people with certain skin color should be slaves, then yes, most certainly that is what that child will grow up believing and thinking about that flag.
Same goes if that child is simply taught that it represents Southern culture and nothing more, they won't identify it as a symbol of hate and slavery.

But in the end, it's still just a piece of cloth. It can be part of Southern culture, or it can be whatever one wants to make of it.

It's purely up to the individual and what they want to think of it.

Or what they get pounded into their heads.

Oh no you didn't...poke salad. I truely know you are as country as I am!
...and lightnin bugs, grocery buggies, and warsh rags.

originally posted by: ketsuko


Just go in the early spring or late fall or during the winter months.

Thank you, I'll remember those as good times...

Here is the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

The current confederate flag has nothing to do with the civil war and was made in the 40s to protest not being able to lynch black people. It was also to protest the end of segregation.

a reply to: FormOfTheLord

Oh look. The young Turks don't know the difference between the battle flag and the national flag.

Intentional or accident?

Probably intentional.

When speaking of southerners, its good to keep in mind that they are the only people in the nation that have been defeated and occupied, their homes and farms destroyed and their properties and families pillaged. Southerners are the only subset of America that knows true loss and the full effects of total war. 1 major battle was fought in a northern state and that was at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. the Civil War was fought 95% on southern soil. I live to the west/northwest of Atlanta, you can not go very far without finding some Civil war historical marker, There are 3 major battlefields within a 20 minute drive from my home. The Civil War was a tragedy, no side really won, we paid in blood for the sin of slavery.
If you were lived in the south as a white person from 1865-1945 you knew you were a second or third class citizen, and most folks from non southern states never let you forget it. I was born in the mid 60s, and on many occasions just being southern in other parts of the nation still brought insults and derision even into the early 80s. That is not just a being white issue I have seen northern blacks treat southern blacks poorly too.
Southern states did not get the nice subways and roads, schools, sewage systems etc, that they had up north until the WW II era. When you make fun of poor southern whites and blacks for that matter, you have to understand that point before any judgement is made.
Was there racism in the south most certainly yes, there was also racism in the north, and there is still some in both locales to a degree, it is interesting to note that organizations such as Stormfront and the KKK are not headquartered in the south any longer. I havent seen a public KKK display in my area since the late 80s, around here they regarded as a bad joke, 3 or 4 guys sitting in a barn having a beer and a circle jerk while talking bad about blacks, mexicans, jews, and catholics, with thieir made in china NAZI and CSA battleflags hanging on a wall. if you think more than 1% of the whites down here are looking to hurt blacks or any other race you are way off base. I work for a Pakistani Shia muslim, half of my business clients are black or minority, more than half of my coworkers are black, if you are in business you cannot afford to be racist or discriminitory in my area.
The most trouble I ever got into with my parents a child was when I used the n-word, I could not sit down for a few hours. On the other hand I have been called cracker, redneck, honky etc more times than I care to remember, I have been beaten and left for dead by black criminals, I have had family members killed and raped by black criminals, I do not hate black people as a whole because of these incidents, I have hated but have since forgiven these individuals. Every person on this board can probably tell you who Trayvon Martin is or who Michael Brown is, but I doubt many could tell me who Eva Carmichael is or who Joanne Desha is, and that is the effect of the media deciding what is news and what isnt.
I do display a Confederate flag its a 52"x 52" square artillery banner, I display it 3 times a year, on Confederate Memorial Day, the birthday of Robert E Lee, and the birthday of John B Gordon. I do this to honor my ancestors and their sacrifice, I do not have Confederate flags on my vehicle, clothing etc, I think it is disrepectful to the flag, I feel the same way about similar displays of the United States flag. I am a US Army veteran, while I was in service overseas I always had a small US flag, CSA flag, and State of Georgia flag that I carried in a Uniform pocket, thats my home and heritage and I am proud of it all. My grandfathers National Guard unit in WW II flew a Confederate battle flag while building the Burma and Ledo road. My grandfathers National Guard unit was a Segregated Unit, white Officers and NCOs , all of the line soldiers were blacks.
Being southern is a hard thing, in a strictly legal sense Succession from the Union was correct, but 99% of white southerners know slavery was morally wrong. Being legally right and morally wrong makes for a slightly bipolar personality. As southerners, generally, we live life at a slightly slower pace, we speak a bit slower and we have the accent, I have less of an accent because I have lived all over the US and overseas also, some of my fellow southerners think I am from the midwest or west. We value politeness, graciousness, and for lack of a better word chivalry, it has not uncommmon for me to say yes maam and yes sir to folks younger than me, I have actually been criticised for being to polite on occasion. That does not mean that there are not rude obnoxious people from the South. We do like to be self reliant and independent, we do not generally trust government, and believe in maximum freedom with the least amount of FEDGOV interference. It used to be that everyone down here went to church on wednesday and just about every business in town would close at noon on wednesday because everyone was getting ready for church, just one of the qirks of living in this southern area.
I was taught to honor and respect my confederate ancestors , I was also taught to honor and respect Martin Luther King Jr, and a local civil rights activist Hosea Williams. Things are a bit more complicated and nuanced that the media narrative would have most believe.

a reply to: FyreByrd

What is being Honored in the Respect given by Southerners to the Confederate Flag is the Blood They Shed in a War that they Felt they Held the " Moral High Ground " when it came to States Rights Opposed to Federal Dictatorial Rights . Nothing More , Nothing Less....... For those who don't get the Gist of my Post , Read a Freakin' History Book why Don't You........

originally posted by: ItCameFromOuterSpace
Basically, without the south there would be no discernable American Culture. One example is music.. there would be no blues, jazz, rock and roll, country, folk music and all of the other musical offshoots of those genres.. we'd still be listening to tin pan alley, European drinking songs and minuets. Things would be boring.
Most people who hate on the south have never been there and have been indoctrinated by the typical fallacies. It's one of the most culturally and geographically diverse places I have ever been. Like most marginalized populations, you will only hear bad things about it in the media, because that is all they want you to know about it.

BBQ and the cuisine from New Orleans are two examples of distinct American foods that were more or less born here. Soul food also came from the South.

New York and Chicago and brag about their culinary prowess but they excel at everyone else's cuisines. The American South and Southwest developed its own.

originally posted by: ManBehindTheMask

How these people in SC responded is a shining example of Southern Culture

That is not exclusive to the south.

We've seen people coming together in all of these senseless mass killings ---- all across the country.

originally posted by: DarkStormCrow
When speaking of southerners, its good to keep in mind that they are the only people in the nation that have been defeated and occupied, their homes and farms destroyed and their properties and families pillaged. Southerners are the only subset of America that knows true loss and the full effects of total war.

Native Americans, Mexican Land Barrons ---- you really need to widen your scope.

The #1 reason for the Civil War is still slavery.

a reply to: Annee

Did I not say that slavery was morally wrong?

Native Americans fought on the side of the Confederates and also owned Black Slaves.

If you do not understand the damage done in the south during and after the Civil War maybe you are the one who needs to widen your scope. The south was treated worse than any other external enemy the US has ever fought.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

If I had to live without Mississippi blues and jazz....I may not want to live.

And yes...media tends to always find the white trash examples of the south to put on camera....

Ha! That's what I play for my 7 year old grandson. Influencing him as long as I can. His favorite is Blues Fusion though.

Redneck meet Hollywood. I'm born and bred not too far from Hollywood, CA. The stereotype "Hollywood" gets really old too.

originally posted by: DarkStormCrow
a reply to: Annee

Did I not say that slavery was morally wrong?

Americans fought on the side of the Confederates and also owned Black Slaves.

If you do not understand the damage done in the south during and after the Civil War maybe you are the one who needs to widen your scope. The south was treated worse than any other external enemy the US has ever fought.

They brought it on themselves.

Did the Native Americans and Mexican Land Barron's bring it on themselves the corruption and invasion that destroyed their homes and cultures?

a reply to: Annee

Ah.....so it was "okay" to do that.

It was "justified".

It was "the right thing to do".

Because they "brought it upon themselves".

I guess we should have done that to Japan and West Germany, post WW2.

After all: they "brought it upon themselves." right?