Ongoing social controversy exists over the image of the Confederate flag. Is it a benign symbol of Southern pride or a racist banner synonymous with white supremacy? Author John M. Coski suggests that because the battle flag was simply the banner of the Confederate soldier and not of the Confederacy, this emblem could be regarded as an “apolitical symbol” (Coski 2005, 401). He argues that many Confederate soldiers went to war to defend their States and their homes from invasion. At the same time, however, Coski rejects the idea nourished by white Southerners, that slavery was not the war’s root cause (ibid). This paper seeks to examine the cult of Southern pride and its feigned naïveté regarding the Confederate flag’s close association with slavery and racism using Brad Paisley’s 2013 “Accidental Racist” as a case study of said nescience. Analysis of this baffling collaboration between the country star and his co-writer, rapper LL Cool J, reveals a questionable effort on the topic of racial politics in America.
About the presenterLinda M Moroziuk
Linda M. Moroziuk is a professor of songwriting at Seneca College in Toronto and a Ph.D. candidate in York University’s music department. She is also a professional songwriter and award winning artist, with original music licensed to film, and television shows like the WB’s “Dawson’s Creek.”