Civil War (or, Who Do We Think We Are)

This film powerfully explores the contemporary impact of how slavery and the Civil War are and are not taught and understood throughout our country. Faulkner said, "The past is never dead. It is not even past." This film serves as a vivid illustration of that truth.

Do yourself a favor...watch it and think.

This would have benefited from a more narrow scope because the subject matter is massive and complicated. It bounces around and scratches surfaces but ultimately seems to almost be saying that we'll never be able to change minds. I don't think that was the intention. The interviewer seems to lead or set ip answers a bit too often as well. But still there are powerful and occasionally truly disturbing moments that will leave you thinking and hopefully talking.

An intriguing documentary on MSNBC that deals with the affect the Civil War has played in forming peoples' opinion about how we think about country, ourselves and race. The American south has a very complicated and complex idea about a war they lost. Usually the victors get to shape the narrative, in this case it is the south who lost the war but "won" keeping an emancipated group of the population down. The Confederate flag is very much a part of who many of the south still want to be. This documentary surprised me at how deep it is willing to go to let people have their say. As a northerner, it is difficult to understand why anyone would be proud of a confederate flag, a symbol of oppression and want to have their state identified with it, still? That flag is so clearly a mark of ignorance, defiance and hate. By contrast and comparison the only Germans, identified with a Nazi swastika, are considered to be ignorant thugs in their own country. A symbol of shame that Germany has dedicated itself to educate every generation to know and understand their shameful history. Back in America, five states still use elements of the "stars and bars" portions of the Confederate battle flag, but Mississippi is the only state still incorporating the entire battle emblem into its state flag.

The main take away for me was how divided we are as a country in the Deep South. It's still as though the south has not changed from over 120 yrs ago. The Whites still have a need to make sure they are in control of the entire storyline and how white dominated states are going to be this way for many more years.

I didnt like that biracial kid that sounded like he had his father's talking points. He kepttalking about how asian Americans life was so much harder than black peoole but they weren't blaming the system. You cant have system that operated for the better part of four centuries and expect people to be iver it in One generation. Therecare people alive today who know what Jim Crow was like. Ruby Bridges experienced that first hand and is still alive today so to expect black people to just get over it when the construct still exist today albeit now so visble, nonetheless still exists.