Comments on: what we did on Dana’s birthday in North Carolina

By: Anna

Anna — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:07:22 +0000

Wow, funny, one of the girls in my Bible study this morning was talking about that same museum!
Love the picture of the shoes and the one of the butterfly on the leaf with …oh, ha, I just saw that I was going to write exactly what Jen just said!
Great minds think alike;-)
I love your photography, you have an artistic approach and it always makes your photos so fun and always interesting!

By: Mrs. Wilson

Mrs. Wilson — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:50:20 +0000

Oh my word!

I LOVE the shot with the butterfly – with the kids a bit blurred in the background.

ps. I also LOVE Glee. I found myself tweeting lines from it and then realized I was pulling a @chuckactually! (if I got that twitter moniker wrong, I’m sorry :))

By: bethany actually

bethany actually — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:17:26 +0000

Lynn, I am impressed you commented! I'm sorry if I stepped on a nerve. I know comparing the Confederacy to Nazis is probably rather inflammatory. The Nazis were intent on KILLING as many Jews, homosexuals, dissenting thinkers, handicapped people, and other "undesirables" as they could. In contrast, most Southern slaveowners believed they were seeing to their slaves' physical and spiritual well-being, that there was a Biblical mandate for the peculiar institution. Not that those things make slavery any less horrific, but it does shine light on the difference between men who flat-out wanted to kill their enemies and those who clothed, fed, housed, trained, and taught their slaves. Of course, there were those among the Nazis who treated their Jewish prisoners humanely...augh! I could go back and forth like this forever. Life is full of shades of gray. I think it comes down to this: to me as a Northerner those Confederate monuments (and yes, they were mainly "to our fallen soldiers" with a few erected to honor specific generals and such) really squicked me out. It's just not something I grew up with. As you said, and I mentioned in the post, the monuments at the least honor the bravery of the men willing to defend their homes and act as a reminder of how far we've come. Thanks for your reply! And I hope you know that I certainly do NOT consider all Southern Pride to be disguised racism or any crap like that. I think it's a free country and if someone wants to display the Confederate flag that's his right. If I were black and/or a descendant of slaves I doubt I'd let the Confederate flag "oppress" me in any way, shape, or form, any more than I've let anyone's preconceived ideas of what a girl can do "oppress" me. ;-)

By: Lynn

Lynn — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:25:56 +0000

Hope you’re impressed that I’m actually leaving a reply! :) I grew up in VA, which was quite the split state — and a LOT of emphasis on both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. It can be argued that the war was not exclusively about the slavery issue, but largely about states’ rights and what the federal government can and cannot dictate. I can’t speak to what monument you saw, but most I’ve seen honor those who fought and those who died in what is unarguably one of the greatest out of control tragedies in our history. Did slavery need to stop? YES! Did some of the atrocities associated with slavery need to stop? YES! Was everyone that owned slaves evil? no. Was everyone that fought on the confederate side evil? no. Was everyone that fought on the union side good and noble? no.

ok … I’m done now.
wow … did I know I had such a large nerve to get stepped on there? NO! I think the comparison got to me more than I care to admit — feathers actually ruffled a bit!

I’m glad that for the majority of folks now, we are past that point in our history — and pray we can continue to learn from it — which I guess makes me just have to say that I’m glad those monuments are still there .. a little painful, a little disturbing, and hopefully still making us think!

By: MrActually

MrActually — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:01:41 +0000

Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun. That museum looks great. I’m looking forward to going down there sometime next year – when I get my chance to visit. Great pictures also, as usual.
I understand what you mean with the memorials, but hopefully the comparison won’t ruffle feathers.

By: Dana

Dana — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:36:19 +0000

This post made my day! We had alot of fun that day too!! Leo and Annalie were so cute together. Thanks for spending my birthday with us.

By: Mim

Mim — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:57:08 +0000

Looks like a fun day! I went to Chocolate:The Exhibition when it was in Philly two summers ago. It was okay but probably not worth the steep charge. The gift shop was the best part anyways ;)

By: Julia

Julia — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 07:49:53 +0000

I’m from Massachusetts, but go to school in South Carolina and the confederate memorials still confuse me a little. I’m with you on the Nazi reference. But the southerners still swear it’s just out of pride.