Why the Confederate/Obama symbolism?
Posted by admin on 2008 October 21
I first got the idea for this site after reading an article about Rednecks for Obama, to which I have a link over there on the right. It seemed like good fodder for t-shirt sales, so I looked around in the usual places, didn’t see anything I liked, and decided to do it myself.
First I did the US flag designs, and then thought it would be cool to combine the Obama “O” symbol with “Rednecks for Obama”. And then it struck me - the “O” symbol with the Confederate flag! Subversive, absurd, controversial, aka destined to become a huge seller! Well, so far I’m breaking even, and there are only two weeks left.
After pondering on it for a while, the juxtaposition of the two seemingly incommensurable symbols began to strike me as the symbol in its own right of a deep reconciliation, of a long sought acceptance, a coming together, and possibly even a redemption.
I’ve never been a big fan of the cultural arguments in favor of the Confederate flag, those seemed like convenient rationalization to me. But then I heard a story on NPR last year, or the year before last, where they examined the cultural aspects of the Stars and Bars as a follow up to a story about the Mississippi state flag.
As near as I can recall, t was about a young black man from Mississippi who had landed some high powered analyst job in Washington, D.C. I think the gist of it was that he got tired of the constant insinuations about the backwardness of his home state, so he went out and bought himself a pickup truck and put one of those full-size, see-through Confederate flag decals in the rear window, maybe even put a gun rack back there. His point was - he was proud of where he came from, and proud of his Southern roots, and chose to turn the tables on this venerated and maligned symbol of the Old South, and renew it as a symbol of Southernness pure and simple.
So, considering all that, I figured it was okay for me to peddle my designs both with the US flag and with the Confederate one.
JohnnyReb said,
Rednecks for Obama? Might as well say Jews for Hitler! Clearly you wouldn’t know the first thing about what being a redneck is. A redneck is a harding working man that supports his country and believes in traditional values. Obviously not you or anyone else involved in your bullshit blog or w/e the hell this is. Redneck comes from the idea that people would be working so hard out on their farms their necks would get severely sun burned. So you think that hard working individuals would support someone who believes in Universal health care and higher taxes? This tyrant which you worship opposes everything that a “redneck” would believe in. More taxes, abortion, and infringement upon our second amendment rights. You all should seriously try reading a book sometime, you’d be surprised what you might learn you jackasses. Furthermore, you need to get your fucking head examined if you think Jefferson Davis, Judah Benjamin, and the rest of the CSA cabinet would support some ignorant commi baby killing arab. If you were around REAL REDNECKS, areas like Montana and Wyoming you would get a serious ass kicking which you deserve. You all are probably just a bunch of candyasses from San Fransicko trying to feel important, radical, and self righteous, which you liberals always do . How dare you desecrate the CSA flag by putting someone on it that goes against every redneck ideology imaginable. Now go ahead and do what your hero Barack Hustalin would do, delete this comment and censor me.
Neal Moorehead said,
JohnnyReb, you are right on all points. I’ll bet there aren’t as many of these morons now as there were two years ago. The ones with an IQ higher than 70 are probably gone. And to the rest of em and the members reading this, hows that hope and change workin for your dumb asses? Lost your gig yet? Your house? Sellin stuff to make ends meet yet. When you do just give B Hussein O a call. He cares about you just as he does his bro over there in Africa. Do as JohnnyReb suggests and read about that.
No true Redneck approves of anyone much less his Prez apologizing in his name for his beloved country you half wit communist sympathizers! You aren’t worthy enough to scrape the shit off of a redneck’s boots!
Sheila T. Grimes said,
we’ve had enough far right policies and a president who shots from the hip and ” . i even read about a “rednecks for obama” group who used a confederate flag for .
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