Keep Staying With Me, Folks

The Case of the Wrong Picture

~ridiculing Southern heritage advocates when they perhaps get history wrong (or even for just seeing it differently than you do) because your real problem with them is that they honor a heritage you think they should abhor and reject.

In my previous blog post, I said I would address the comment above in future blog entries, and it would relate not only to Kevin Levin's blog but to those of other floggers.  I should add here that I also include some of the reader comments the floggers allow through on their blogs. 

A wonderful example of verbal flogging found on Brooks D. Simpson's "Crossroads" Blog:

As of 11 p.m. or so on January 29, there were 36 comments following the above post.  They can be found in their entirety here:

But I want to bring some of them individually to my readers' attention to showcase the hypocrisy, poor taste, and borderline (for some) and outright (for others) mendacity and falsehood contained therein.

I have to say that at first glance, it is mystifying why David Tatum's post on a Facebook group -- or anything posted on any informal social media/networking group -- should be of such grave interest, or of any interest at all, to a professor of history at a major state university, and those who follow his "history" blog.

Apparently, though, they are vitally interested in some individual's making a historical mistake (posting a picture and misidentifying it). However, the attraction doesn't seem to be a love for historical truth and a desire to correct error or set the record straight. The real attraction seems to be the wonderfully heady opportunity to wallow satisfyingly in some tasty ridicule, scorn and mockery ... over the "ignorance," don't you know.  They seem to get such orgiastic pleasure out of it, perhaps they should be thanking David for giving them the wallow...

But it doesn't stop there.  They also apparently love to  wax indignant over what they perceive to be David's insults.  And what's fascinating about that is that they couch much of said indignation in such vulgar and offensive insults, it makes David's look like a dainty cream-cheese sandwich with the crusts cut off, by comparison.

Before moving on and showing my readers what I'm referring to, I would just offer a word of caution to Simpson's followers -- if you want to call attention to an insult someone else made, and you want it to be to be taken seriously, don't do so with an insult twice as bad as what you're pointing out. It really, really neutralizes your criticism, takes attention off the object of your indignation, and focuses it on you and your crass hypocrisy. Okay?

Now, to some specifics.  Somebody named SF Walker says, "Yep, that’s a testament to Confederate marksmanship, too–and A.S. Johnston’s grave. This offering from the SHPG really shows a lot of class, doesn’t it? What it has to do with preserving Southern heritage, I’m sure I don’t know..." 

Class?  You want to see some "class," Mr. Walker?  Stick around for some more of the Crossroads comment thread....  For example, the namecalling:

"...fool ... desecrator ... crass little pissant ... cretins ... stupid ... ignorant morons ... unAmerican jackasses ..."

Lovely, huh? Such class! And so veddy, veddy edumucated....

Brooks D. Simpson posts, "Imagine someone posting a picture of McGavock Confederate Cemetery and jeering the dead there. Then we’d hear all about heritage and how Yankees dishonor it. Remember, not only did David Tatum make that remark … others 'liked' it, including the group’s 'chaplain,' and no one thought it was tasteless. ... That’s all you need to know about the SHPG."

Well, no, that's not all you need to know about it. What Simpson won't say is how many members of the group did NOT click "like" for that  remark...  See, that's something more for you to know about the group that Simpson doesn't want you to know, because his thing is to smear an entire group of 1800+ people with one or two comments, or the comments of one or two people....

I simply point out that Dave's original comment was not a jeering of the yankee dead, but praise for Confederates. So you don't agree that Confederates deserve the praise? Fine. But that's no excuse for lying.

Simpson continues with his lies: "In other words, Mr. Tatum now says he simply used the wrong picture, but he stands by what he says, and doesn’t quite understand why people might be offended by his actions. That in the process he continues to mock the final resting place of United States soldiers says a great deal about who he is. Can’t wait to see the people who defend Mr. Tatum’s actions." Pay careful attention, folks.  When Simpson says, "In other words," the "other words" are almost always lies, which says a great deal about who he is. David isn't mocking the final resting place of United States soldiers. He was praising Confederates.

Then we have John Foskett, one of Simpson's faithful echo-bots, who sez, "A desecrator is a desecrator, so he’s probably okay with his mistake."

So is it desecration?  Or a mistake?  Dictionary.com defines desecrate as "1. to divest of sacred or hallowed character or office. 2. to divert from a sacred to a profane use or purpose. 3. to treat with sacrilege; profane."  It lists synonyms as, "defile, violate, dishonor, pollute, outrage."  David's post does none of that -- even with the picture of the wrong headstones.  Again, to praise Confederates is not synonymous with desecrating yankee graves....

Then we have this marvelously refined and dignified comment from TFSmith1, "What a crass little pissant you are, Mr. Tatum. What’s the matter, didn’t Mommy and Daddy show you enough attention when you were a child?"  Always got to be an amateur psychologist in the crowd.  Mr. Smith, don't quit your day job.

Somebody identified as cc2001 is the first to break Godwin's law.  Apparently, she expects Southern heritage folks to follow in the wonderful example of the ex-Nazis and their progeny...   She's joined by Jimmy Dick, who writes, "In Germany they don’t allow a myth built around Nazism to develop. They go after it and those they want to idolize the Nazis hard and fast. They want their future generations to know the truth, not some propaganda myth and then see history repeat itself."

However, these attempts to analogize the Third Reich and the Confederacy are a no-go  because the differences that existed between the CSA and Nazi Germany far outweight the similarites.  Some examples:

There were nine million Jews in Europe before the Third Reich -- three million afterward. By contrast, the black population in the United States, before the war, during it, and afterward -- both during slavery and after emancipation -- grew at basically the same rate as the USA's white population. Even during the chaos and privation of war, the black/slave population of the South/Confederacy grew at a rate of 7%. An increase in the population is, ah, emphatically NOT genocide.

Laws in various states mandated that slaveowners support aged slaves who were no longer able to work and that pregnant slaves be given lighter duties. By contrast, inmates in Nazi death camps were worked to death and/or given rations scientifically calculated to starve them in three months. Compare that with American slaves, who ate much the same thing white people ate -- at least, in the South. What they ate is called "soul food" today and it's viewed very positively -- tasty and nutritious, if rather high in starch.

There were no concentration camps that slaves were herded into in the Confederate states. What more closely resembles concentration camps were the reservations onto which American Indians were herded, by U.S. federal law, in conditions worse than plantation slavery.

Later in the thread, Simpson reiterates his lie.  To Corey Meyer's question, "Aren’t those more recent graves since they have “stand up stones”. Aren’t Union burials marked with ground level markers in Gettysburg?" he replies, "You are correct. Given the wall in the background, I’d wager that these headstones are of United States military personnel that ring the Gettysburg burials west of the circular path. In other words, David Tatum is mocking the gravesites of United States military personnel. Now watch the usual suspects defend that. They certainly won’t condemn it."

Didn't I tell you? What follows Simpson's "In other words," is mendacity.  David Tatum isn't mocking anything. He's praising Confederates. Period. Plain and simple. What is there about Simpson's personality, or his academic training, or goodness knows what, that compels him to lie this way?  As far as defending David, there's nothing to defend. Simpson is lying, and that's what I'm condemning.

Then we have an earth-shattering dispatch from Eric A. Jacobson -- reporting direct from the SHPG's Facebook page --  that you just KNOW the entire civil war community is waiting for with bated breath:

"Well Tatum has now posted on the ol’ SHPG wall that he was 'informed' that the graves are 'not at Gettysburg but at the National cemetery…' Huh?? I guess he’s trying to cover his tail, and even in that effort proceeds to make himself look like the same fool as before."

Jacobson guesses?  He guesses?  But-but-but critics of Southern heritage don't guess -- they know!  You can tell by the arrogance and nastiness of their posts that they know everything there is to know about Southern heritage folks.  They "know" these folks have no integrity. They "know" their motives (nefarious).  They "know" their educational level (bottom of the barrel) and intelligence (barely above imbecile).

Simpson replies, "Mr. Tatum is an officer of the SHPG. So is the so-called 'chaplain' who 'liked' the post. So these are not a few stray individuals, but members of the group’s leadership." 

They are two members of an informal social media/internet group of over 1800 members. Why Simpson wants to invest this group with such import, who knows -- except to cover his academic posterior for showing such interest in it.  And why? Because, as already noted, it gives him an opportunity to mud-wallow in some ridicule, scorn and mockery -- apparently something he takes great pleasure in... an activity that really does something for him....

Someone identified as Damian Shiels jumps on the Simpson falsehood bandwagon, ending his comment with, "The mind boggles at how any individual can denigrate the horrors of war in such a fashion, reducing death to an opportunity for an ill-considered joke."  No, what boggles the mind is how a person of integrity could fabricate such falsehoods out of David's post. David was neither denigrating the horrors of war or making a joke about death.  He was honoring men who fought at great odds to protect hearth and home, family and community, from a brutal invading army.

Besides, you shouldn't be such a stick in the mud, Mr. Shiels. If you want your mind to get really boggled by the denigration of the horrors of war, I have more for you to look at than a simple ill-considered joke (although that wasn't what David's post was--that's you're perception, not David's intention). How about an entire comedy video about Confederate soldiers shootin' and killin' each other?  Hahaha, what a scream, huh, Shiels? Kevin Levin posted it on his blog and said, "This has got to be my favorite Civil War video." You can watch it at Civil War Memory here.  I blogged about it here.

A Jerry Desko sez, 'The ignorance, stupidity, vulgarity and thoughtlessness of this posting is unfathomable. I wonder if the poster is aware that the photograph shown is one of the graves of veterans of possibly the Spanish-American War, World Wars I & II and Korea. Ignorant morons that don’t deserve the attention given to them. They are un-American jackasses." He posted this AFTER David's comment acknowledging he mistakenly used the wrong picture. What'sa matter with this Desko guy?  Can't he READ?  Or does he just pretend not to see David's comment?  I guess we just have to take his own advice and ignore him for the ignorant-moron behavior he's exhibiting....

Then we have this jewel from Bob Nelson: "Finally, I would like to point out that Pete Taylor and I spent a week in the Shenandoah Valley last fall. One of our stops was at the Confederate Cemetery in Winchester (Turner Ashby is buried there). We were quiet and respectful. I would never even THINK about posting such a message."  Talk about making your stomach roll.  All that's missing is, "What a good boy am I!" Hope you didn't throw your shoulder out of joint patting yourself on your self-righteous back, Mr. Nelson....

Simpson's parting shot: "The Southern Heritage Preservation Group uses its Facebook page to demonstrate its commitment to preserving Confederate heritage … as its members define it. Unfortunately, comments such as the one highlighted here are not that unusual over there. Neither is a rather astonishing ignorance of history."

I wonder how much astonishing ignorance of history Simpson lets slip past him every day without so much as a syllable of mention -- without any notice at all?  I'd warrant nearly ALL of it that doesn't provide him with the opportunty to mud-wallow in the denigration of others....

Remember, stay with me on this folks.  We aren't finished discussing ... mistakenly posted pictures.....

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Photo of pig in mud from the public domain.