So Long Dixie

Recently, the administration at Ole Miss banned the playing of the song "From Dixie with Love" at all of the university's sporting events. The song, which is probably one of the coolest in all of college football, is a combination of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "Dixie" the unofficial national anthem of the Confederacy. The issue of contention was the fact that many Ole Miss fans would shout, "the South will rise again" toward the end of the song. The administration deemed this phrase offensive and threatened to ban the song if the fans did not stop chanting it. Unfortunately, there were those who were determined to call the administration's bluff, and the chancellor of the university took quick action.


The University of Mississippi aka "Ole Miss" in Oxford, MS


While I understand the rationale behind the decision banning "From Dixie with Love," I cannot say that I agree with it. For years, "the South will rise again"was used as an offensive slogan to drum up support for the white power movement and strike fear into the hearts of African-Americans. However, it doesn't carry the same meaning now as it did even 20 years ago. Today, with the notable exception of a few idiots who seem hell bent on making all southerners look bad, when most people utter "the South will rise again" there is little, if any, hatred behind it. It is merely a way of expressing appreciation for the region's history. There are those who will argue that South's history is nothing to celebrate, but most southerners, myself included, will continue to do so.

Many people from outside the South believe that we should carry a great deal of shame for the sins of our past, and we do. We fully realize that our ancestors made some horrible mistakes, and slavery, one of the many reasons the Civil War was fought, was a heinous institution that needed to be abolished. However, we still like to look back to that era with some modicum of pride. The fact that our ancestors were willing to secede from and fight a war against the United States shows a fierce level of personal independence that still exists within the region today. This coupled with the fact that the South is also the region that gave the world William Faulkner, Coca-Cola, Jack Daniels, and some the most beautiful women to walk the face of the Earth creates a great deal of pride juxtaposed alongside the shame we feel about slavery and the Jim Crow era.


Oh yeah, the chicken sandwich was also invented down here.


To me, saying "the South will rise again" is a way acknowledging all of our past mistakes while honoring all that we have accomplished throughout the years. Again, I have a great deal of respect for Ole Miss and its administration. Looking it it from and outsider's prospective, they're doing a fine job running the school, but I simply do not agree with this particular decision. A phrase that is now used as a way of expressing all things southern, good and bad, is not a sufficient reason for banning one of the most stirring fight songs in all of college football.

I mean come on! Tell me that it doesn't sound cool: