Sometimes we Southern nationalists tend to look around today and wonder why we are not in power yet or why the South is not yet independent and free. Many people impatiently ask me when Southern independence is going to become a reality. Some historical perspective would show us that after the tragic US defeat of the independent South in 1865 and the restoration of limited Southern home-rule in 1876 there really was no Southern nationalist movement to speak of until its re-birth in the mid 1970s. Even then, it was basically an academic project of a small group of Southern professors, certainly not a populist movement. It is only with the establishment of the League of the South in 1994 that Southern nationalism grew into an organised political effort. The movement is still very young. Most Southerners have not even heard of Southern nationalism, much less been exposed repeatedly to our message and asked to join us (as will have to be the case in order to get a mass following). We know this is true because at SNN we regularly hear from people who tell us that they had no idea anything like Southern nationalism existed. We must keep this in mind as we press on with our efforts.

Our resident artist and proprietor of MissouriTenth.com, Matthew, has a new piece (and a cool-looking graphic) with some thoughts on Southern nationalism and why it’s growing in popularity once again. Matthew gets back to the basics in his piece, covering the root concepts of Southern nationalism – namely that we Southerners are a distinct nation of people with a natural right to be free and self-governing. These are the simply concepts that we must hammer home to the broader Southern public. Repeating a simple, truthful message such as ours again and again is the most effective way any of us can help make Southern independence a reality. Matthew writes:

[W]ith the South possessing a distinct culture and population of over 100 million, as well as a robust economy boasting low unemployment rates, the South clearly continues to hold a position of influence and strength. However, in the face of constant Federal abuse, and a differing ideology that continually attempts to dismiss the valuable contributions that Southern society brings,  Southern Nationalism is growing. As Dixienet.org states in What the Traditional South Does and Doesn’t Want, “Though Southerners have been a patient and patriotic people, our patience is wearing thin, as is our willingness to sacrifice for those who use and exploit us for their own benefit. We Southerners are the blood descendants of those who played the largest role in carving a civilization out of the North American wilderness over the past few centuries. We have seen our accomplishments belittled and our civilization stolen from us. We will no longer tolerate living under an alien ruling class motivated by an alien ideology.”

This “alien ideology” as Dixienet discusses above, is key to understanding the ideological fabric of the Southern Nationalist today. Rejecting radical egalitarian ideals, liberal social experimentation, and marxist perspectives that promote a homogenized, centralized society under the guise of ‘diversity’ and ‘multiculturalism’, John P. George writes that, “Southern nationalism is based on the belief that cultural heritage and traditions can best be maintained through ethnic autonomy. Robert Frost and his ilk notwithstanding, good fences do make good neighbors.”

Click here for the full article

Tags: multiculturalism, southern nationalism, traditional south

This entry was posted on July 9, 2012 at 10:51 am and is filed under News & Ideas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.