(August 18, 2017 at 1:40 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote:(August 18, 2017 at 1:23 pm)LadyForCamus Wrote: But, does it matter whether the north really cared about the slaves? That doesn't alter what the confederacy stood for, or what the statues of its leaders symbolize today.
I am not saying it matters. Im just saying that if someone sees it differently or has a different interpretation, they aren't necessarily racist. If they are incorrect in their assessment of history, that makes them wrong, but it doesn't, in and of itself, make them racist.
Not all interpretations are equal, and when the interpretation is racist, it ought to be called as such. This history is available in the public domain, and there is no excuse for someone holding an opinion on the matter and yet being ignorant of the antecedents or ramifications of his or her perspective. In civic life, opinions don't exist in vacuums. They affect fellow citizens.
As for trying to be even-handed about this, perhaps you should read up on the matter before pleading for some false equivalency. If you want to be neutral about this that's your business, but in the words of Neil Peart (in another context) "if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."
