2660 - The Reckoning Over Confederate Monuments w/ Karen L. Cox

Emma hosts Karen L. Cox, Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, to discuss her recent book No Common Ground: Confederate Monuments and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice, on the history and reckoning over confederate monuments in the US. Professor Cox brings us back to the 1890s as the end of reconstruction and the southern occupation are marked by a massive uptick in the construction of these symbols of white supremacy alongside increased racial violence, lynchings, and attempts to legalize segregation and disenfranchisement. She and Emma then dive into the “lost cause” ideology that drove this re-development, looking at how journalists like Edward Pollard and groups such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the KKK established a massively ahistorical disinformation campaign throughout the south, with confederate monuments playing a central role in a literal sense, as they became the focal point of community social life, being erected in town squares and at courthouses. Karen and Emma then progress into the 20th century, looking at how the 1915 Birth of a Nation continued this reignition of racial violence and the role class played in the issue, before they dive into the next wave of monument erections in the 50s and 60s, discussing the murder of Sammy Younge in Tuskegee, Alabama and the changes in white supremacist rhetoric. They round out the interview with the final wave of monuments in the 2000s following a decade of legalized disenfranchisement with gerrymandering, looking at how the symbols of the “lost cause” have slowly been disconnected from actual southern heritage as well as how and why the recent reckoning over the issue has become central to American racial discourse. Emma wraps it up with the infrastructure developments and is reminded by Lindsey Graham and Kayleigh McEnany how calm cool and collected Trump’s four years were in comparison to Biden’s first. And in the Fun Half: Dennis Prager reminds us that we can’t trust our doctors, since it was really our hearts and souls that went through four years of medical school, and Dimmy Jore gives us the ivermectin pitch straight from the horses’ ass as he incorporates it into his M4A blame game, and the MR crew, alongside Danny from ATL, discuss what to do with the US military complex, and why anti-war stances are continuously demeaned by the mainstream media. Dave in Minneapolis informs us on the upcoming St. Paul Line 3 protest, Tony Blair gives us his phony flair, and Kerry from Columbus talks OH senate election. They also chat sports, Tebow or not Tebow, and get a glimpse into a blissfully young and ignorant (rather than horribly middle-aged and ignorant) Charlie Kirk, plus, your calls and IMs! Become a member at JoinTheMajorityReport.com Subscribe to the AMQuickie newsletter here. Join the Majority Report Discord! http://majoritydiscord.com/ Get all your MR merch at our store https://shop.majorityreportradio.com/ (Merch issues and concerns can be addressed here: majorityreportstore@mirrorimage.com) You can now watch the livestream on Twitch Check out today’s sponsor: Tushy: Hello Tushy cleans your butt with a precise stream of fresh water for just $79. It attaches to your existing toilet – requires NO electricity or additional plumbing – and cuts toilet paper use by 80% – so the Hello Tushy bidet pays for itself in a few months. Go to hellotushy.com/majority to get 10% off today! Support the St. Vincent Nurses today as they continue to strike for a fair contract! https://action.massnurses.org/we-stand-with-st-vincents-nurses/ Subscribe to Discourse Blog, a newsletter and website for progressive essays and related fun partly run by AM Quickie writer Jack Crosbie. https://discourseblog.com/ Subscribe to AM Quickie writer Corey Pein’s podcast News from Nowhere, at https://www.patreon.com/newsfromnowhere Check out The Letterhack’s upcoming Kickstarter project for his new graphic novel! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/milagrocomic/milagro-heroe-de-las-calles Check out Matt Binder’s YouTube channel! Check out The Nomiki Show live at 3 pm ET on YouTube at patreon.com/thenomikishow Check out Matt’s podcast, Literary Hangover, at Patreon.com/LiteraryHangover, or on iTunes. Check out Jamie’s podcast, The Antifada, at patreon.com/theantifada, on iTunes, or at twitch.tv/theantifada (streaming every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7pm ET!) Follow the Majority Report crew on Twitter: @SamSeder @EmmaVigeland @MattBinder @MattLech @BF1nn @BradKAlsop