Space Cowboy wrote:Der_Kommissar1968 wrote:At the risk of turning this into a political forum issue, let's be honest about a couple of things. Many German soldiers in Hitler's Waffen-SS were appalled by the treatment that the Jews received under Hitler. Many were forced into service. Now before you go crazy asking why I'm comparing the south's rebels to German nazis, I'm not. It's an analogy. So, like the average Confederate soldier who may have not owned any slaves, many German regular army soldiers had no beef with Jews. But I doubt we'd welcome with open arms a group who wants to carry the Nazi flag in the parade.
Also TC, I admitted that it might be simplistic to say that the Civil War was fought over slavery. Yes, there were economic issues the southern states were concerned about, but let's be honest about that too. The southern economy was propped up by slavery. The other element that many southerners feared was the idea of giving equal rights to blacks. If you don't think this scared the bejezus out of them, I'd say you're very wrong. You start giving blacks equal rights, then there goes the plantations, and without the free labor, the southern economy falls.
But I'm not even thinking about this in context of the Ironton parade. I'm thinking more about the black Ironton family, the mom and dad, sitting on the curb watching the parade go by, and their little boy or girl asking mom and dad what that flag is all about and them having to explain all of this. If I were them, it would make me want to get up and leave. Refusing this group entry into the parade isn't a nod to political correctness. It goes well beyond that. It's about giving other peoples' ancestors who were victimized by the system the exact same respect that these confederate ancestors demand. After all, I think they deserve it.
What history book have you been reading out of? I know this is geting off the subject but belonging to the Waffen SS was almost akin to a blood oath. Those men knew beforehand exactly what Hitler had planned for the Jews. They were sadistical murderers and every single one of them knew going into it what they were getting themselves into.
Not all of them Space. I'm talking about the Waffen-SS foot soldiers who were forced into service after 1943. They didn't have a choice. Many of them had no problem with Jews. These are just facts Space. Obviously, many were sadistic murderers and surely enjoyed their jobs, but not all of them. I'm not sure what books you have been reading that says every single Waffen soldier was a maniacal killer, but I'd run from any book that makes a generalization like that. Of course, as always, with all due respect Space.
Anyway, my only point was that those soldiers who were forced into conscription and had no problems with Jews are analogous to confederate soldiers who owned no slaves but fought for the south. But we sure as heck aren't going to like anyone parading around with a Nazi flag. That's all.