Racism in SC

Recently there was a shooting at a famous and historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina. Jon Stewart, a famous satirical news reporter, made a segment about it. He specifically states at the beginning of the segment that he didn't feel comfortable making jokes about something so serious and messed up. And he didn't. But, his opinions were very wrong. He spoke about South Carolinians and Southerners very stereotypically. 

"Those roads that black people drive on were named after Confederate generals that fought to keep you off those roads."

My response to this is simply 'No.' First of all, I have lived in South Carolina for my entire life. Take that as you wish. Some people think I have the right to talk about this, others think I am biased. I have experience with South Carolinians, believe me. Since I have lived in SC for my whole life, in many classes I have learned South Carolina history. The good AND the bad. So, in Downtown Greenville, there is a street named Robert E. Lee Street. Robert E. Lee was a Confederate general in Virginia. He was extremely racist, as were a lot of people then, not only in the South. Robert E. Lee Street has three South Carolina and Confederacy museums on it. It has also been there for a LONG time. It is one of the oldest streets in SC. It is historical. I understand how African Americans could be uncomfortable with the street name, but it is a part of South Carolina history and does not represent the mindset of South Carolinians. We have Robert E. Lee Street, but we also have Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a highway. 

"The Confederate flag flies over South Carolina."

There are Confederate flags in South Carolina. I agree with people that it doesn't belong on the Capitol Building or flying on every flagpole. BUT, it does belong in museums. IT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF SC HISTORY. South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union. That is a big deal. South Carolina embraces its history, both the good and bad parts of it. They recognize their mistakes and choose not to make them again. There are some people, for example a man near my house, that fly Confederate flags on their houses or mailboxes in SC. Many of those people were alive during segregation, and some still believe in it. That is not the majority of the population in SC.

"Al qaeda, ISIS, they are not s**t compared to what we can do to ourselves, in our own country."

I completely agree with this statement. There is so much to fix within our own country that we shouldn't be focused completely on things outside the country. Violence, racism, etc., in our own country should be taken care of before trying to start other wars, outside the country.

My main point with this rant is to tell you that not all South Carolinians and Southerners are racist. In fact, I've never met a racist person before. (Besides my great-grandmother, who was upset with desegregation. But her parents and peers taught her that that was okay and normal. Many people thought the same back then.) A very small percentage of Southerners are racist. And I'm not saying there are no racist people in the south, we all know there are. But, there are racist people in every state, every country, every continent. I am happy to say, though, that the numbers are dying out with time.

Jon Stewart's segment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjzrvRKv6Ks

Author's Note

Sorry for the rant, I just felt compelled.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

I haven't been political in my life, but lately, I've been interested in people's views about all such things. You've done a great job of presenting your arguments here with good organization, clarity, & honesty about how this is your point of view & what prompted you to express it. As a writer, it's important to call people out when their words are not accurate, or just poorly chosen. It's wrong to categorize any state . . . Californians are thought of as super liberal, but I live in agricultural area where the viewpoints are largely conservative.

First example -- good one about the different names of roads & hwys. It's also true that the name(s) of some sports teams are considered politically (racially) incorrect, but this is the history of the team(s)! We have to own our history whether it was pretty or not. This is true as a nation as well as individuals. You belong in the middle of such discussions becuz you have a measured way of presenting your case & it's needed in our contentious political climate.

[William Liston]

Being a black teen who goes to a predominantly white school (about 96%), I agree with you that most white people in the south are not racist. At my school, I've yet to encounter any racism. I have both black and white friends and we get along just fine.

I also agree with you that symbols of the south (such as Confederacy-related street names and the Confederate flag) are historical more than they are racist. They represent Southern history ~ they don't justify it. Just like blues, jazz, bluegrass, country music, and Elvis, they portray an important part of the South.

I think this rant was overall well-structured and expressively written, but I noticed some grammatical errors:

1. Recently there was a shooting at a, famous and historic, black church in Charleston, South Carolina.

The first two commas are unnecessary.

2. In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the first word isn't capitalized.

- William Liston

[Quinn W]

Thanks, I'll edit that in a minute.