Auto - Dying for Dixie

Ever since second grade I have gone to private schools that were majority whites. The were a few blacks, but no one discriminated against them. I'm sure a few of the white students didn't like them because of the beliefs they grew up with, but they didn't disrespect them and just went about their business. Alot of my friends and people i went to high school with fall under the "redneck" connotation. They love their big trucks and hunting, etc. It was very common to see someone walking around with clothes that acknowledged the confederate flag, and no one had a problem with it, or atleast didn't voice one. This is probably due to the fact that there were very few blacks, but they didn't seem to mind. I'm just assuming they didn't seem to mind because they didn't express any feelings about it, but I don't know for sure. This school was about a twenty five minute drive from my home so the things I encountered at school and in my hometown were alot different. Parties that people in my high school had were all white, not because they were racists, but because they didn't know any black people. On the other hand, in my hometown all the kids went to a big public high school so their parties had both blacks and whites. I never heard of any fights starting at that school because of a confederate flag or a malcom x shirt. Obviously Guthrie is alot more divided maybe because so much emphasis is placed on the flag and everyone there has a different idea of what it means which causes problems between the different beliefs. I honestly don't have a particular connotation of what it means, but I don't think it should be the root of violence. Everyones beliefs should be respected whether its the confederate flag or malcom x. People will do what others around them do and what they are taught and see in their parents. If good role models began downplaying the significance of the confederate flag in Guthrie I'm sure violence would subside greatly. The influence of everyones associates inevitably makes people do what they do.