But it's interesting and instructive too look at some of what transpired. Like this snippet of a thread on "true Southerners."
E--- May 7, 2015 / 11:09 am
How about those that stuck it out down south, despite being Unionists, and were willing to endure the hostile environment because they so loved it? How can’t they be considered real southerners?
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Brooks D. Simpson May 7, 2015 / 12:44 pm
You need to raise that question with Connie Chastain, not me. I consider Andrew Johnson a real southerner, and he hated the Confederacy.
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Connie Chastain May 7, 2015 / 10:07 pm
Why me?
As if I'm so kind of authority on that -- as if there even IS an authority on that. What I think about it is simply my opinion, so why would E--- need to direct his question to me? Does Simpson imagine E--- would consider me an authority on it? Or that E---- would be interested in my opinion? Of course, Simpson didn't answer that with logic and reason. Look how he DOES reply:
Brooks D. Simpson May 7, 2015 / 10:50 pm
Unable to answer the question? Were southern unionists real southerners? Is that too difficult for you to understand?
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Connie Chastain May 7, 2015 / 11:10 pm
I’m no authority on it. Mr. E--- can believe whatever he wishes.
And then we come to a hallmark Simpson dirty trick:
Brooks D. Simpson May 7, 2015 / 11:46 pmWell, I made no such admission, so he's lying, as the frequently does.
In short, you are unable to answer a simple question. Thanks for the admission.
But unable to answer a simple question? (1) Not unable. Unwilling, as I don't see the point, and there's no significance to it, anyway. Does he think I'm the authority on that? What I say, goes? If I say Unionists who "stuck it out" in the South weren't real Southerners, is E--- going to agree? Is Simpson? Of course not. So what was the point in asking?
Well, this was supposed to be a "Gotcha" moment for Simpson. He would have pounced like a hyena on anything I said, because exchanging opinions is not his thing. Put downs of people he disagrees with are his thing.
Since I didn't say yes or no, he had to satisfy himself by resorting to very lame, feeble putdowns in the form of lies.
How do people with such slimy approaches and questionable ethics get into positions of such loftiness at our institutions of higher learning? When did academic ethical standards so drastically plummet?
ReplyDeleteBrooks Simpson's Patent Number 4138795
He certainly needs to be put in a padded room somewhere.
DeleteWell I was going to write a more detailed account of this subject on my blog later this month, but I think I can afford a few spoilers and state a few things for the record on the subject of Southern Unionists and their descendants.
ReplyDeleteI've known many descendants of Southern Unionists over the last 20 years. Many of them respect our noble struggle to defend our heritage from the anti-Southern heritage reactionaries. And I have known some rather vocal people who feel their ancestry makes them superior to their fellow Southerners who honor their Confederate ancestry. The latter I feel are making a huge and probably a costly mistake for their own cause by taking the side of haters and tools. Thankfully the former seem to outnumber the latter by a wide margin.
From the perspective of a Confederate descendant, I would probably classify a Southern Unionist in the same perspective as say a British Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War.
That being said, I would point out that British Loyalists were men and women who felt strongly about the greater loyalty to the British Crown, yet still considered themselves very much Americans. We're they wrong? Do they deserve to be forgotten by history or ignored?
In a word: No.
I personally recognize those Americans who served their respective causes honorably and who still considered themselves to be proudly Americans. This includes Whig Patriots, British Loyalists, Confederates (both Southern and Northern-born) and Unionists (likewise Northern and Southern-born).
Southern Unionists are a part of the tapestry we call our living Southern historical heritage. For that matter Northern-born Confederates are as much a part of Confederate historical heritage in particular even if they were not born in Dixie.
Being a "true Southerner" is not just about honoring the Cause of Southern Independence, nor about loyalty to the Union -- by which I mean the principles of American idealism, not so much loyalty to federal power. Being a Southerner is more than just where you were born, it's about what's in your heart. It's about that living breathing think we feel inside that's hard to explain to anyone north of the Mason-Dixon Line, and that pride one feels deep in their roots, their living connection to the soil beneath their feet.
So for the record, no I would not consider a descendant of a Southern Unionist to be beneath me, nor less deserving of the proud title of being a proper Southerner. To say otherwise would be a hypocrisy on my part even as I speak out against those who would call being a proud Confederate descendant to be "un-American."
As I said later in the month I will post a more detailed perspective on my blog, and I hope many of y'all will take the time to check it out when I've posted it. I will keep everyone informed.
Very good, Carl.
DeleteThank you Connie, it was the only answer I could reasonably give.
DeleteWell, Ms Connie like my mamaw used to say the truth ain't in him. The only thing that he cares about is trying to make fun of folks that he does not agree with. He is sad little man.
ReplyDeleteIt sure looks that way, Jessie.
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