<p>You really don't believe that there is a distinctive culture in each part of the U.S., including the South? The South is home to unique culinary styles, accents, even languages (like Gullah). Whether or not you support "southern pride," you can't deny that there is a unique culture (or, really, the South is home to many different distinct cultures).</p>
<p>It depends on where you go in the South. NC is much less, ah, hickish than SC (don't deny it). I've both lived and gone to school in the South, and there's a startling difference between the two.</p>
<p>I think I can deal with...what's another four years? I already spent 18 in the South.</p>
<p>cali, I am not talking about food or actual culture...what you stated was legitimate. </p>
<p>I mean those individuals who have an extreme idea of "southern culture"...those who don't realize that Gone with the Wind was movie, those who feel the South was a perfect Utopia before the yankees, etc. Those kind of people do exist.</p>
<p>OK, got it, though that isn't what you said at first, so you can see why I was confused.</p>
<p>I am talking about the people who held a glamorized, exaggerated view of the South hence why I said some people held a delusional view and why it boggles my mind. I did say that earlier in my other post. Again, this is all in relation to Confederate flag/rebel culture...it has nothing to do with food, language, etc.</p>
<p>Some people have held reenactments where the South beats the North...that just has to make you go huh and wonder what exactly some people associate with "southern pride".</p>
<p>Down here, southern pride in relation to the civil war is more along the lines of 'our country boys SHOULD have beaten those city slickers'. I think most of us Southerners know (I mean, duh) that slavery and therefore the southern cause was wrong, but now it's just a matter of who had the 'best men' :) It's just a pride thing now. Interestingly enough, there was recently a special vote to decide whether my home state's flag, which sports a confederate flag as part of the design, should be replaced with a more 'politically correct' one. A lot of us might have voted for a new one, but the one proposed was just a meaningless design, and no real thought went into what it signified. So the old one stayed, and we are all officially labeled as racist traitors. :)</p>
<p>I'm sure if the South had won the war, America as we know it would have be a very different America. I don't think that Southern Pride would exist no more than Northern Pride does today, but, rather, Northerners would champion the Northern cause and heritage as Southerners do for their cause and heritage today and the South would simply dominate as the North does today. Southern Flags would be waving everwhere, not just the South. </p>
<p>As it usually was with wars, the victors determined the game while the losers followed the rules. Yet, those defeated never truly lost if they had their dignity, which was the case in the South. Now, honestly, given the series of events and facts, the South never had a chance of winning. For the South to have won, too many factors would have had to be different, too much of destiny would have had to be altered. As hard as it for Southerners to come to terms, the cards were stacked agains them and from that ensued their downfall. </p>
<p>Now, even with claims of Southern pride, I cannot help but cringe when I see the Confederate flag, knowing that, among other values, it represents a system that is one of the most horrendous treatment of humanity. I know that the South were not the only ones to take part in Slavery. The North was nearly as bad with slavery and could have been worst if it had an environment situated for slavery. I'm aware that, except for rich plantation owners, most Southern households had no slaves or one or two slaves. In fact, I think most anti-South sentiments stem from Northern propaganda in schools, textbooks, tv. But, I'll always have these sentiments because, as a Black female, history is too strong to ignore.</p>
<p>In response to the original question:
At times I have seen Slovene flags flying here, given that we have the largest expatriate and immigrant Slovene community outside of Slovenia here. We even have two radio stations in the language that broadcast regularly now.</p>
<p>has anyone seen the movie "the confederate states of america"? it looks interesting.</p>
<p>Yeah, here in Miami people fly alot of flags from Latin countries.</p>
<p>Did you hear about the one high school in Ca (pretty sure it was LA) where some kids from a mostly Mexican school went over to another and turned the American flag upside down?</p>
<p>Yes, I have, but that was in immigration protest. Those do not count, and then again the Americans are attempting to kick them out, so they have a right to be angry.</p>
<p>I think so too. I am more or less for open immigration, with minimal restrictions.</p>
<p>This is a very amusing conversation.</p>
<p>No, I have never seen a Mexican flag flown here, but that may not be the case in other places in the South-- there is just a lot of animosity toward Hispanics in my town.</p>
<p>As for the Confederate flag, it is a symbol of racism, ignorance, and divisiveness. Would you tell a Jew that a swastika was a symbol of German pride and not a reminder of gencide? Hell, no.</p>
<p>To me, Southern pride is cheering at football games, barbequing, my accent, singing at church, and Southern Gothic literature. </p>
<p>My ancestors owned slaves and fought under the rebel flag, and that is not something that I am proud of. I admire them for their accomplishments and the fact that they learned from their mistakes.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Would you tell a Jew that a swastika was a symbol of German pride and not a reminder of gencide
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Or it was an important symbol in most of the world's cultures.</p>
<p>I believe that the Confederacy stood for much more than owning slaves.</p>
<p>The swastika used to be a Buddhist symbol on their restaurants and temples before the Nazis cannibalized it and used it for their methods.</p>
<p>Swastika is originally a Hindu symbol..The Buddhists obviously borrowed.
It was not only prevalent in India, but also in ancient cultures like the Hittites, Persians, Chinese, Romans, Central America (!!!), Scandanavian countries (like Norse people, etc), Slavic countries, etc, etc, etc.</p>
<p>And the above got the swastika from aliens.</p>
<p>I am who you think I think I am. </p>
<p>It doesn't matter what the symbol REALLY means. It matters what people think the bearers of it think it means. That's how society really defines everything after all. So when the most visable use of a flag is for negative purposes, do you expect people to cheer it on?</p>