Proud to be an American

I started this post a few months ago, and got distracted by the "Dabo vs Spurrier" media war.  But it is your lucky night, because I am finally finishing it. I came across this article on the Post and Courier website a few weeks before Christmas, and I absolutely could not resist discussing. Well, obviously I resisted for a little while...

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A student at the University of South Carolina Beaufort was told to remove a Confederate flag from his dorm room window.  Apparently, parents and students did not like seeing it during campus tours.  Like many others, they saw the flag as a symbol of slavery and racism.  Byron Thomas, the student in question, sees it differently:

"When I look at this flag, I don't see racism. I see respect, Southern pride," he said. "This flag was seen as a communication symbol" during the Civil War.

THANK YOU, Byron Thomas! I whole-heartedly agree! The Confederate flag did not represent slavery or racism.  It did not support discrimination or segregation.  Those are some very unfortunate things that happened during this flag's lifetime. However, they did not occur because of the flag and they did not cease when the flag was replaced.  In fact, the Civil Rights Movement - the great American effort to eliminate racism, segregation, and discrimination - did not start until approximately 90 years after the collapse of the Confederate States of America (and its flag).

The Confederate flag is a symbol of Southern pride, traditions, states' rights, and rich history.  I personally do not choose to display this flag on my property or clothing, mainly because I prefer to fly our current flag and everything it represents.  Nonetheless, I find it ridiculous when a proud Southerner is viciously chastised for doing so.  

To me, the most powerful part of Byron Thomas's story is his ethnicity.  He is black.  Yep, black.  It was a class project that encouraged him to research the Confederate flag.  And through his research, Byron realized that "the flag's real meaning has been hijacked."  Byron recognizes that race is still an issue, but he would prefer that people "thoughtfully consider issues of race and not just knee-jerk reactions to such symbols."  Again, I am in complete agreement with Mr. Thomas.  

Spectacular advancements have been made in the way of racial equality, but there are still issues of discrimination and segregation.  I believe many of these issues are prolonged by groups and individuals that insist on bringing "race" into every issue.  For example, should Americans be proud that we have a black president? Yes.  But should it really matter that he is black?  No.  Why is a presidential candidate's ethnic race even mentioned?  What does skin color have to do with a person's ability to lead a country?  Nothing.  After the 2008 election, I was personally told by a young, voting adult that he voted for Barack Obama, "because he's black."  I'm sorry, but that is just not right.  And in my opinion, it is one of the reasons that race is still an on-going issue.  It also proves my theory that racism and discrimination are two-way streets.  If somebody voted for Obama because he is black, then essentially they did not vote for McCain because he is white.  Is that not racism in its truest form?  By constantly including race as a factor, we are refusing to let the problem end.

I especially love Byron's statement about not wanting to be called "African American," as he was not born in Africa and it makes him feel like a half-citizen.  Byron is no more African than I am Polish or Robert De Niro is Italian.  Why do we continue to tip-toe around an issue that is supposed to be resolved?  These "politically correct" distinctions, again, only perpetuate the problem.  Aren't we all just "AMERICAN"?

I know I've gone off on a few tangents here, but I am really interested in this topic.  In fact, the Confederate flag and discrimination have been on my "soap-box" list for a while now.  As a teacher, I can honestly say that I want each of my students (all 700+ of them!) to have the same opportunities for happiness and success.  And I just don't think this is going to be possible if we keep making issues over silly things like 150-year old flags.

Keepin' it classy since 1889!

Several news agencies have reported that the South Carolina head coach, Steve Spurrier, was asked about the status of his program following the Gamecocks’ 34-13 win over Clemson, and he said, “We ain’t LSU or Alabama, but we ain’t Clemson either.”

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was asked to comment following the Tigers’ Thursday practice for the 2011 ACC Championship, and it was easy to tell that he took offense to Spurrier’s remarks.  However, instead of stooping to the level of a chicken and retaliating with his own snide remark, Coach Swinney handled the situation with class and integrity, like a true Clemson Tiger.

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“I heard that. That’s the kind of thing that gets back to you.  And I don’t know if he really said it or not, but I guess he did, there’s been no rebuttal.  You know if he said that’s disappointing to be honest with you, because I was taught to win or lose with class.  That’s kind of a childish thing to put out there. I think our program here speaks for itself. I guess I’d have to say I agree with him. I guess if I had to respond to him I’d say he’s right. They’re not Clemson and they’re never going to be Clemson, to be honest with you.

“And you know what, no three-game winning streak is going to change that,” he said. “It’s not the first time they’ve won three in a row and it won’t be the last time.  It might be 50 more years, but it’ll probably happen again. I’ve gone out of my way to be complimentary to them and complimentary to Coach Spurrier, I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach Spurrier.  But I’m going to defend my program; I’m going to defend my players, my coaches. I’m going to defend Clemson University because I believe in it. I think he’s exactly right. I think they’re not Clemson and they never will be. You are looking at the best era in the history of South Carolina football right now. They just had their second 10-win season. They won a championship in 1969 and the 2010 SEC East. And this rivalry – you know, there’s a lot of rivalries out there; this is more of a domination, and that’s the fact. My kids, grandkids won’t live long enough to ever see this really become a rivalry. It is what it is.

“I’ve got respect for their program, but South Carolina is not Clemson. There’s a lot of differences. This is a place that’s won a national title, 17 conference championships, two division titles; heck, we’ve won more bowl games than they have even been to. I think our program’s got 100 plus more wins than South Carolina. That’s reality. The best era they’ve had in 115 years of South Carolina football is right now, and they’ve done a great job. I mean a great job. They’ve whipped our butt the last three years; it’s my job to change that.

“Coach Spurrier’s been there seven years, and after five years I think he had 35 wins and a new contract and all that kind of stuff.  After five years at Clemson, if I’ve only got 35 wins there’s going to be a new coach here.  And you know what, there should be because there’s a different standard. So, he’s exactly right – they ain’t Alabama, they ain’t LSU and they’re certainly not Clemson.  That’s why Carolina is in Chapel Hill, USC is in California and THE University in this state always has been, always will be Clemson. And that’s right here in Clemson, South Carolina. You can print that. Tweet that.”

2009 Music City Bowl 
<http://danonthestreet.com/news/2009/12/28/music-city-swinney/> 

**I typed exactly what Dabo said, word for word, only ommitting a handful of superflous phrases like, "umm, so, and, but, you know, to be honest, etc."  I don't think any football coach is known for his eloquent speaking!

**You can watch the video here.

**PLEASE share with any other Clemson fans, or USC fans you are tired of hearing gloat.  Consider this the slap in the face we wish we could give them all.