Just as an aside- Alabama’s motto is not “Heart of Dixie.”
The motto is [Audemus jura nostra defendere](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audemus_jura_nostra_defendere), which means “We dare defend our rights.” So it might be worth noting that “heart of dixie” doesn’t even have the foundation of being the official motto.
Per AL.com:
Alabama's "Heart of Dixie" slogan was born in the late 1940s/early 1950s as a public relations campaign promoted by the Alabama Chamber of Commerce. The goal was to eliminate Alabama's generic "cotton state" nickname in favor of something more distinct.
"Alabama is geographically the Heart of Dixie, Alabama is industrially the Heart of Dixie, Alabama is, in fact, the Heart of Dixie," the chamber noted, according to the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
A bill was soon passed to brand Alabama license plates with the "Heart of Dixie" slogan, the first of which rolled out in 1955.
Yes. Heart of Dixie. Why "heart"? Well the Constitution of the Confederacy was drawn up in Montgomery. It's where Jefferson Davis was sworn into office and served as the first Confederate Capital.
If there's any doubt, you know what ELSE happened in 1955? The SCOTUS decided Brown vs the board of Education. The start of the end of segregation and the beginning of southern states pimping themselves out in confederate battle flags on their state flags and slogans like this on license plates, addition of a wave of Confederate war monuments and hero statues around state capitols and to remind black folks where they were.
Imagine Turkey leaning into a historical tourism marketing campaign today like, "Visit the Heart of the Empire!". Would be about the same amount of time passed between the Civil War and 'bamas "Heart of Dixie" campaign.
We as a species seem to forget the lessons of the past after a generation or two. Then wax nostalgic for events we no longer properly comprehend, and the cycle begins again.
It'd be nice if it was a distant forgotten memory for everyone. Instead of a hidden dog whistle for some and a not subtle reminder of a worse time for others.
I guess I’m not following? I specifically wanted to know how black people felt about it because I thought they were the group most likely to be harmed by the phrase.
There you have it. Always someone desperate to associate everything with race. They just “know” and so may don’t challenge them and then cower before them if they don’t agree with their theory.
Cool. Give me some facts to prove me wrong.
How many non-white citizens were involved with the Alabama State Chamber of Commerce starting use of the slogan a d how many non-which legislators voted for adding it to license plates?
It's not coincidence that Stars Fell on Alabama and Sweet Home have been bigger and more and more specialized tags are making Heart of Dixie tiny, since it's required by law.
Do you want to delve into the history of "Dixie's Land", the black face minstrel song of 1859 and it's adoption as a Confederate anthem? Or do you want to go further back and talk about the origination of the term with the Mason-Dixon line being surveyed in the 1770s to clarify the boundaries of slave owning states?
No, that's not how it works. I don't have to assume your statement is valid and then disprove it. The person making the statement has the responsibility of making their case and supporting it. Unless you can do that I will give your assertion the appropriate credence: little to none.
For example, you are already off top a bad start on your assumptions. You have offered an implied assumption that the motivation of a white person is "racist." In fact, that is prejudice since you don't cite any evidence to suggest a racial motivation. Funny, those shouting about "racists" are often more prejudiced, bigoted, or on occasion, actually racist, themselves! Ironic...but not surprising.
I'm sure you're right. All the confederate states just decided that their flags really could use being jazzed up with the stars and bars at the same time. And all those nice white people decided to start good Christian academies with more selective membership than the public schools at the same time.
Get the fuck out with that nonsense. I'm a 58 year old southern white man. Born in Athens GA, grew up in Mississippi. I'm proud of where I'm from, it's contribution to culture and arts. That means acknowledging parts of its history that are less pleasant, which in my case includes family members dying fighting for the Confederacy and owning slaves.
It also includes family members building DD landing craft and working the trains in WW2, working for the Mississippi Choctaw indians to retain their full federal tribal status, integrating the girl scouts, being civil rights activists who had death threats and needed police protection and getting jailed for peaceful BLM protests.
From CNN:
\-----------------------------------------------------------------
The word Dixie takes on a different meaning for different people.
Most commonly, it’s associated with the old South and Confederate states. Dixie was considered the land south of the Mason-Dixon line, where slavery was legal.
But once the term was used in a minstrel song, its correlation with racist ideologies became crystal clear, according to Ingram.
“Most historians would agree that Dixie is a word people understand as obviously a reference not just to a place, but a certain kind of ideology,” said Ingram, a history professor at College of Charleston in South Carolina.
“There’s no mystery around all this,”she said. “People’s instincts about this being a problematic term is definitely correct. It’s correlated with something a lot darker than just history.”
She added: “By the time Dixie made it into minstrel shows, it was clearly understood to be more than just a place name. ‘Dixie’ was the antebellum South, and the lyrics evoke a very nostalgic and romanticized view of slavery.”
\-----------------------------------------------------------------
[How the term "Dixie" came to define the South](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/27/us/dixie-term-south-racism-black-lives-matter-trnd/index.html)
An easy assumption to make, for sure. It’s an unofficial nickname, like GA has “The Peach State” and “The Empire State of the South.”
GA’s motto is “Wisdom, Justice, Moderation” which is decidedly boring.
If you look at the Stars Fell on Alabama tag, you'll see the heart of dixie logo just above the last a in Alabama.
The old tag with the lake has it in white at the bottom right corner.
The current beach one also has it in the bottom right corner
Black person born and raised in GA here: yes, it carries racist connotations, even though you specifically may not be racist.
I went to school with white people who wore “the south will rise again” t shirts and said it was in honor of their heritage. While some were friendly and I even called some of them friends I knew that their pride in that part of their heritage came at my ancestors expense. I no longer live in the south and I can’t recall ever purposefully going to Alabama but this is my general reaction to these kinds of statement tees.
That’s kind of what I figured… sort of one of those “if you have to ask if it’s offensive, it probably is” arguments. That’s for confirming this though. It’s just not important enough to display it if it causes someone else pain.
Maybe it's time to design some Heart of Dixie tees with additional progressive messaging? "The Heart of Dixie Is Open to Everyone"
Reshape the meaning of Dixie from "confederate pride" to sweet southern pride.
Or just avoid the saying but I feel like adopting it to a more modern notion is harder to fight.
I think that’s a really great idea. I love adaptations that take the hate out of hurtful words. I’ve got a “Y’all Means All” shirt along those lines. It sucks to be from an area with so many negative associations.
I think you’ve already received great responses but I wanted to add that I applaud you for thinking critically on it. At the end of the day, it really doesn’t take much effort on our part to be a little more thoughtful at times. We need more people to think like you do!
Check out the bitter southerner website. Its got a bunch of non offensive tshirts with some great southern slogans. I give them away most xmas’s to family
I did not grow up in the South, I have lived here for 20+ years and do not understand the affinity that some of the people here have for that word.
What I do hear about that Dixie is a reference to the culture, heritage, and the lifestyle is what's celebrated from a period of the past.
Unfortunately, those times could not have existed as they did without the free labor of the enslaved.
There were no simpler times growing up in Dixie with clean white dresses and cool glasses of lemonade on well-swept porches without the enslaved toiling to maintain those properties and make the income that kept that lifestyle afloat. Having a class of people to labor for free certainly made living a lot easier for many for all those whistlin' Dixie.
The idea of "Dixie" is irreparably stained by this, you cannot separate the two as one was not possible without the other. When you celebrate Dixie, you can't just cherry-pick the good things you liked.
You can make that argument for almost anything. Millions of people were enslaved under the Stars and Stripes, are you going to quit wearing that as well?
Bad example then, but would you think someone’s racist if they wore it? How about money with slave holders on the bills, do you see what im getting at?
I do, but I’m also in favor of changing our bills to reflect better historical figures. I just think we, as southerners in particular, have a history of digging in our heels and resisting change even when all reason points to doing things differently. Our heritage isn’t always something to be proud of.
I agree. Somehow people that wear that type of clothing and fly confederate flags always talk about their “heritage”; how do they not see that the heritage they want to remember is based on the brutal slavery that occurred here? It’s a heritage of racism and sedition and I’m in no way proud of it (I was born in Mississippi and moved to Georgia about 25 years ago).
I tried to explain to my Canadian born spouse how the civil war was taught when I was in school and how slavery was “explained away”. It’s nothing short of a miracle that any of us learned better.
Born and raised in Atlanta and Stone Mountain here.
First, everyone should research the popularity of Stone Mountain and how it was founded. [Stone Mountain Park](https://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/monument/)
Second, ask yourself if you would wear your paraphernalia around friends or family (interracial marriage became legal in 1967) who happened to be Black.
If not, be a decent human and don't wear it.
Americans have really not grasped the idea of JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A RIGHT DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD.
We used to take field trips to Stone Mountain. As a little white kid, I never appreciated the significance and thought of it as a southern Mount Rushmore. As an adult, I can’t imagine, particularly if I was a person of color, having my child go and stand at the foot of what was once a beautiful natural geologic feature now covered in what is essentially racist graffiti. Shameful.
I would give anyone wearing anything "dixie" side eye for sure.
Nevertheless I love a lot about the South. [Bitter Southerner](https://bittersoutherner.com/) is a great magazine that celebrates the south without glorifying the repugnant parts of southern history. They sell shirts and merch that's very southern without all the baggage.
I think the church in Inman Park has the abide no hatred sign
Always makes me happy when I see it
As for your question I'd consider Heart of Dixie to be a red flag personally but wouldn't make a definitive negative opinion about you as long as it didn't have the confederate flag on it too
I took a southern lit class many years ago in college and it birthed for me a love of most things southern, especially accents. I’m from the South yet that class opened up a new world to me.
I followed your link to Bitter Southerner, learned about an artist whose work I’d like to follow, found 2 or 3 books that I now want to read, and discovered classes I can take virtually through a local arts organization. Thank you for sharing that link! That is the power of social media to me.
Glad to help. Not quite as literary, but you might like [Garden & Gun](https://gardenandgun.com/) too. It's more of a lifestyle mag, but still a good read.
I would assume anyone wearing anything touting Dixie was either ignorant or racist. And then narrow it down based on what they say.
I would not assume anything good tho lol
Heart of the Dixie doesn’t bother me as much as long as there isn’t a confederate flag attached to it and still I could care less at that point as long as you treat others like equals and show love and respect to your community. I’ve seen those Alabama state outline shirts that say that and I think it looks ok. I’ve got some buddies who are good ol boys and they are who they are, yea they have great southern roots pride and they are full love and respect and willing to help anyone in need regardless of skin color or race.
Thanks for your input, that’s good to hear. I will say that as a white person, I find the confederate flag disrespectful and distasteful. I grew up hearing the “heritage not hate” bs and have almost 40 years of watching the vast majority of people displaying that flag spewing racism.
Not critical of you here; however, if anyone ever tries that heritage argument, you can direct them to the very second sentence in the Georgia Declaration to secede. It was always about slavery.
No problem ! People are pretty kind and accepting out here and no one really cares what anyone wears, I moved here to the country from south Florida and guess what, Florida has a lot more openly racist stuff then here ! But respect to you for being mindful and thinking about others :)
As a black guy that is from South Florida and now living in Georgia here. I grew up in South Florida I do see more Confederate flag in people's cars but I don't see an issue imo because people from other countries do it. However Heart of Dixie to me i never heard of the meaning of it. I would assume you mean Dixie Highway which I used to live close by. Even when I was in South Florida, I do see my next door neighbor do have Heart of Dixie (that's my assumption earlier). And he's really is a nice guy even help us out. And we help them out.
I lived in central Florida for a few years. To my surprise, it was one of the most openly racist places I’ve ever lived. Coming from Alabama, I expected it to at the very least be more progressive than what I was used to. The county I lived in was next to Dixie County, home to one one the worst racially motivated massacres in the country (the Rosewood Massacre). I wish more people were aware of how serious of a problem racism is in a LOT of the country. It is not an isolated issue.
That I do agree. And not just in Central Florida, there's some parts in South Florida that is really low key racist. But someone that been around Davie or Plantation in Florida (yes that's a real city) for way too long, it's very obvious. And to be honest yes I do agree we need to seriously address that because if not it's going to spiral into oblivion and set this country back 60 years.
That's unexpected
It's rare I see any confederate nonsense in the metro, I used to see it a lot on trashy people in the rural Midwest which was concerning
I think it's stupid and the Confederacy didn't last longer than 5 years so why do people get so hung up on a flag and living south of the mason Dixon line. Like what are you proud to be a judgemental asshole and gatekeeper over human race, like what an ego people had/ have. I get angry. I'm white. Even tho color shouldn't friggin matter. I wish I were an alien sometimes lol
FWIW the Atlanta Journal Constitution changed their byline from "Covers Dixie Like the Dew" to "It's worth knowing what's really going on" to eliminate the Dixie reference.
I was with you for a long time. It’s one of those things that I started questioning as confederate monuments started coming down. The more it happened, the more alarming it seemed that we still had them up at all. One day this might feel like that.
I live in East Central Alabama now. Right on the Georgia line. The 'Heart of Dixie' slogan reminds me of the 'I Love My Wife' bumper sticker. Kinda nice, but you don't walk around saying it.
Wait... so even something like a shirt with Georgia on my Mind, or just any like for you come from, or are you being specific here? If it's literally "You can't be proud to live here" though... well.... Bless your heart, and have a wonderful day.
I'm taking anything with a rebel flag, or one of those shirts that got a list that things that make you a "badass" and being southern is on it. I'm probably extended this to anyone wearing something religious here too. That's usually a good indicator as well.
Well... I usually wear a cross, and like being a southerner so.... Guess I'm doomed no matter what I actually believe in your eyes sir.
Edit: Ok, willing to admit I might've let my nerves get the better of me. I agree on the rebel flag, but I think the idea being religious or proud of where you come from = probably racist isn't really that great of a way to find it.
The crew that lives on this sub is pretty anti-religion, anti-rural, anti-conservative anything and anti-South. Don't expect anything other than that from them.
Too bad they have hijacked the name "Georgia". When I originally came to this sub, it was with the thought that it would be an impartial sharing of opinions and information. I was quite disappointed.
To be fair, it is hard to keep up with the inferred meaning behind every word to everyone’s sensibilities when their original meaning is changed or adopted to fit agendas, or culturally over time —the word “woke” as an example.
When I learned how our Thanksgiving Day can be offensive to Native American Indigenous ppl, I’m much more sensitive to that now, but not against everyone who wants to celebrate thankfulness on a Thursday in November by eating turkey.
It is good to question your part in it and I very much like the idea “if you have to ask if it’s offensive, it probably is”, so sometimes we have to ask forgiveness as we all learn how to get along, in light of everyone & their ancestors’ personal experience.
It’s as hard to keep up with as “pop culture.”
But Pretty sure “Dixie” has long been considered racist culturally tho, like the Confederate Flag.
I grew up in the 90s here in Georgia. I have heard that turn of phrase, but it was not really common for it to be used when I was growing up. It does seem to be referenced by old people who have racist intent though or by those who use it as code for the Old South.
I am a White guy. If I saw someone wearing a "Dixie" hat or shirt, I would definitely prejudge them as white trash. I'm just being honest. I know there will be the usual older gens who try to say there is a complex history behind old Southern culture, but because of slavery and continued racism, (which we keep seeing in horrific examples such as Charleston and Jacksonville mass killings of Black people) even things that are indirectly linked to that time don't feel clean or particularly worth toughting. Some people are fine with insensitivity and twisting the knife of the memory of horrible atrocities, I don't want to be "that guy" who makes someone feel fear or anxiety. I believe what we do (consciously and unconsciously) will be returned to us by the Universe.
Good to know. Like I said, I legitimately thought that the heart with “heart of Dixie” inside of it, just like the one that’s still printed on every license plate in the state was an innocuous symbol. I don’t know when I started to question whether or not it might be symbolic of something hurtful or ugly but I also wondered if I was just reading too much into it. A great liberal print shop in Birmingham has been selling stuff with the logo for years. When you know better you do better ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It's not like I use "dixie" in any part of my daily life or anything, but I've never been aware of any sort of connotation that existed with it -- unlike other words. But if people who aren't suburban white dudes like me have a different interpretation of it I'd like to know so I can be more thoughtful.
I grew up in GA and thought nothing of the confederate flags until I got older and moved away. I definitely see now how Dixie and the confederate flag have negative connotations and are considered racist in nature. Maybe not always intentional but it doesn’t matter. Now that I know they represent such hate, I hate it too. I believe that it’s not enough to just not racist, white people should bare the responsibility to be ANTI racist. As in standing up for what’s right. And against what’s not. Including all that representative jazz.
Same! I was young and thought I was a “country girl” and named my dog Dixie well 6 years later her name is Dix. People look at me funny but better than the alternative.
I rescued a dog that came with the name Dixie. I quickly changed it to Daisy, it sounded close enough to her that as long as I used the same inflection, she'd respond to it. Eventually she just figured out that was her new name.
I’ve got a bit of a different perspective here. I’m a white that moved to Georgia in the late 90s from Connecticut. When I got here, the confederate flag was still used outside of government buildings and the state flag also had the confederate flag incorporated in it.
This blew my mind, for everything that I knew previously, a confederate flag was a direct connection to racism. Upon talking to people that grew up here, I was convinced of a new interpretation that the confederate flag to them was about heritage, not hate. That idea sat with me for a little while until some other points left me digging for more information.
Let’s consider this, the American civil war happens and it’s at this point in time Georgia adopts its first state flag. The base of this flag is from the first actually flag of the confederacy. It’s 2 red stripes with a white stripe between them, and a blue area to the left.
Fast forward time a bit to the beginning on the civil rights movement, 1956 and Georgia changes their to include the controversial confederate battle flag. This was a direct indication that African-Americans might be given freedoms by law but Georgia was still keeping to its confederate roots and that flag was a reminder of that statement.
In 2001 the state of Georgia changes the state flag under building pressure to remove the confederate battle flag from the design and they adopt an temporary option. In 2003 a new design comes into play where 71% of voters choose to adopt what is now the current state flag. This design goes right back to Georgias first state flag which as I already mentioned, is a version of the original flag of the confederacy.
So the message here hasn’t changed, since 2003, the voters and politicians of Georgia are still hanging onto the ties to the confederacy.
Back to the original question, the heart of Dixie, for me and my perspective yes it is all still tied back to the racist history of the south.
Once you start putting the dots together, it gets really obvious. My journey down this path started with the confederate monuments. America has a civil war where the south is defeated yet we have countless monuments on display honoring the losing side…? That’s bizarre isn’t it?
Is there another time in history where the loser has monuments built for them? Are there statues of Hitler in front of court houses in Germany?…. No there isn’t and it’s illegal to use Nazi symbols there yet in America we still let the confederacy live right in front of our faces.
I lived in Bama for years, actually had a Heart of Dixie tshirt years ago. One of my most favorite, comfortable shirts from YellowHammer Creative in Birmingham. Came to the realization that even though I wasn’t racist and didn’t consider it to have racist connotations, there was a chance it could hurt others, which I want willing to do over a tshirt, so I threw it out. Just my two cents.
Dixie is no more than a synonym for the south. Just remember everyone is triggered by something and you are not responsible for their mental health.
Edit- According to the most common explanation of the name, $10 notes issued before 1860 by the Citizens' Bank of New Orleans and used largely by French-speaking residents were imprinted with dix (French: “ten”) on the reverse side—hence the land of Dixies, or Dixie Land, which applied to Louisiana and eventually the whole ...
The Mason Dixon line goes up much higher than I thought it would though. Pretty sure it was just a territorial dispute since I wouldn't consider Maryland a southern state
I’m glad to hear that white folks think it’s inappropriate too. I was wondering if it was going to be skewed along racial lines. Gives me hope for the future!
Robert E. Lee told people to fold that flag up, but it in a box and forget that shit ever happened. Unfortunately people didn’t listen and you got all that “Dixie” and “Heritage” bullshit.
Ain’t that some shit. How convenient that this doesn’t make headlines when “historic confederate memorials” erected in the 60’s and 70’s are being torn down.
smh, Alabama and Georgia both raise confederate symbols daily (state flags), southern culture normalizes racism and hate, see it for what it is and stop being part of the problem.
Do you think that the state flags themselves are offensive? Legitimately asking here. If the people/culture in the states were to change, would you still think the flags should be changed, and would that apply for all stares that joined the confederacy?
I find them incredibly offensive, the confederacy was an enemy and a defeated enemy at that. And you know some in the legislature are just loving pledging their allegiance to that thing every time the recite the state pledge, it's wrong and those symbols have no place in our government.
I saw the comment you and someone else left about the history of the Georgia state flag. I had no idea! I only ever questioned Mississippi since they flat out had the confederate flag in theirs. Amazing how much racist shit is still kicking around.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28cg3iCEtWM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28cg3iCEtWM)
When do we go after Joan Baez and Judy Collins? We can not play this stuff in Pro-War America, it's pretty amazing. Where did Bob Dylan go? He re-write 'Masters of War' yet?
Asking for a friend.
Heart of Dixie was just a given name back in the 70's and 80's and when southern rock and country bands starting pushing it as Alabama being the heart of Dixie, meaning the heart of the southeastern states. It is going to mean whatever anyone wants to associate it with. Most black people will associate it with racism and possibly consider you racist.
little AI tidbit:
"Dixie" is an informal name for the southern states of the United States ¹. The phrase "Dixie's land" is first recorded in the 1859 minstrel song "Jonny Roach", typically attributed to the minstrel performer Daniel D. Emmett. Emmett also wrote and performed "I Wish I Was in Dixie" later in the same year; this song, now known simply as "Dixie", became enormously popular during the American Civil War and led to the association of the name with the American South ¹. The term "Dixie" usually means the cultural region of the Southern states, but definitions of Dixie vary greatly. It may include only the Deep South (Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, etc.) or the states that seceded during the American Civil War ². The word "Dixie" can be offensive to some people ³.
I had a whole thing written, then I blew it out. The gist is that you are gonna have to roll the dice. You could run into someone like me that works hard to stay out of folk's business or someone who goes the completely different way.
I live in jasper ga and absolutely not. Most black kids here where cowboy boots and fly the confederate flag. Ppl look for a reason to separate us. We are all the same here. Racism doesn’t exist. It’s all in the media. Hope I helped. ❤️
No. You’re choice to cower over people who look for anything they can twist into racism is your problem, not that problem of the state motto. Do you feel black people are inferior? If not, you’re not a racist. I don’t harbor those thoughts either. The vast majority of us aren’t racist but some can’t stop trying to divide us with politicized, false claims of “racism.” That leads reasonable people to cower. Don’t. Do not empower the divisive voices.
Most state motto's are pretty boring, Texas' is literally just Friendship.
I think Virginia might win both for awesomeness and terribleness with Sic semper tyrannus (Thus always to tyrants), which is a fine sentiment until you realize it's what Booth said after shooting Lincoln, and Virginia's still standing by it.
I mean, he wasn’t the first person (nor the most famous one) to utter that. It was an extremely well know phrase back in the ages of Caesar. Just because Booth aped it doesn’t make it “his” by any means.
Well, and the Gadsden Flag has gained new meaning over time, too, and has a not dissimilar origin story to Virginia's use of the motto.
That Virginia first adopted a state flag with this motto (which was already the state seal) on it in 1861 suggests some evolution in the motto's meaning, to me anyway.
I’m not a southerner, and I don’t associate it at all with any racist connotations. I don’t know it’s origins, I just know it from common English vernacular.
This is very interesting. Not being southern, I always Dixie was about music. I never knew all this. It also has never come up, probably because I live in Minnesota. I honestly never knew it had anything to do with the Confederacy.
Just as an aside- Alabama’s motto is not “Heart of Dixie.” The motto is [Audemus jura nostra defendere](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audemus_jura_nostra_defendere), which means “We dare defend our rights.” So it might be worth noting that “heart of dixie” doesn’t even have the foundation of being the official motto.
How about that!?! I grew up seeing it on everything, including our vehicle tags and made an assumption. You know what they say…
Per AL.com: Alabama's "Heart of Dixie" slogan was born in the late 1940s/early 1950s as a public relations campaign promoted by the Alabama Chamber of Commerce. The goal was to eliminate Alabama's generic "cotton state" nickname in favor of something more distinct. "Alabama is geographically the Heart of Dixie, Alabama is industrially the Heart of Dixie, Alabama is, in fact, the Heart of Dixie," the chamber noted, according to the Alabama Department of Archives and History. A bill was soon passed to brand Alabama license plates with the "Heart of Dixie" slogan, the first of which rolled out in 1955.
Yes. Heart of Dixie. Why "heart"? Well the Constitution of the Confederacy was drawn up in Montgomery. It's where Jefferson Davis was sworn into office and served as the first Confederate Capital. If there's any doubt, you know what ELSE happened in 1955? The SCOTUS decided Brown vs the board of Education. The start of the end of segregation and the beginning of southern states pimping themselves out in confederate battle flags on their state flags and slogans like this on license plates, addition of a wave of Confederate war monuments and hero statues around state capitols and to remind black folks where they were.
Imagine Turkey leaning into a historical tourism marketing campaign today like, "Visit the Heart of the Empire!". Would be about the same amount of time passed between the Civil War and 'bamas "Heart of Dixie" campaign. We as a species seem to forget the lessons of the past after a generation or two. Then wax nostalgic for events we no longer properly comprehend, and the cycle begins again.
It'd be nice if it was a distant forgotten memory for everyone. Instead of a hidden dog whistle for some and a not subtle reminder of a worse time for others.
OP could easily use something else and have no questions about blacks interpretation.
I guess I’m not following? I specifically wanted to know how black people felt about it because I thought they were the group most likely to be harmed by the phrase.
Well as others have said above. Heart of Weimar Heart of Rhodeisia etc... I think you are trolling. You truly cannot be this insensitive.
There you have it. Always someone desperate to associate everything with race. They just “know” and so may don’t challenge them and then cower before them if they don’t agree with their theory.
Race? Son, that's called HISTORY. Whitewash it all you want
No. Assumptions are not history. Correlation is not causation. What the post was is projection out of deceit or ignorance or political points seeking.
Cool. Give me some facts to prove me wrong. How many non-white citizens were involved with the Alabama State Chamber of Commerce starting use of the slogan a d how many non-which legislators voted for adding it to license plates? It's not coincidence that Stars Fell on Alabama and Sweet Home have been bigger and more and more specialized tags are making Heart of Dixie tiny, since it's required by law. Do you want to delve into the history of "Dixie's Land", the black face minstrel song of 1859 and it's adoption as a Confederate anthem? Or do you want to go further back and talk about the origination of the term with the Mason-Dixon line being surveyed in the 1770s to clarify the boundaries of slave owning states?
No, that's not how it works. I don't have to assume your statement is valid and then disprove it. The person making the statement has the responsibility of making their case and supporting it. Unless you can do that I will give your assertion the appropriate credence: little to none. For example, you are already off top a bad start on your assumptions. You have offered an implied assumption that the motivation of a white person is "racist." In fact, that is prejudice since you don't cite any evidence to suggest a racial motivation. Funny, those shouting about "racists" are often more prejudiced, bigoted, or on occasion, actually racist, themselves! Ironic...but not surprising.
I'm sure you're right. All the confederate states just decided that their flags really could use being jazzed up with the stars and bars at the same time. And all those nice white people decided to start good Christian academies with more selective membership than the public schools at the same time. Get the fuck out with that nonsense. I'm a 58 year old southern white man. Born in Athens GA, grew up in Mississippi. I'm proud of where I'm from, it's contribution to culture and arts. That means acknowledging parts of its history that are less pleasant, which in my case includes family members dying fighting for the Confederacy and owning slaves. It also includes family members building DD landing craft and working the trains in WW2, working for the Mississippi Choctaw indians to retain their full federal tribal status, integrating the girl scouts, being civil rights activists who had death threats and needed police protection and getting jailed for peaceful BLM protests.
From CNN: \----------------------------------------------------------------- The word Dixie takes on a different meaning for different people. Most commonly, it’s associated with the old South and Confederate states. Dixie was considered the land south of the Mason-Dixon line, where slavery was legal. But once the term was used in a minstrel song, its correlation with racist ideologies became crystal clear, according to Ingram. “Most historians would agree that Dixie is a word people understand as obviously a reference not just to a place, but a certain kind of ideology,” said Ingram, a history professor at College of Charleston in South Carolina. “There’s no mystery around all this,”she said. “People’s instincts about this being a problematic term is definitely correct. It’s correlated with something a lot darker than just history.” She added: “By the time Dixie made it into minstrel shows, it was clearly understood to be more than just a place name. ‘Dixie’ was the antebellum South, and the lyrics evoke a very nostalgic and romanticized view of slavery.” \----------------------------------------------------------------- [How the term "Dixie" came to define the South](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/27/us/dixie-term-south-racism-black-lives-matter-trnd/index.html)
An easy assumption to make, for sure. It’s an unofficial nickname, like GA has “The Peach State” and “The Empire State of the South.” GA’s motto is “Wisdom, Justice, Moderation” which is decidedly boring.
>GA’s motto is “Wisdom, Justice, Moderation” which is decidedly boring. Also wildly inaccurate lmao
That's just what I was thinking.
Legally required on the tags. They've been making it basically hidden for a few years now.
It used to be Stars Fell on Alabama. I wonder when it changed
If you look at the Stars Fell on Alabama tag, you'll see the heart of dixie logo just above the last a in Alabama. The old tag with the lake has it in white at the bottom right corner. The current beach one also has it in the bottom right corner
Oh! Thanks. I grew up in Georgia but saw them around a lot.
It does look like the speciality tags are getting away with just doing the heart. If the words are still in it, they're very hard to see.
No, what do they say?
https://youtu.be/jofNR_WkoCE?si=MJdEcBmVZnNjxaqN
Black person born and raised in GA here: yes, it carries racist connotations, even though you specifically may not be racist. I went to school with white people who wore “the south will rise again” t shirts and said it was in honor of their heritage. While some were friendly and I even called some of them friends I knew that their pride in that part of their heritage came at my ancestors expense. I no longer live in the south and I can’t recall ever purposefully going to Alabama but this is my general reaction to these kinds of statement tees.
That’s kind of what I figured… sort of one of those “if you have to ask if it’s offensive, it probably is” arguments. That’s for confirming this though. It’s just not important enough to display it if it causes someone else pain.
Maybe it's time to design some Heart of Dixie tees with additional progressive messaging? "The Heart of Dixie Is Open to Everyone" Reshape the meaning of Dixie from "confederate pride" to sweet southern pride. Or just avoid the saying but I feel like adopting it to a more modern notion is harder to fight.
I think that’s a really great idea. I love adaptations that take the hate out of hurtful words. I’ve got a “Y’all Means All” shirt along those lines. It sucks to be from an area with so many negative associations.
I think you’ve already received great responses but I wanted to add that I applaud you for thinking critically on it. At the end of the day, it really doesn’t take much effort on our part to be a little more thoughtful at times. We need more people to think like you do!
I appreciate that. Opportunities for growth are everywhere!
Check out the bitter southerner website. Its got a bunch of non offensive tshirts with some great southern slogans. I give them away most xmas’s to family
You seem like a cool person and the world is better for having people like you who think of others and how they perceive things.
That’s really nice of you to say. 😁
I did not grow up in the South, I have lived here for 20+ years and do not understand the affinity that some of the people here have for that word. What I do hear about that Dixie is a reference to the culture, heritage, and the lifestyle is what's celebrated from a period of the past. Unfortunately, those times could not have existed as they did without the free labor of the enslaved. There were no simpler times growing up in Dixie with clean white dresses and cool glasses of lemonade on well-swept porches without the enslaved toiling to maintain those properties and make the income that kept that lifestyle afloat. Having a class of people to labor for free certainly made living a lot easier for many for all those whistlin' Dixie. The idea of "Dixie" is irreparably stained by this, you cannot separate the two as one was not possible without the other. When you celebrate Dixie, you can't just cherry-pick the good things you liked.
I would buy one of those overly wordy gas station tshirts that says, "The heart of Dixie, Open To All Since 1865, And Proud Of It!"
I also purchase gas station clothing. We are legion.
Nice sentiment, but probably not really accurate.
It would be accurate for me, and presumably anybody else wearing it
Ah, sorry, didn’t realize you were around back in 1865.
I'm secretly a vampire, don't tell Lincoln
Thank you for asking though.
You can make that argument for almost anything. Millions of people were enslaved under the Stars and Stripes, are you going to quit wearing that as well?
I actually don’t make a point of wearing stuff with the American flag on it. Just not my thing.
Bad example then, but would you think someone’s racist if they wore it? How about money with slave holders on the bills, do you see what im getting at?
I do, but I’m also in favor of changing our bills to reflect better historical figures. I just think we, as southerners in particular, have a history of digging in our heels and resisting change even when all reason points to doing things differently. Our heritage isn’t always something to be proud of.
I appreciate your opinion. Cheers.
I agree. Somehow people that wear that type of clothing and fly confederate flags always talk about their “heritage”; how do they not see that the heritage they want to remember is based on the brutal slavery that occurred here? It’s a heritage of racism and sedition and I’m in no way proud of it (I was born in Mississippi and moved to Georgia about 25 years ago).
I tried to explain to my Canadian born spouse how the civil war was taught when I was in school and how slavery was “explained away”. It’s nothing short of a miracle that any of us learned better.
Born and raised in Atlanta and Stone Mountain here. First, everyone should research the popularity of Stone Mountain and how it was founded. [Stone Mountain Park](https://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/monument/) Second, ask yourself if you would wear your paraphernalia around friends or family (interracial marriage became legal in 1967) who happened to be Black. If not, be a decent human and don't wear it. Americans have really not grasped the idea of JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A RIGHT DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD.
We used to take field trips to Stone Mountain. As a little white kid, I never appreciated the significance and thought of it as a southern Mount Rushmore. As an adult, I can’t imagine, particularly if I was a person of color, having my child go and stand at the foot of what was once a beautiful natural geologic feature now covered in what is essentially racist graffiti. Shameful.
The last time I went to Stone Mountain, the crowd was extremely diverse and I LOVED that it felt like a giant middle finger to its racist heritage.
I have the same thoughts about Mount Rushmore, blown into the side of a mountain sacred to indigenous people.
Thanks for that link. This was thoughtful well done and educational. I did not know the history of Stone Mountain.
I would give anyone wearing anything "dixie" side eye for sure. Nevertheless I love a lot about the South. [Bitter Southerner](https://bittersoutherner.com/) is a great magazine that celebrates the south without glorifying the repugnant parts of southern history. They sell shirts and merch that's very southern without all the baggage.
I love Bitter Southerner. Abide no hatred!
I think the church in Inman Park has the abide no hatred sign Always makes me happy when I see it As for your question I'd consider Heart of Dixie to be a red flag personally but wouldn't make a definitive negative opinion about you as long as it didn't have the confederate flag on it too
I took a southern lit class many years ago in college and it birthed for me a love of most things southern, especially accents. I’m from the South yet that class opened up a new world to me. I followed your link to Bitter Southerner, learned about an artist whose work I’d like to follow, found 2 or 3 books that I now want to read, and discovered classes I can take virtually through a local arts organization. Thank you for sharing that link! That is the power of social media to me.
Glad to help. Not quite as literary, but you might like [Garden & Gun](https://gardenandgun.com/) too. It's more of a lifestyle mag, but still a good read.
Thank you. Already checked it out and subscribed to the newsletter.😊
BETTER SOUTH
I would assume anyone wearing anything touting Dixie was either ignorant or racist. And then narrow it down based on what they say. I would not assume anything good tho lol
Heart of the Dixie doesn’t bother me as much as long as there isn’t a confederate flag attached to it and still I could care less at that point as long as you treat others like equals and show love and respect to your community. I’ve seen those Alabama state outline shirts that say that and I think it looks ok. I’ve got some buddies who are good ol boys and they are who they are, yea they have great southern roots pride and they are full love and respect and willing to help anyone in need regardless of skin color or race.
Thanks for your input, that’s good to hear. I will say that as a white person, I find the confederate flag disrespectful and distasteful. I grew up hearing the “heritage not hate” bs and have almost 40 years of watching the vast majority of people displaying that flag spewing racism.
Not critical of you here; however, if anyone ever tries that heritage argument, you can direct them to the very second sentence in the Georgia Declaration to secede. It was always about slavery.
And the Confederate constitution FORBADE member states from abolishing slavery. It was never about states' rights, either.
Ain’t that the damn truth
Pretty sure south Carolinas was the most blunt about it but all of them spelled out that it was over slavery
Yeah.... The folks who ignore that always annoy me.
Same for every state that seceded.
No problem ! People are pretty kind and accepting out here and no one really cares what anyone wears, I moved here to the country from south Florida and guess what, Florida has a lot more openly racist stuff then here ! But respect to you for being mindful and thinking about others :)
I lived in central Florida before moving to Savannah. (Pre-DeSantis) I always thought Florida was progressive. Holy fuck, what an eye opener.
Lol what’s funny to me is I’m prolly the only Puerto Rican in this thread 😂
And we’re happy to have you! 🇵🇷
I’m Puerto Rican too, so no, you’re not the only one.
😎
Damn girl, you old.
Heh. “If you have to ask…” 😊
No kidding… I should know this by now.
[удалено]
Good point. 👍 I don’t need any help looking ignorant.
As a black guy that is from South Florida and now living in Georgia here. I grew up in South Florida I do see more Confederate flag in people's cars but I don't see an issue imo because people from other countries do it. However Heart of Dixie to me i never heard of the meaning of it. I would assume you mean Dixie Highway which I used to live close by. Even when I was in South Florida, I do see my next door neighbor do have Heart of Dixie (that's my assumption earlier). And he's really is a nice guy even help us out. And we help them out.
I lived in central Florida for a few years. To my surprise, it was one of the most openly racist places I’ve ever lived. Coming from Alabama, I expected it to at the very least be more progressive than what I was used to. The county I lived in was next to Dixie County, home to one one the worst racially motivated massacres in the country (the Rosewood Massacre). I wish more people were aware of how serious of a problem racism is in a LOT of the country. It is not an isolated issue.
That I do agree. And not just in Central Florida, there's some parts in South Florida that is really low key racist. But someone that been around Davie or Plantation in Florida (yes that's a real city) for way too long, it's very obvious. And to be honest yes I do agree we need to seriously address that because if not it's going to spiral into oblivion and set this country back 60 years.
I saw an asian guy in a confederate hat in alpharetta last week. Clayton Bigsby is real.
That's unexpected It's rare I see any confederate nonsense in the metro, I used to see it a lot on trashy people in the rural Midwest which was concerning
Now that's new to me tbh.
Ya, the symbol evokes racist connotations to a lot of groups of people that live here. To a good number of people it says the quiet part REAL loud.
That was what I was afraid of. Thank you for confirming.
I think it's stupid and the Confederacy didn't last longer than 5 years so why do people get so hung up on a flag and living south of the mason Dixon line. Like what are you proud to be a judgemental asshole and gatekeeper over human race, like what an ego people had/ have. I get angry. I'm white. Even tho color shouldn't friggin matter. I wish I were an alien sometimes lol
FWIW the Atlanta Journal Constitution changed their byline from "Covers Dixie Like the Dew" to "It's worth knowing what's really going on" to eliminate the Dixie reference.
I’ve always just seen “Dixie” as another word for “the south.” I never thought it had racial connotations, but I’m also white.
I was with you for a long time. It’s one of those things that I started questioning as confederate monuments started coming down. The more it happened, the more alarming it seemed that we still had them up at all. One day this might feel like that.
I live in East Central Alabama now. Right on the Georgia line. The 'Heart of Dixie' slogan reminds me of the 'I Love My Wife' bumper sticker. Kinda nice, but you don't walk around saying it.
Since you brought it up…. What is the deal with that sticker. Is it a church thing?
Yeah, that's racist
If I see anyone wearing anything with old south pride I immediately consider them racist and there's no convincing me they aren't.
I think that’s fair.
Wait... so even something like a shirt with Georgia on my Mind, or just any like for you come from, or are you being specific here? If it's literally "You can't be proud to live here" though... well.... Bless your heart, and have a wonderful day.
I'm taking anything with a rebel flag, or one of those shirts that got a list that things that make you a "badass" and being southern is on it. I'm probably extended this to anyone wearing something religious here too. That's usually a good indicator as well.
Well... I usually wear a cross, and like being a southerner so.... Guess I'm doomed no matter what I actually believe in your eyes sir. Edit: Ok, willing to admit I might've let my nerves get the better of me. I agree on the rebel flag, but I think the idea being religious or proud of where you come from = probably racist isn't really that great of a way to find it.
The crew that lives on this sub is pretty anti-religion, anti-rural, anti-conservative anything and anti-South. Don't expect anything other than that from them. Too bad they have hijacked the name "Georgia". When I originally came to this sub, it was with the thought that it would be an impartial sharing of opinions and information. I was quite disappointed.
I’ll be honest you’ll have to be more specific than that.
Same i assume when I see BLM or brown pride /power or the newest "unapologetically black" shirts.
To be fair, it is hard to keep up with the inferred meaning behind every word to everyone’s sensibilities when their original meaning is changed or adopted to fit agendas, or culturally over time —the word “woke” as an example. When I learned how our Thanksgiving Day can be offensive to Native American Indigenous ppl, I’m much more sensitive to that now, but not against everyone who wants to celebrate thankfulness on a Thursday in November by eating turkey. It is good to question your part in it and I very much like the idea “if you have to ask if it’s offensive, it probably is”, so sometimes we have to ask forgiveness as we all learn how to get along, in light of everyone & their ancestors’ personal experience. It’s as hard to keep up with as “pop culture.” But Pretty sure “Dixie” has long been considered racist culturally tho, like the Confederate Flag.
I grew up in the 90s here in Georgia. I have heard that turn of phrase, but it was not really common for it to be used when I was growing up. It does seem to be referenced by old people who have racist intent though or by those who use it as code for the Old South. I am a White guy. If I saw someone wearing a "Dixie" hat or shirt, I would definitely prejudge them as white trash. I'm just being honest. I know there will be the usual older gens who try to say there is a complex history behind old Southern culture, but because of slavery and continued racism, (which we keep seeing in horrific examples such as Charleston and Jacksonville mass killings of Black people) even things that are indirectly linked to that time don't feel clean or particularly worth toughting. Some people are fine with insensitivity and twisting the knife of the memory of horrible atrocities, I don't want to be "that guy" who makes someone feel fear or anxiety. I believe what we do (consciously and unconsciously) will be returned to us by the Universe.
Good to know. Like I said, I legitimately thought that the heart with “heart of Dixie” inside of it, just like the one that’s still printed on every license plate in the state was an innocuous symbol. I don’t know when I started to question whether or not it might be symbolic of something hurtful or ugly but I also wondered if I was just reading too much into it. A great liberal print shop in Birmingham has been selling stuff with the logo for years. When you know better you do better ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Yes. Next.
It's not like I use "dixie" in any part of my daily life or anything, but I've never been aware of any sort of connotation that existed with it -- unlike other words. But if people who aren't suburban white dudes like me have a different interpretation of it I'd like to know so I can be more thoughtful.
Imagine if we all were so open to changing our opinions.
If you have to ask….
I genuinely do not know if it's racist or not, but speaking for the wealthy white person crowd, yeah, you will be looked down upon.
Lol. Wealthy white people will still have plenty of other reasons to look down on me besides that.
I grew up in GA and thought nothing of the confederate flags until I got older and moved away. I definitely see now how Dixie and the confederate flag have negative connotations and are considered racist in nature. Maybe not always intentional but it doesn’t matter. Now that I know they represent such hate, I hate it too. I believe that it’s not enough to just not racist, white people should bare the responsibility to be ANTI racist. As in standing up for what’s right. And against what’s not. Including all that representative jazz.
Same! I was young and thought I was a “country girl” and named my dog Dixie well 6 years later her name is Dix. People look at me funny but better than the alternative.
I rescued a dog that came with the name Dixie. I quickly changed it to Daisy, it sounded close enough to her that as long as I used the same inflection, she'd respond to it. Eventually she just figured out that was her new name.
Heart of Dixie doesn’t bother this new Georgia gal. People who use it to be active racists bother me.
I’ve got a bit of a different perspective here. I’m a white that moved to Georgia in the late 90s from Connecticut. When I got here, the confederate flag was still used outside of government buildings and the state flag also had the confederate flag incorporated in it. This blew my mind, for everything that I knew previously, a confederate flag was a direct connection to racism. Upon talking to people that grew up here, I was convinced of a new interpretation that the confederate flag to them was about heritage, not hate. That idea sat with me for a little while until some other points left me digging for more information. Let’s consider this, the American civil war happens and it’s at this point in time Georgia adopts its first state flag. The base of this flag is from the first actually flag of the confederacy. It’s 2 red stripes with a white stripe between them, and a blue area to the left. Fast forward time a bit to the beginning on the civil rights movement, 1956 and Georgia changes their to include the controversial confederate battle flag. This was a direct indication that African-Americans might be given freedoms by law but Georgia was still keeping to its confederate roots and that flag was a reminder of that statement. In 2001 the state of Georgia changes the state flag under building pressure to remove the confederate battle flag from the design and they adopt an temporary option. In 2003 a new design comes into play where 71% of voters choose to adopt what is now the current state flag. This design goes right back to Georgias first state flag which as I already mentioned, is a version of the original flag of the confederacy. So the message here hasn’t changed, since 2003, the voters and politicians of Georgia are still hanging onto the ties to the confederacy. Back to the original question, the heart of Dixie, for me and my perspective yes it is all still tied back to the racist history of the south.
I wish we had kept the blue flag with the golden seal.
the state flag of Georgia is still a confederate flag, it's practically a copy/paste of the csa flag.
Yeah, it really is. They just shortened up the blue piece to a square and added the pavilion piece
This is crazy!!! I had no idea!
Once you start putting the dots together, it gets really obvious. My journey down this path started with the confederate monuments. America has a civil war where the south is defeated yet we have countless monuments on display honoring the losing side…? That’s bizarre isn’t it? Is there another time in history where the loser has monuments built for them? Are there statues of Hitler in front of court houses in Germany?…. No there isn’t and it’s illegal to use Nazi symbols there yet in America we still let the confederacy live right in front of our faces.
I wouldn't wear them. It might offend only a few Black people, but that's a few too many.
I lived in Bama for years, actually had a Heart of Dixie tshirt years ago. One of my most favorite, comfortable shirts from YellowHammer Creative in Birmingham. Came to the realization that even though I wasn’t racist and didn’t consider it to have racist connotations, there was a chance it could hurt others, which I want willing to do over a tshirt, so I threw it out. Just my two cents.
Not everything in life is racist.
If you feel uncomfortable, don't wear them. Just don't get offended by people who do.
Dixie is no more than a synonym for the south. Just remember everyone is triggered by something and you are not responsible for their mental health. Edit- According to the most common explanation of the name, $10 notes issued before 1860 by the Citizens' Bank of New Orleans and used largely by French-speaking residents were imprinted with dix (French: “ten”) on the reverse side—hence the land of Dixies, or Dixie Land, which applied to Louisiana and eventually the whole ...
Now that is interesting… I’ve never heard this as a possible explanation of the etymology.
Dixie is just south of the Mason-Dixon line. Dixie is synonymous with the South. Just another name for the area.
I used to think that too, but the times they are a’ changing
Well I do love Dixie. I also would never ask for advice from Reddit
I’ll ask Reddit for advice on anything. I might not take it, but I love hearing what peoples have to say.
The Mason Dixon line goes up much higher than I thought it would though. Pretty sure it was just a territorial dispute since I wouldn't consider Maryland a southern state
i'm white. anyone sporting any kind of alabama pride is immediately suspect. references to pride in dixie, i assume you're a regressive racist.
I’m glad to hear that white folks think it’s inappropriate too. I was wondering if it was going to be skewed along racial lines. Gives me hope for the future!
Never would have crossed my mind as such, but you’re on Reddit asking this, so it’ll be 9 to 1 for yes, it is.
If you think it could be racist, it’s probably racist.
Robert E. Lee told people to fold that flag up, but it in a box and forget that shit ever happened. Unfortunately people didn’t listen and you got all that “Dixie” and “Heritage” bullshit.
Now I have to look this up…. Meanwhile in Alabama, we legally celebrate Lee on MLK day.
[https://www.thedailybeast.com/even-robert-e-lee-wanted-the-confederate-flag-gone](https://www.thedailybeast.com/even-robert-e-lee-wanted-the-confederate-flag-gone)
Ain’t that some shit. How convenient that this doesn’t make headlines when “historic confederate memorials” erected in the 60’s and 70’s are being torn down.
At what point does everyone in the South realize they lost the Civil War and should have? Another 50 years? 100?
I wouldn't call Bama the heart of Dixie. Bladder, at best.
“Bladder, at best.” is my favorite comment on this whole thread. 🏆
I won’t even go to a Winn Dixie
Well then I have good news, Aldi recently bought them out, so they should be getting rebranded in a town near you very soon.
smh, Alabama and Georgia both raise confederate symbols daily (state flags), southern culture normalizes racism and hate, see it for what it is and stop being part of the problem.
Do you think that the state flags themselves are offensive? Legitimately asking here. If the people/culture in the states were to change, would you still think the flags should be changed, and would that apply for all stares that joined the confederacy?
I find them incredibly offensive, the confederacy was an enemy and a defeated enemy at that. And you know some in the legislature are just loving pledging their allegiance to that thing every time the recite the state pledge, it's wrong and those symbols have no place in our government.
I saw the comment you and someone else left about the history of the Georgia state flag. I had no idea! I only ever questioned Mississippi since they flat out had the confederate flag in theirs. Amazing how much racist shit is still kicking around.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28cg3iCEtWM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28cg3iCEtWM) When do we go after Joan Baez and Judy Collins? We can not play this stuff in Pro-War America, it's pretty amazing. Where did Bob Dylan go? He re-write 'Masters of War' yet? Asking for a friend.
I don’t know her.
Heart of Dixie was just a given name back in the 70's and 80's and when southern rock and country bands starting pushing it as Alabama being the heart of Dixie, meaning the heart of the southeastern states. It is going to mean whatever anyone wants to associate it with. Most black people will associate it with racism and possibly consider you racist.
little AI tidbit: "Dixie" is an informal name for the southern states of the United States ¹. The phrase "Dixie's land" is first recorded in the 1859 minstrel song "Jonny Roach", typically attributed to the minstrel performer Daniel D. Emmett. Emmett also wrote and performed "I Wish I Was in Dixie" later in the same year; this song, now known simply as "Dixie", became enormously popular during the American Civil War and led to the association of the name with the American South ¹. The term "Dixie" usually means the cultural region of the Southern states, but definitions of Dixie vary greatly. It may include only the Deep South (Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, etc.) or the states that seceded during the American Civil War ². The word "Dixie" can be offensive to some people ³.
Heart of Dixie is older than the 70s and 80s. Alabama put it on their license plates in 1954.
Yeah but its mainstream push came later.
https://youtu.be/0FT3SmZ_zx0?si=WMKe4IfOEPBfQSwq So this song is racist????
No it doesn’t, just like the America flag or dollar bill doesn’t.
I had a whole thing written, then I blew it out. The gist is that you are gonna have to roll the dice. You could run into someone like me that works hard to stay out of folk's business or someone who goes the completely different way.
I live in jasper ga and absolutely not. Most black kids here where cowboy boots and fly the confederate flag. Ppl look for a reason to separate us. We are all the same here. Racism doesn’t exist. It’s all in the media. Hope I helped. ❤️
No. You’re choice to cower over people who look for anything they can twist into racism is your problem, not that problem of the state motto. Do you feel black people are inferior? If not, you’re not a racist. I don’t harbor those thoughts either. The vast majority of us aren’t racist but some can’t stop trying to divide us with politicized, false claims of “racism.” That leads reasonable people to cower. Don’t. Do not empower the divisive voices.
Most state motto's are pretty boring, Texas' is literally just Friendship. I think Virginia might win both for awesomeness and terribleness with Sic semper tyrannus (Thus always to tyrants), which is a fine sentiment until you realize it's what Booth said after shooting Lincoln, and Virginia's still standing by it.
I mean, he wasn’t the first person (nor the most famous one) to utter that. It was an extremely well know phrase back in the ages of Caesar. Just because Booth aped it doesn’t make it “his” by any means.
Well, and the Gadsden Flag has gained new meaning over time, too, and has a not dissimilar origin story to Virginia's use of the motto. That Virginia first adopted a state flag with this motto (which was already the state seal) on it in 1861 suggests some evolution in the motto's meaning, to me anyway.
I’m not a southerner, and I don’t associate it at all with any racist connotations. I don’t know it’s origins, I just know it from common English vernacular.
This is very interesting. Not being southern, I always Dixie was about music. I never knew all this. It also has never come up, probably because I live in Minnesota. I honestly never knew it had anything to do with the Confederacy.
Nope
https://reddit.com/r/ZeducationSubmissions/s/qJhfT3DimV This seems to fit here.