A Battle

Our anniversary-getaway to Gettysburg, PA was really wonderful. We toured the battlefields in a cool and rainy mist, fitting for such a somber place. As we drove in, I was immediately struck by the sheer number of monuments and memorials that litter the great expanse of the battlefields. I have a particular interest in memorials, and regularly teach them in my art history classes, so this was a real treat for me. I’ve never seen so many memorials concentrated in one place, grand, small, loud and quiet, they had as many personalities as they people they represent. It seems that every single battalion, major leader, state, etc. has a marker commemorating their role in this bloodiest of Civil War battles.

We ate dinner at a delightfully touristy place called “Farnsworth Tavern.” While the food was nothing to write home about, the building itself is a part of history, riddled with bullet holes, a civilian building casualty that remains for all to view. After dinner, we slyly blended in to the end of a Ghost Tour of Gettysburg, which is apparently is the 3rd most haunted town in the U.S. (only after Salem, Mass, and New Orleans, Louisiana).

Our tour guide was a twenty-something woman dressed in black period costume, and we heard more than once about how confining her corset was. The tour was hilarious, most of the stories beginning with “One time, this guy that I don’t know said he saw something over there.” Or, “…and then she went to develop the photo, and there was nobody there!!!” But it was entertaining, and you can see that there is a devoted group of people dedicated to investigating the paranormal. My favorite was the woman in the group wearing a black sweatshirt with “got ghosts?” written on the front.

The next day we walked around town, looking for the tackiest possible trinket from the many, many tacky tourist shops. What surprised me the most was the prominence and availability of Confederate flags, t-shirts, mugs, etc., especially because, PA was a part of the Union. The Confederate paraphernalia must be big sellers to tourists?

In 2009, what can you possibly hope to gain by displaying a Confederate flag? What ideals are you aligning yourself with? Slavery? The inequality of people of color?

Even thinking about the Civil War, hearing about the bloody battle of Gettysburg, seeing the uniforms of these young men, reading about the unwavering sense of duty and sacrifice of life: I still don’t get the Confederate cause.

I get that it was an economic issue, that slavery was a way of life, that many people (in both the North and South) had their livelihoods based on free labor and human bondage, that disrupting this would mean a loss of money, and more competition for low-wage jobs. But I also think some were scared what a repeal of slavery would mean for them: a loss of power and control.

How, in 2009, would anyone want to align themselves with these issues?

On Saturday there was a big conflagration of scared white folks on the National Mall, yelling and carrying on as if we are under the oppression of a brutal totalitarian regime.

In fact, from the speeches that I read/heard about in association with the event, there was hardly any mention of healthcare, but rather the theme was "recapturing America" from "tyranny" and regaining "freedom". It sounded as if they were protesting against a coup, probably a violent one, rather than the natural consequence of losing an election less than a year ago. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/ ]

In addition to images of Obama as the Joker (I still don’t get it), there were people carrying Confederate flags, which carries a very clear message to a black president. [See: http://dcist.com/2009/09/post_29.php?gallery0Pic=4#gallery ] The DCist also mentions the people with the “Don’t Tread on Me” flags holding them standing in line for a tour of the National Museum of the American Indian without seeing any sense of irony.

I think the middle and upper-class white people are scared.

I do not think Barack Obama is perfect. But I also think that his thoughtful look at health-care in this country is reasonable. It’s refreshing to have a smart and thoughtful person in office who listens and thinks, and is trying to have a civil dialogue.

I am obviously not an expert, I don’t know all the minutiae of the health-care reform bill as it stands this minute. But I do believe that everyone in this country should have coverage, even if you are an educated, adjunct art history professor whose employers don’t offer any benefits.

My real point concerns the wildly varying definitions of “liberty”, “freedom”, and “patriotism.” Is everyone really free in our society today? I maintain that certain freedoms are only offered to some (see: Gay rights).

You want to be really patriotic? Pay your taxes so that we can continue to have highways and roads that are navigable, and educational resources for public schools. (this means that even Congress-people need to pay their taxes!)

Even when not on a Civil War battleground, I am constantly confronted with history. We are not original. People (and not just Americans) have always fought to maintain their way of life, even if it’s at the expense of others.

I think it’s fine to voice your opinions, to protest, but let’s talk about the issue and leave the Confederate flag in the past.