Feeder 3.1

The South has become a less distinct region as time has progressed. It is becoming more and more integrated and similar to places you would find all over America. Because of these changes, the people growing up in the South are not as closely tied to historical background that has defined the South for so many years. However, “Southern Pride” still seems to resonate in many areas throughout the South because of tradition, but according to “Dying for Dixie” by Horwitz and “Drawing Names” by Mason, the beliefs and customs that come along with this idea are not practical for the up and coming generations of Southerners that are growing up in a South very different from the Antebellum South leading up to the Civil War.
In Horwitz’s chapter “Dying for Dixie,” he talks about the murder of a man named Michael Westerman. Michael was killed by a black boy named Freddie Marrow because Michael had a Confederate flag that was hoisted to the back of his truck. The reason that Michael even flew this flag on his truck was not because of the historic meaning that it symbolized, but because “[he] was raised with that flag… it [was] just part of [his] life” and to “make his truck look sharp.” The mascot for the local high school of the town in the story was “The Rebels” which had two Confederates holding the Confederate flag. This is a perfect example of how the ideas of “Southern pride” and the Confederacy are still ingrained in the South. The younger generation has just grown up in that atmosphere and accepted these ideas for what they were, on many occasions, without knowing exactly what they meant.
Furthermore, the South places a huge emphasis on family. Much of the “Southern pride” and obsession with the Confederacy in the South stems from people’s genealogy and their connections to people that were involved the Civil War. The South views the family as a very close knit group. However, today there are more divorces than ever before. Because of this societal trend, this places extra pressure on those families in the South that are unhappy but remain together because of devotion to Southern tradition. This is seen through Mason’s short story “Drawing Names.”
Drawing Names stuff…………………………………
The Southern traditions that have been perpetuated generation to generation are, in many cases, not practical in the dynamic world in which we now live in. The traditions of the South are causing conflict and stress which can be seen through Horwitz’s “Dying for Dixie” and Mason’s “Drawing Names.” It is not practical or necessary to eternalize a symbol that represents discrimination and hardship for so many people. People have been killed over these misunderstandings, and this should be stopped. There are other ways that one’s family can be honored rather than flaunting the Confederate flag. Neither is it necessary to remain in a marriage that causes stress and unhappiness only for the sake of tradition. Although the South has retained its identity through the practices of these traditions, things must change; trying to keep things the same and live in the past is ignorant and not realistic.

Response to Dying for Dixie.

"Dying for Dixie" just shows the problems that can arise from taking pride in something that others take offense to such as the Confederate flag. However, no one should be killed over such a trivial thing. The thing that is interesting about the whole murder is that neither of the parties really even knew a whole lot about the history of the Confederate flag, or at least did not consider it a symbol of hatred. The boy that killed Michael did not even know what the flag stood for, he just knew that black people did not like it. To me, this murder just shows that much of the "Southern pride" that some Southerners show has continued only because of tradition that has not changed, not because the people really believe in it. It is just something that they have grown up with and never questioned. The younger generations cannot identify with the "Southern pride" that is described by Confederate advocates. There is a disconnect or a misunderstanding from the youth, and this can cause violence. Because the ideas of slavery and oppression are associated with the Confederate flag, there is going to conflict among the races as long as it is around. The southern heritage is not all encompassed by this flag, and I feel that, for the sake of getting along, the flag can be put aside.