Chad
Slender Hobbit
It's like everything else, it isn't clear cut one or the other. The Civil War was a unique war for our country. Most of the folks in the south didn't own slaves, but they were tricked into fighting for the rich landowners much as the GOP has tricked rural folks for decades into voting for them. My great grandfather's grandfather was killed fighting for the South and he was dirt poor, definitely not a slave owner. So to some folks (not me) when you talk about tearing down these statues and things, they feel you are minimizing their ancestors and what they died for. I get their view but it is time to move on from that. There is too much hate associated with all of it. I have no issue with general Civil War monuments, but I do with the ones dedicated to southern generals and figures. As we move further and further away from it, it seems like folks for the most part are doing the right thing. As you mentioned, the Dukes of Hazzard had it in every episode and that wouldn't fly today. I honestly believe there are some folks where they feel it is a "heritage" thing and for some reason they don't connect the dots to racism and slavery. And there are also a ton of racist assholes who use the "heritage" line to spew and display their hate.
