Like millions of other Americans, my ancestors fought on the side of the Confederate States in the American Civil War. For much of my life, I saw this as a point of pride - even though deep down I knew that the Confederacy stood for horrible, terrible things. Surrounded by a cocoon of mythology which sanitized the Confederate cause, I tried to look past the bad things and cling to fantasy.
Being duped by Confederate mythology is something I moved past long ago, but I think anyone can be ensnared by national narratives which obstruct honest criticisms of our pasts. Most of us come from cultures and countries which have both good and bad sides. Do we have a duty to embrace justify both the good and the bad, or is there a moral imperative to criticize historic wrongdoing whoever is at fault?
Music: Radio Night / River of Remorse / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
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