One
of the dying skills in our modern world is the ability to be alone with one’s
own thoughts. Our various hand-held devices (no, not pens and paper and books;
the electronic kind) seem to be bringing a slow, sad death to quiet
contemplation and meditation. In years gone by, while on some lengthy, lonely
hikes, I’ve solved pretty much all the world’s problems, including but not
limited to: war, terrorism, racism, poverty, global warming, religious bigotry,
and covert actions by the CIA. I’ve also resolved intellectual conundrums such
as free will vs. determinism, grace vs. works, creationism vs. evolution, the
existence of God and the Illuminati, and whether the glass is half empty or
half full. Of course, by the end of the hike, as fatigue and hunger set in, my
thoughts turn to cheeseburgers, and I forget my grand schemes and solutions. I
should write this stuff down.
So,
on a recent solo hike, I had some thoughts on a variety of topics, beginning
with a list of yard chores that needed to be done, then transitioning to SEC
football, and finally settling in on America’s present debate over racism,
police brutality, and two flags. For a change, I did write them down. So here
they are…
Dear
Liberals, you’ve long been critical of good ol’ Southern boys displaying their
Dixie flags and wearing Southern-themed T shirts saying “Heritage, not Hate.”
While I’m sure a few of them are outright racists, many of them are good people
who are genuinely proud of being from the South. They claim that there is a lot
more to the South than slavery and racism, and they are happy and proud to live
here. But, dear Liberal, you won’t allow that. To you the stars & bars represent
harsh, angry racism, and you are offended by such displays. The flags and T
shirts are not allowed to represent anything other than what you believe they
represent.
OK,
fine, whatever. But now you are defending athletes who kneel during the national
anthem. While many Americans see this as a sign of disrespect to America
(everything from her imperfect democracy to the troops who have fought and died
for our American flag), you and the kneelers claim it is simply a statement
about lingering racism in America today, particularly police brutality –
nothing more and nothing less. So, you are taking the athletes at their word.
Their protest means what they say it means, and the opinions of those who are
offended by kneeling during the national anthem don’t matter to you.
And
yet, when it comes to those Southerners wearing the stars & bars and
claiming “heritage, not hate,” you won’t take them at their word. According to you, their T shirts and bumper stickers
don’t mean what they say it means; they mean what you (and those who are
offended by it) say it means.
My
dear liberal friends, it seems to me that you’ve constructed a nice, neat
double standard as you pass judgments on the Southerners but not the NFL
players. In my lexicon, that’s called hypocrisy.
Dear
(Southern) Conservatives, maybe you are feeling smug and vindicated by my
words…. Not so fast, my friends! [To be continued]
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