The weight of that Southern Cross: The flag came down, so now what?

The Confederate battle flag came down in South Carolina. I was moved. I assume most of the South was, if not the entire nation. I wrote a long form essay on this that I have submitted elsewhere and am awaiting word back on. Still, I don’t know if people outside the South realize how much that flag and Southern iconography is not just part of the Southern landscape but of Southern consciousness. Often viewed as the nation’s tumor in polls and data about poverty, low education, and obesity, the region has carved itself in the image of strange and oppressive gods. This has been both a blessing and a curse. The Drive-by Truckers often sing about this duality, its pride and its shame.

The Braves Collapse: The Epitome of Southern Anxiety

It grew out of it, so it must be a part of it, right?

Summer baseball, fall football, and church are pretty much the cliches that felt apart of my southern boyhood, and all those things taught me that most heroes are destined for tragedy: Moses couldn't reach the Promised Land. Jesus was crucified. Robert E. Lee surrendered. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Eric Zeier couldn't overcome Spurrier. Bill Clinton was impeached. And the Braves, well, the Braves pretty much lose (except for in '95) once autumn comes.