Roy Parker's American Freedom

A recent Editorial in the Fayetteville Oberver by Roy Parker Jr. failed to hit home. The gist of the piece meant to do the same thing Keith Olbermann has been trying to do since Sarah Palin entered the national political arena. He was offended by Sarah Palin’s visit to North Carolina and suggested her phrase, “Being in real America” was patronizing. Where the term hillbilly came from was confusing. Parker was trying to dispel a stereotype that modern states of the Old Confederacy still adhere to anachronistic traditions. These could be flying the confederate flat over the statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina. They could be mounting a gun rack on the rear window of your pick up truck. They could be eating hog jowls and collard greens. The stereotypes of the American South are endless, but none of them hits home more than what transpired when now President-elect Barack Obama campaigned in Fayettevillle, North Carolina. Upon entering the Cape Fear Barbecue and Chicken Restaurant, he was greeted with words similar to, “Socialist. Get out of here!” No where else on his campaign trail was such a recreation of the Civil Rights Movement of the l950’s more succinct. A black man enters a restaurant in the American South, hillbilly-land in terms of Mr. Parker, and he was greeted with anger and a tone of reluctance to serve Mr. Obama. Could modern day ramifications of the civil strife present for blacks in America’s past be more stark? Strikingly enough deomcrat Mr. Obama proceeded to win North Carolina by 13,692 votes or four tenths of a percentage point. Directly in the face of what appeared to be blatant racism, Mr. Obama did what millions of other blacks did in the l960’s. He kept his cool, ordered his sandwich, and went on with his vigil. The traditions of the Old South are deep, and they define the world conservative. Not everyone agrees with the lifestyle of the American South, and that is why America had a Civil War. For a country to divide into two factions and literally begin to fight each other over civil liberties means sentiments run deep. Abraham Lincoln, a past great American President, was forced to grieve for thousands of lost lives over the freeing of American slaves. It did not happen easily. Thousands of his soldiers lost their lives emancipating the Negro slaves in America’s civil war. For a black man to be elected the leader of the free world means America has come full circle and has embraced civil liberties once again. At the Cape Fear Barbecue and Chicken Restaurant, it seems they did not get the memo. It also seems Roy Parker and Keith Olbermann think Sarah Palin didn’t get the memo about the rest of America. Mr. Parker called Ms. Palin a “yahoo,” and described Alaska as a place where, “Minds are as narrow as the landscape is expansive”. Name calling seems to be to what we are resorting. Having been born and reared in the American South it is difficult to see why Mr. Parker was so insulted by Governor Palin’s words. Wouldn’t it seem logical living in a state that hosts the primary military bases that scrutinize the Soviet Union may seem un-mainstream? It could be Gov. Palin was sincere in her remarks that she was elated to be in a geographic region enriched with such American cultural history. She was south of the Mason-Dixon line. I’m not sure the word hillbilly ever came up. Certainly Mr. Parker, a long-time writer for the Fayetteville Observer, felt the need to qualify a certain populace in Dixie. What is unclear and was clarified in the recent Presidential election is the demarcation between Democrats and Republicans. John Kerry’s campaign failed adequately to structure the political make up of the United States, because it was changing. The once clear boundaries between the donkey and the elephant have become unclear in the recent decade in America, but in light of the series of recent crises American’s saw fit to elect Obama. What seems to be clear upon reading Mr. Parkers editorial is the majority of Americans in the South vote Republican. Barack Obama changed that in North Carolina for the better. It is mystifying looking at the map of red states and blue states. The American South is swathed in red in an offset sweeping bell curve that apexes on the Canadian border. The Great Lakes states, New England, and the Pacific North West make up the majority of blue states with the inclusion of Florida, North Carolina, and “Old Virginny.” It would seem the majority of metropolitan areas, i.e. Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York voted blue. The mainly tourist state of Florida, reversing its decision in the 2000 election for a Republican, also voted blue. With all of these things in mind I still did not get the drift of Parker’s piece. He seemed to favor the electing of Obama to the Presidency, and he seemed to be chiding Governor Sarah Palin. Palin has been a scapegoat. She was chosen as the Republican candidate for the Vice-Presidency for certain reasons. First, although we know upon the disability of the President the Vice-President assume responsibility for America, we also know the Vice-Presidency is a lame duck job. Al Gore remarked it was the loneliest time in his life. Have we forgotten Dan Quale? John McCain needed a refresher in his campaign, and what he chose was a soccer mom. It is not that confusing. She was attractive, energetic, and foremost willing. Upon reviewing the offers many notable Republicans were not. Considering how American media revels in dismantling careers, it is understandable. She was not chosen for her intellectual prowess, and I think most Americans understood that. What is interesting is that the American South is a majority Republican, and Republican today is not what it used to be. George Bush changed that. Roy Parker was concerned that Southerners have been stereotyped, and they have for good reason. Just ask Jeff Foxworthy. What he was attempting to describe is a much more complex network of local politics specific to Fayetteville, North Carolina. Fayetteville is unique in one major way. It is the host town to Ft. Bragg, the army’s largest military installation. With Ft. Bragg comes local revenue, revenue that has made a small populace of Fayettevillians rich. These were the people of which Mr. Parker was speaking. The majority of people that live in Fayetteville are poor. There are ghettos, there is violence, and there is the railroad. The mainline of CSX-T passes through Fayetteville, one reason why Ft. Bragg was situated in such close proximity. The Strategic Rail Corridor Network is a cornerstone of our national defense, and because we are at war with both Iraq and Afghanistan it is in constant use. For these reasons citizens with money have invested in local businesses supported by the military. They are successful and have formed their own community or “Old Fayetteville.” It was of these people Mr. Parker spoke, and as anyone who lives in Fayetteville knows they are not hillbillies. They are red-necks with money. No amount of money can give “class” to people who have not earned it through liberal scope. Liberal scope is not John McCain. Although “Old Fayetteville” attempted to elect John McCain to the presidency, Barack Obama defeated them proving owning money is not American freedom.