Since we are once again preoccupied with the display of the Confederate flag I thought I would post this video, which just came across my YouTube feed. The video is of a high school event in South Carolina. Well, I will let the student who posted the video take it from here:
So it’s Home Coming week at my school and everyone is supposed to dress up according to the theme of the day. This is what the class of 2014 did on group day (the day that the students themselves dress in whatever theme they want to collectively.) I myself was invited to join in via Facebook, and the theme was chosen via a poll. I did NOT partake in this event but I did record it and I thought that the world should see this. I grew up around people like this doing these sorts of things, but does this seem weird to you? Some of my friends who just so happen to be black saw this and were very offended. You can debate wither or not the students had the right to run around the school gym with a larger than scale Confederate flag, but what I personally think it boils down to is that it should not have been done because it is offensive to people.
I certainly understand this student’s point-of-view, but if you watch the video closely it looks like the kids are poking fun at Southern heritage culture. They are wearing dress that exaggerates a kind of redneck/hick culture. In fact, if you look closely one student is carrying a black flag that says Redneck. I don’t see much reverence for the Confederate flag on display here. I can’t believe the administration allowed this. Oh, those silly kids.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank God the student who made this video wasn’t in control of Homecoming. She would have never gotten the chance to see those students pick fun at white Southern heritage. Ha!
Good on the administration for just letting the students be.
Yeah, way to allow the students to reinforce some of the worst stereotypes around. A great day for education indeed. (please note sarcasm).
I tend to agree that the “Redneck” group appears to have their tongues firmly in their cheeks. And isn’t one of them dressed as Chewbacca? I think that automatically rules this out as a serious neo-Confederate statement. Regardless, I’ll second your disbelief that this made it past whatever school administrators were in charge of the event. Even more amazing is that they seem to have won their little competition.
For what it’s worth, this group sang a particularly nifty song, “Red Solo Cup”. And there appear to be at least three African-American “rednecks” in that group.
I think the black flag actually reads, “HICK TOWN.” The other is a Dale Earnhart No. 3 NASCAR flag. Then they got roughed up by other students dressed as cops from Reno 911!.
Yeah, not exactly respectful of the South or Southern culture. But then, folks screamed bloody murder at the prospect of removing the flag from the roof of the Dukes of Hazzard car, and that entire show, except for the Dukes themselves, was built around negative, mocking stereotypes of the South. People forget that the full name of the comic villain of the show, J. D. “Boss” Hogg, was Jefferson Davis Hogg.
They are the “self proclaimed Redneck” group. Not Confederates or soldiers. And yes they portrayed them accurately. Flag included.
I am from Alabama. I know Rednecks.