6/12
Home here in VA, watched the news for the first time and watched the confederate Tate’s being forcibly taken down by protesters with the police standing by. I don’t know how I feel about it. Originally I thought that there should be a history attached to the statues explaining the lost cause of the confederacy, because it is history, no matter how painful. I also feel that our leaders, mayor and governor, should have taken the initiative in having them removed. Well now Monument Ave. in Richmond will have 1 monument, Arthur Ashe.
I also feel this path to righteousness is going too far. They have stopped streaming “Gone With the Wind,” for its wrongful depiction of slavery and Disneys Uncle Remus ride, for their stereotypical portrayal of blacks. The group Lady Antebellum apologizing and changing their name to Lady A. They had already stopped airing The Dukes of Hazzard, which I loved! Maybe being from the North I never felt the prejudice implied by the Confederate flag, or it could have been my ignorance. I did see it as a story of good ‘ole boys from the South. Actually they are also depicted as stereotypical Southeners. I guess “All in the Family” and “The Jefferson’s” are too controversial to be aired today. It’s too much! Everyone knew they were caricatures and were able to laugh at the ridiculousness of those shows, while they did confront real issues of prejudice that were happening.
It is a terrible time of unrest and the nation is very divided. Our president likes to cause confusion and recently stated that it was a “conspiracy,” about a 75 year old white protester who was knocked down by police. He is against mail in voting, saying it promotes fraud, when he and his family had mail in votes for the past 11 elections!