"Why Is The South Obsessed..."

[LoriAnn]

I found this video while watching another channel on YouTube:

"Why Is The South Obsessed With The Civil War"

It was uploaded in May of last year, so perhaps many of you have seen it. (Moderators, I did a search here and didn't find anything.)

I don't have an agenda ~ those of you who know me know this by now ~ so I'm not looking for this to turn into a mess of a thread. Nor am I agreeing or disagreeing with anything in this video.

I'm just wondering what you think of it. Did he get some things right? Did he totally strike out elsewhere? I found it interesting, and he packs a lot into 20 minutes. It was also the first time I've heard the term "Messiah Complex" when describing the North.

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

I hae not watched the video, nor am I likely to watch it.
With that in mind, I apologize if my answer mirrors the video....

The South may not be "obsessed" with the Civil War, but they DO remember it better.
They remember it better because, for the most part, it was fought in THEIR fields, cities, towns, backyards.....It was fought on THEIR farms, and Great-great Grandpa's crops and fields were burned.....the dead soldiers were buried in THEIR yards......

They remember it better because Reconstruction DID punish them, resentment was justified and prevalent among the old Veterans.........

We are not obsessed with slavery.......

 

[mofederal]

I would say the South lost the war, and it could be a quest to truly understand the loss. A keen sense of history, and a pride in their forebearers. I think some see the valor and greatness of the soldiers and officers who fought for the Confederacy, and the generals which many see as near gods of war. I think others are lost in the whole "Lost Cause" story and it's mythos. I have no agenda at all, and I see both sides. I was born in the South, and I grew up there. I love history and I am only presenting things I see myself from my own studies.

 

[LoriAnn]

I hae not watched the video, nor am I likely to watch it.
With that in mind, I apologize if my answer mirrors the video....

The South may not be "obsessed" with the Civil War, but they DO remember it better.
They remember it better because, for the most part, it was fought in THEIR fields, cities, towns, backyards.....It was fought on THEIR farms, and Great-great Grandpa's crops and fields were burned.....the dead soldiers were buried in THEIR yards......

They remember it better because Reconstruction DID punish them, resentment was justified and prevalent among the old Veterans.........

We are not obsessed with slavery.......

Some of that is discussed in the video. You are correct.

I'm not pleased with his use of the word "obsessed". It doesn't sound very polite. I think I would have reworded that ~ perhaps something referring to the South's experience and memory of the war vs the North's.

 

[mofederal]

I am much more obsessed with later wars, but I have always loved the Civil War. Many in my family had long lives and were recalled by my aunts and uncles. So they are alive to me and they still are alive as long as I live.

 

[jgoodguy]

IMHO
Some of the South may be obsessed with the Civil War, but not the majority or even a large minority and the obsession ebbs every day.

 

[Patrick H]

IMHO
Some of the South may be obsessed with the Civil War, but not the majority or even a large minority and the obsession ebbs every day.

I like this response very much. But I also like this response:

The South may not be "obsessed" with the Civil War, but they DO remember it better.
They remember it better because, for the most part, it was fought in THEIR fields, cities, towns, backyards.....It was fought on THEIR farms, and Great-great Grandpa's crops and fields were burned.....the dead soldiers were buried in THEIR yards......

 

[Viper21]

I found this video while watching another channel on YouTube:

"Why Is The South Obsessed With The Civil War"

It was uploaded in May of last year, so perhaps many of you have seen it. (Moderators, I did a search here and didn't find anything.)

I don't have an agenda ~ those of you who know me know this by now ~ so I'm not looking for this to turn into a mess of a thread. Nor am I agreeing or disagreeing with anything in this video.

I'm just wondering what you think of it. Did he get some things right? Did he totally strike out elsewhere? I found it interesting, and he packs a lot into 20 minutes. It was also the first time I've heard the term "Messiah Complex" when describing the North.

I watched the full video. In my opinion, the author gets some of it right. However, it's by mistake. The few things he touches on that have a bit of truth to em, ring to me of someone reading out of a book, or reciting someone's blog. I would compare it to, me reading up on knitting, or crochet, & then trying to teach or lecture you about making a hat or blanket. I might get a few things correct (in theory) but, will probably be way more wrong than right, & won't be able to fake my ignorance if I actually had to knit something with you....hahaha.

One thing missed by most...... all the demonizing of the CBF, has only resulted in more of them on display. The condescending attitudes to rural southerners espoused by the media, & plenty of bloggers, only empowers the folks in Dixie. Those attitudes, & attacks on our heritage, monuments, & symbols, only embolden the efforts to protect the same, & in the long run..... will not have the effect desired.

2 cents

 

[LoriAnn]

Great responses so far. Thank you, everyone.

One thing missed by most...... all the demonizing of the CBF, has only resulted in more of them on display. The condescending attitudes to rural southerners espoused by the media, & plenty of bloggers, only empowers the folks in Dixie. Those attitudes, & attacks on our heritage, monuments, & symbols, only embolden the efforts to protect the same, & in the long run..... will not have the effect desired.

Couldn't agree more. Condescension never, ever helps. Nor does the complete refusal to listen to/entertain another point of view.

 

[Viper21]

I hae not watched the video, nor am I likely to watch it.
With that in mind, I apologize if my answer mirrors the video....

The South may not be "obsessed" with the Civil War, but they DO remember it better.
They remember it better because, for the most part, it was fought in THEIR fields, cities, towns, backyards.....It was fought on THEIR farms, and Great-great Grandpa's crops and fields were burned.....the dead soldiers were buried in THEIR yards......

They remember it better because Reconstruction DID punish them, resentment was justified and prevalent among the old Veterans.........

We are not obsessed with slavery.......

Agree 100%.

Many of us cannot spend a day without being near, or approaching a historic site, battlefield, monument, flag, or some other reminder of the sacrifices that occurred in the war. In addition, many have the family stories, artifacts, & or information that isn't published in books, blogs, etc. Some live in or on the same land as their ancestors from the time period. There are many homes, & farms still standing in Virginia that were witness to the events of 1861-1865. The history completely surrounds us. That intimate view leaves more of an impression than a book, or internet story does from hundreds or thousands of miles away......

 

[Tailor Pete]

I grew up in Maryland, a truly divided state with a seemingly split personality. Having traveled extensively between Pennsylvania and Virginia, and deeply both north and south. I have noticed the difference... the Southland has the memory of an Elephant!

I do feel there is another difference. Talking to folks in the North, many are at least partially descended from post-war immigrants whereas folks in the South pride themselves in tracing back their state-side ancestry well into the ante-bellum era. They almost feel a genetic link to the war itself. A form of cultural personalization. In the North, folks link themselves to lands far-away. In the South, folks link themselves to a culture far-removed in time.

To them, the war didn't happen 150+ years ago. It didn't happen far away. It didn't happen to 'other people.' It happened to them! Not as individuals, but as a people, a culture, a civilization. Those in the North see the Civil War as a moment in history which changed the course of society. Those in the South see it as a moment in which one society was supplanted by another.

I will take time this week to watch the video... and only hope that the producers can engender a bit of this cultural phenomenon.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

The South may not be "obsessed" with the Civil War, but they DO remember it better.
They remember it better because, for the most part, it was fought in THEIR fields, cities, towns, backyards.....It was fought on THEIR farms, and Great-great Grandpa's crops and fields were burned.....the dead soldiers were buried in THEIR yards......

They remember it better because Reconstruction DID punish them, resentment was justified and prevalent among the old Veterans.........

We are not obsessed with slavery.......

Very well said.

 

[LoriAnn]

I do feel there is another difference. Talking to folks in the North, many are at least partially descended from post-war immigrants whereas folks in the South pride themselves in tracing back their state-side ancestry well into the ante-bellum era. They almost feel a genetic link to the war itself. A form of cultural personalization. In the North, folks link themselves to lands far-away. In the South, folks link themselves to a culture far-removed in time.

This is touched on in the video in a similar way. He mentions how young American history is compared to our European friends. So when we reach back in our memory as a country, we don't have to stretch very far. According to him, this might be yet another reason why Civil War memory (and identity) is so strong in the South.

 

[alan polk]

Well, I'll borrow a theme from Flannery O'Connor about Southern religion and change it a bit:

If the South is not War obsessed, it is certainly War haunted.

 

[MattL]

I hae not watched the video, nor am I likely to watch it.
With that in mind, I apologize if my answer mirrors the video....

The South may not be "obsessed" with the Civil War, but they DO remember it better.
They remember it better because, for the most part, it was fought in THEIR fields, cities, towns, backyards.....It was fought on THEIR farms, and Great-great Grandpa's crops and fields were burned.....the dead soldiers were buried in THEIR yards......

They remember it better because Reconstruction DID punish them, resentment was justified and prevalent among the old Veterans.........

We are not obsessed with slavery.......

Good points... This sort of mentality can explain much of the South, multiple sides. Why much of the White South remembers the Civil War, losing, the impact, Reconstruction. Conversely why Black Southerners remember slavery (since that was a punishment for them for centuries) and the end of Reconstruction.

 

[colt45texan]

To put it plainly, it is because every yankee thinks & acts like every southerner fell off a watermelon truck!

 

[jgoodguy]

I like this response very much. But I also like this response:

Could be, but I live among it and watched personally as it ebbed.

 

[jgoodguy]

Good points... This sort of mentality can explain much of the South, multiple sides. Why much of the White South remembers the Civil War, losing, the impact, Reconstruction. Conversely why Black Southerners remember slavery (since that was a punishment for them for centuries) and the end of Reconstruction.

The new arrivals, whites from other sections, Hispanics have no such memory. It is slipping from the White South too. Statues and flags coming down and only a handful of folks show up to protest. The canary in the mine if you will are Confederate museums. Once mainstays of class outings, now gone for the most part. Companies of young CSA reenactors of decades ago, now squabbling squads of old men.

 

[jgoodguy]

This is touched on in the video in a similar way. He mentions how young American history is compared to our European friends. So when we reach back in our memory as a country, we don't have to stretch very far. According to him, this might be yet another reason why Civil War memory (and identity) is so strong in the South.

And explain its fading as the US moves forward in history.

 

[Tin cup]

I believe it's easier for the Southern folk to try to justify their ancestors actions by propagandizing the narrative, and history of the war. That way they don't have to look at, and admit their ancestors screwed up fighting for a illegal, and terrible cause.

Kevin Dally