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Silver Rights News, thoughts and comments on civil rights and related issues. |
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![]() Tuesday, April 06, 2004
News: Southern college loses its colonel Should an Old South colonel be the emblem of a college? The issue has been resolved at a achool in Mississippi. A junior college has decided to retire "Tillou," its mascot, but keep the team name "Colonels." For those not familiar with Southern history, 'colonel' was traditionally used to refer to white, male authority figures. It derives from the veneration of Confederate soldiers by some white Southerners. The most famous colonel is, of course, the white-haired visage associated with Kentucky Fried Chicken.
The college has hired consultants to help it develop a more contemporary 'brand.' I agree with the decision to retire the colonel mascot and emblem. However, the use of this imagery does not irritate me as much as some other behaviors that embrace the Confederacy and/or opposition to racial equality. The Confederate flag issue in Georgia would rate a seven on my scale, with a ten being high. Affirmative action bake sales, which are designed to humiliate minority students in a very direct way, a nine maybe. A silly old Confederate mascot? A four or five. No change of the college's name has been proposed. Perhaps, down the road, Mississippians will progress enough to decide Confederate leaders should not be honored by having institutions named after them. An aspect of the Tillou controversy that catches my eye is when the mascot and emblem were created. 1956. That was in the early years of many Southern States' involvement in the Massive Resistance movement. It was a somewhat successful effort to prevent integration of public facilities, including schools. The movement lasted well into the 1970s in hard-core resister states such as Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi. Neo-Confederates and their sympathizers like to claim their reverence for 'heritage' dates back to the Civil War itself. But, much of the time, the symbols being used to incite racial tensions were pressed into service during the 1950s and 1960s as part of Massive Resistance. No change of the college's name has been proposed. Perhaps, down the road, Mississippians will progress enough to decide Confederate leaders should not be honored by having institutions named after them. Good-bye, Tillou. Don't come back, now. posted by J. | 11:15 PMMonday, April 05, 2004
Entertainment: Buddy Guy charms at Rolling Stone If you missed Rolling Stone's most recent interview of Buddy Guy, you will want to correct that oversight. It slipped by me, only to turn up on Avantgo's Rolling Stone channel on my PDA. Thanks, AG! The man Eric Clapton is said to consider the greatest living guitarist was fit as a fiddle and ready to talk. Guy is expansive about the legacy of blues music he is part of, and, how the Guy family legacy will be carried on.
As is typical of him, Guy is humble about his talent and more likely to direct depracatory remarks at himself than to tout his achievements. However, he does exercise bragging rights in the interview -- about his baby girl.
Would you like to know what instrument Guy can't play, but he wishes he could? Read the full interview and find out. I happened to read the Rolling Stone interview of Guy while sitting under the dryer at the hairdresser. I must have been grinning like an idiot because a couple folks asked me what I found so entertaining. If you have seen Buddy Guy perform, you know he infuses an audience with goodwill. Even in print, the blues man will make you happy. Note: Learn more about Rashawwna Guy here/i>. posted by J. | 11:45 PM |
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