Questions for our American friends

[brianwp]

Originally Posted by st4bilo

Oh, I've a question I always wanted to ask an U.S. American:

Recently Iwatched a video on YT, Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama (Live)
and they had a rebel flag (see below) on stage.

Some guys in the comments were discussing and complaining about the flag.

So what is the meaning (nowadays) of this old flag, what does it stand for
in everyday life, e.g. when someone has a sticker with it on his car ?

Let me take a shot at this, as I've lived in the Deep South, SW Georgia for the last 22 years. And believe me, I've had plenty of "discussions" about it down here.

A couple of years ago our governor, Sonny Perdue did away with the stars and bars as the state flag, and a lot of people got mad about it. (I have to be careful not to insult any other southerners on this forum here). One of the main reasons to change the flag here was because it was insulting to many African Americans, as it reminded them of slavery. However, there are several groups here, such as the Sons of the Confederacy, who argue that point, and feel that the flag is a large part of their heritage. In my experience, though, it seems like the more progressive, modern and better educated Southerners were in favor of the change, while many of the less educated, old timey ones are for the "rebel flag", as we Northerners used to call it. Without insulting anyone, a lot of these people are known more commonly as "rednecks". And this shouldn't be taken as an insult, because they would be the first ones to admit it. A lot of them are even proud of it, wearing redneck themed t-shirts, and such. Not to mention music "Redneck Woman", etc., or "you know you're a redneck" jokes, and such. Anyway, these are the ones that will most likely display the stars and bars on their pick-up trucks, or on flagpoles in front of their houses, or even hung on their trailer. A popular hat down here had the flag with sayings like "these colors never run", or "forget, hell!". The Civil War is still a touchy subject down here, believe it or not. I've written comments in our local paper in the past, commenting on how the war was history, "you lost, get over it". Wow, you wouldn't believe the responses I got. "No, I won't "get over it", my great grandpa died at Antietam", or such as that. There's a lot of em that are still pretty pissed off, or feel like they never lost in the first place! (I don't know...up North we didn't go around with Union flags on our trucks, saying "yay, we won the war", and all, it was almost 150 years ago), but I digress. Just so you get the mood, here. Anyway, that's mainly the sort of people that still fly the stars and bars, and I know and work with a lot of them, and are friends with some of them, just so you know. The ways of the past are very slowly disappearing, but there is a great "new" South movement down here, more prevalent in places like Atlanta.

[spitalhouse]

Originally Posted by Aubrey

I also thought the World Series was called that because it was originally sponsored by a newspaper called The World.

I was aware of this explanation regarding how the World Series derived its name and was willing to accept it as the most plausible. However, if one delves a little deeper one finds that there is no actual evidence of this being the case. Baseball, like cricket, is a sport whose history and development is avidly studied and carefully documented and I'm sure that if this is how the tournament got its name there would be some inconvertible record of it.

I believe that the name was originally applied with more than a touch of irony because, as scoundrel in post #41 rightly points out " ..... except for a few in Canada, there were no baseball clubs outside the USA who were worthy to stand on the same diamond as a typical pro-baseball club from the USA." The winners of such a tournament were therefore, by default, the best team in the world.

Regards.

[widower54]

Of what brianwp spoke of. Several years ago i traveled to North Carolina to see my Niece and Husband. As I settled in to my room at the Hotel i went to the store, fueled the car and then went to see them i told them in conversation where i had gone and such...They looked at me with eyes wide open and said "but thats the black gas station and the Black Grocery store". Come on I said all that is over and done with now...But not it seems in areas down there. still that Distinction of the North, South, I was a Northerner and did not undetstand how it was down in the South. i told them it was time to move back to Detroit....

[Aubrey]

I was aware of this explanation regarding how the World Series derived its name and was willing to accept it as the most plausible. However, if one delves a little deeper one finds that there is no actual evidence of this being the case. Baseball, like cricket, is a sport whose history and development is avidly studied and carefully documented and I'm sure that if this is how the tournament got its name there would be some inconvertible record of it.

Thank you, Spital. This just shows that you should never fully believe what you are told - just use it as a basis for more research.

[st4bilo]

Thanks a lot guys,

I understand what you mean.

Allow me one comprehension question.
You pointed out that there is a certain attitude of the people who still use the flag,
which is deeply-rooted in the minds of the Southerners.

Is it always or mostly accompanied by racism ?

Widower54 suggested that in his post and
aphex1973 mentioned the flag is being used by the KKK.

(btw. is the KKK still existent and active in the South ?)

[MaxJoker]

Originally Posted by st4bilo

(btw. is the KKK still existent and active in the South ?)

What you mean the Kent Kamikaze Kite Flyers ?.
No i`m afraid the last member died a month ago , he was found naked in a bucket of water near an electricity pylon

[widower54]

I met a KKK Member, a card carrying one and he was proud of it too. But just like the NEO Nazi's you will find a group if you look hard enough. Race? I think so in my opinion...But if you look at Texas they would like to be there own Country too...lol. Southern People are Proud and i do not mind that just in the way they present it i suppose. In a scant 50 years are so we are all going to blend anyway and that will realy upset some people

[scoundrel]

Flags get commandeered by racist groups with political aims and these flags get stained and dishonoured by the association. Even the swastika symbol of the Nazis is also used by other organisations who had/have no Nazi affiliations or sympathies. For example it was the insignia of Finland's national air force when first founded in 1918: this was before the NSP existed. Both the Cross of St George and the Union Jack are flaunted in the UK by organistions like the BNP, Combat18 and similar of varying degrees of extreme right wing racist and fascist ideology: as a basically patriotic Brit, this mis-use of my national symbols is one of my very particular pet hates.

There may well be many folk with strong emotional attachment to the Confederate symbols who feel similar indignation when they are flown at KKK rallies and the like.

[spoonfedmonkey]

Originally Posted by Bovon

There was a Michael Douglas film where he got made redundant, didn't tell anyone, and cracked-up under the strain and ran amok with gun etc.

As an American, I've always found the term "made redundant" quite brutal.

On to my own contribution to this thread: I've lived all over the US (in fact, I've lived all over the world), and the use of "pop", "soda", and "soda pop" is generally (though not completely) regional. But the phrases "carbonated beverage" or "soft drink" only occurs on restaurant menus and airplanes.

Or should I say aeroplane?

I've lived in Germany for fifteen years, so my vocabulary has become a bit Anglicized. I always say "trousers", for instance.

It doesn't make me a bad person.

[MaxJoker]

Loath as i ever am to stifle healthy dialogue maybe we should all back away from going down the far right path and stick to the lame topic at hand . Otherwise this thread might get over heated and canned , or worse give other fellow members the mistaken idea that rules are being lessened in light of our lords birth.