As (perhaps surprisingly) most readers of
The Mad Monarchist hail from the United States, I am sure everyone knows about the recent campaign to purge all symbols of the former Confederacy on the grounds that these are symbols of hatred, racism and division. It started with the Confederate battle flag flying over a monument to Confederate soldiers in Columbia, South Carolina and very quickly expanded to banning the rebel banner from public view entirely. The campaign gained such momentum that the bodies of a dead Confederate general and his wife are now set to be dug up in Memphis and the 70's TV show "The Dukes of Hazzard" has been banished from the airwaves as the main characters drive a car with the offensive flag on the roof. What (I am sure someone is already asking) does any of this have to do with monarchy? Well, the symbol of one of the most prominent monarchies in the world may be next. It is a symbol prominently featured on flags across the United States and a symbol long identified with a kingdom near and dear to the hearts of many monarchists; the traditional Kingdom of France. Yes, I refer to the fleur-de-lis of the Bourbon monarchy.
On Thursday, at a New Orleans City Council meeting, the leader of the activist group "Remove Racist Images", one Rudy Mills, said that the fleur-de-lis is the next offensive symbol that should be removed from view. After applauding the removal of the Confederate ensign, Mr Mills said that the fleur-de-lis should go as well. "Check the history. It's also a very racist symbol" he said. Last month, this same man held a rally to demand the removal of this and any other symbol from New Orleans deemed to be offensive saying, "The rally is to start a movement to remove all the racist images that surround our city." At the same City Council meeting, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu (Democrat, son of a former mayor, brother of a former senator) said that, "New Orleans is a place where the original vision of America rings authentic and true, that all men are created equal. However, make no mistake, these statues and symbols that reflect the opposite of our shared American values have no place where they are today."
As New Orleans was the largest city of the longest-held foothold of the Kingdom of France in North America, the fleur-de-lis can be seen almost everywhere. It appears on the state flag of Louisiana, is carved into old buildings and markers, appears on the French flags flown along with other historic colors and is even emblazoned on the helmets of the NFL's New Orleans Saints football team. How did it suddenly become racist? Well, almost anything can be seen that way if one chooses to. If you have made up your mind to find something, no matter what it is, you will probably be able to come up with something to fit your criteria. In this case, Dr. Ibrahima Seck, described as a "slave historian", said that the fleur-de-lis was branded onto slaves in Louisiana under the Kingdom of France according to the "Code Noir" adopted in 1724 for French colonies across the globe. Seck told a local television station, speaking of escaped slaves that were re-captured, "He would be taken before a tribunal or court and the sentence would be being branded on one shoulder with the fleur-de-lis, and then they would crop their ears," also saying that if a second attempt was made to escape that another fleur-de-lis would be branded onto the slave and his hamstrings would be cut.
Now, monarchists and French royalists can be somewhat reassured that, in all probability, the Confederate flag will remain the only pariah in this country as no one is prepared to defend it. The fact that the French reign is so far distant in history, the fact that France supported the United States in winning independence from Britain and because it is so widespread, it is highly doubtful that this effort to ban the fleur-de-lis will be successful. Terence Fitzmorris, a Tulane history professor, said in a television interview that the symbol of Bourbon France cannot be seen in the same way as the Confederate flag. He said, "The fleur-de-lis was the symbol of a monarchy. The United States of America was a slave-holding republic, not just the south or the Confederacy. Where do you stop? Do you get rid of all symbols?" A valid question and one that appeals to common sense. However, common sense has been rather lacking in the rush of anti-Confederate hysteria (when you start digging up skeletons after over a century and banning TV shows that were about slapstick comedy and car chases, I think you have waved 'bye-bye' to rationality some time back). Personally, I doubt that enough people could be moved to outrage to start banning the fleur-de-lis. However, I would not dismiss those who worry. Recent events have shown just how easy it is to get such a campaign moving and if enough people choose to seize on it as a symbol of racism, no one is going to defend it.
Remember,
as we have talked about before, other monarchial flags have been deemed offensive such as the St George Cross of England, the War Ensign of Imperial Germany, the Prince's Flag of the Netherlands, the Canadian Red Ensign or the Rising Sun flag of Japan. Stranger things have happened and the lilies of France may be next. With no Confederate flag to be the bogeyman anymore, a new target will have to be found. Again, I doubt this will succeed but I cannot dismiss it out of hand. I learned long ago never to underestimate the stupidity of people in large numbers or politicians who want to jump on every passing bandwagon that comes along.
0 Komentar untuk "First They Came for the Confederates..."