The Dukes of Hazzard Vs NAACP

NAACP stands for National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Their mission is to ensure that equal rights are being practiced politically, educationally, socially, and economically. Their goal is to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.

The Dukes of Hazzard is a TV series that follows the adventures of the Duke family living in the southern state of Georgia, racing around in their 1969 Dodge Charger named The General Lee, as they try to fix the corrupt doings of the county's commissioner Boss Hogg while trying to remain their loyal and prideful stature. The Dukes have been fighting the system all their lives, their family values and moral teachings has been a part to make this TV series a hit for over 20 years.

Since the late 1970's The Dukes of Hazzard has been teaching families, teaching children, and creating a fun family oriented television show. Recently the NAACP has banned the Dukes of Hazzard from being shown on CMT along with causing the cancellation of the Cincinnati Pops 'Dukes of Hazzard' show that was to star the Dukes own John Schneider and Tom Wopat. Apparently this is all due to the use of the Confederate Flag that is proudly displayed on top of the famous General Lee.

The Dukes of Hazzard is NOT a racist television show. If you are a prided Dukes fan such as me you will know that the Duke family is against any type of racism or judgment based upon religion, color, or sex. You will also know that on many episodes even the use of swear words were approached as wrong with Uncle Jesse commenting with "you watch your language."

The General Lee is the main culprit of this ordeal because of the Confederate Flag being displayed proudly on the roof of the stock car. But if you think about it, what is the Confederate Flag?

The Confederate Flag, also known as the Battle Flag, Rebel Flag, or Dixie Flag is a symbol that was used as a symbol of the south during the American Civil War. Since the time of the Civil War, the Confederate Flag has been incorporated in state flags such as Georgia and Mississippi. There have been many flags throughout our history, including the all around United States Flag. A flag is primarily a method or symbol of identification. The Confederate Flag is an identification of the south during specific times in our history, a stepping stone that makes us what we are today.

Many people have taken this piece of cloth or design to a whole new level and have attached emotional meanings to it, love hate, pride, and also veneration. I personally see this flag as a symbol of pride for those who live or have lived in the south, just as our American Flag shows a symbolic pride for our states.

But if you look deep into the Dukes of Hazzard itself, you will find many African American actors who have starred. For example: Don Pedro Colley played the clever Sherriff Little, Al White played many different characters on the show, as well as Herb Jefferson Jr. played Walden, an FBI agent. These talented African American actors that played on the Dukes of Hazzard are just a few among many.

There was never a time on this family television show that they had made a racist remark or a racial approach on any of the context. To even make that statement infuriates me to no end. Yes, the Civil War was a war that played a major part in freeing and getting rid of slavery. But a piece of cloth or a design does not mean the person flying this flag is for slavery. To declare this idea is performing racism.

Racism is not only an act against African Americans, racism is defined as the belief that members of one race, whether African American, Caucasian, Hispanic, etc. are superior or inferior to members of other races. By the NAACP forcing the cancellation of a show based upon a flag shows that they are claiming themselves to be superior. When in reality no race is more superior or inferior to the next.

Look beyond the flag, look inside the show at its morals that is what really matters. What matters is teaching your children how much family means, teaching your children the importance of honor, pride, and honesty. And of course, the moral of every Dukes of Hazzard, at the end is that the bad guy never wins. In this case, the NAACP is the bad guy, and is contradicting themselves and their goals as an organization.

We are in a world where racism runs amuck. Judgments are quick to be made by the color of the skin, the person's type of religion, even their weight, and sexual preference. In the end, we all know that there was slavery, and we all know that enslaving people whether their color is red, white, black, blue or purple is wrong. That moment is in our history and many have learned from it and transcended by it. But cancelling a television show because of that one symbol that brings back the memory of slavery in our history is so small based on the positive teachings that the show has to offer.

I think what the world needs to think about is the positive and get rid of the negative, especially in this case of the NAACP vs. The Dukes of Hazzard. I'm not racist and I think the NAACP's mission is a positive one, however the Dukes of Hazzard have been around for years, why start this controversy now? And there is no proof that the show is racist, because like I said... a flag is a piece of cloth that people attach emotions to, it is no the slavery itself.

So leave the Dukes of Hazzard alone and let them continue to teach the world its family values and continue to praise it as a piece of Americana. I know I will.