Confederate Railroad Gets Dixie Chick’d from Fair Because of Name
Outlaw country and Southern rock group Confederate Railroad has been removed from playing at the Du Quoin State Fair in Illinois this August due to the band’s name. Originally scheduled to perform with Restless Heart and Shenandoah under the banner “90s Country Reloaded Day” on August 27th, it was announced this week the act had been removed from the bill.
“The Illinois Department of Agriculture has removed Confederate Railroad from our 2019 Du Quoin State Fair Grandstand lineup,” Du Quoin State Fair Manager Josh Gross confirmed to the Pinckneyville Press in a prepared statement earlier this week. “While every artist has a right to expression, we believe this decision is in the best interest of serving all the people in our state.”
The removal of Confederate Railroad has stirred a public backlash against the fair, and become a national issue as many are concerned about Freedom of Speech and the overreaching of political correctness. Though Confederate Railroad has not addressed the issue directly, multiple other public personalities have, including Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys, who stated, “Canceling Confederate Railroad JUST because their name is CONFEDERATE RAILROAD is a crock of crap!!! These are good men singing good songs … God please help us all.”
Charlie Daniels has also stated, “This political correctness thing is totally out of control. When a fair cancels the Confederate Railroad band because of their name its giving in to fascism, plain and simple and our freedom disappears piece by piece.”
Founded in 1987 in Marietta, GA, Confederate Railroad was signed to Atlantic Records throughout the 90’s and charted multiple hits. “We’re not racists,” frontman Danny Shirley told the Los Angeles Times back in 1994. “I don’t think we attract racists, either — just people who like to drink beer and party and whoop it up. Being a redneck doesn’t mean you’re a racist. We were looking for a name that says we play Southeastern music.”
Here are some important points to keep in mind when considering Confederate Railroad’s name, and their removal from the Du Quoin State Fair roster.
1. This is a First Amendment Issue of the First Order
Removing Confederate Railroad from the lineup of the Illinois State Fair in Du Quoin expressly because of their name is a violation of Article 1 of the Constitution of the United States protecting the right of free speech and expression. Though the 1st Amendment is often invoked in a varied number of applications, the Freedom of Speech provision does not extend to the decisions of private companies, the terms of service for social media entities such as Facebook and Twitter, or protect individuals from public backlash for things they might say, similar to what happened to the country group the Dixie Chicks in 2003 when they criticized George W. Bush and the Iraq War, and were subsequently blackballed from the country radio format.
However, the 1st Amendment is absolute when it comes to how governmental bodies include or exclude individuals or entities. The Illinois Department of Agriculture is a governmental body, and the fair’s manager Josh Gross is a government employee. The Du Quoin State Fair publicly chose to book Confederate Railroad to perform on August 27th, meaning the band had been vetted and approved, and deemed appropriate and qualified for the venue and the event. The only reason that agreement between Illinois Department of Agriculture and Confederate Railroad was nullified was due to a word in their name. This is a direct violation of the 1st Amendment. If a private promoter such as LiveNation was involved, they would not be directly beholden to Article 1 concerns. The Du Quoin State Fair has been owned and operated by the State of Illinois since 1986.
Though the 1st Amendment protects free speech, clear uses of hate speech that incites violence or that is tied to a crime has been deemed inappropriate and unlawful in decisions upheld by Federal courts. If Confederate Railroad had outwardly racist lyrics, then it would be an imperative for the Illinois government to nullify the performance, and fair of the public and press to question why they had been considered to play a state-owned function and venue in the first place. However, this is not the case.
2. Understanding The Geography Is Key
Du Quoin, Illinois is located in the very southern tip of the state. For context, Du Quoin is farther south than Louisville, Kentucky. Du Quoin is 80 miles closer to Nashville than it is to Chicago. The primary State Fair for the State of Illinois is held in the Capital of Springfield, which is over two hours north of Du Quoin. In 2019, the Illinois State Fair in Springfield will occur August 8th thru the 18th, while the Du Quoin State Fair is being held August 23rd thru September 2nd. The purpose of the Du Quoin State Fair is to represent the individuals in southern Illinois, many of whom identify more regionally with Missouri and Kentucky. When Du Quoin State Fair Manager Josh Gross says the decision was made in the interest of “serving all the people in our state,” it does not take into consideration that the purpose of the State Fair in Du Quoin is to serve the interests of the Illinois residents that live in the region who are regularly underserved in a state where the power and population centers reside much farther north.
3. It Was a Press Member, Not Public Outcry That Led to the Cancellation
The cancellation of Confederate Railroad was not due to any public outcry, petitions by local residents, protests in any part of the region or state, or social media activity from any community on the local or regional level. Instead, the decision to cancel the Confederate Railroad performance is being attributed to a post on June 17th by a political blogger named Rich Miller writing for Capitol Fax that questioned whether a band with the term “Confederate” in the name should be allowed to play a state-owned venue. According to local reports, this is what led to the The Illinois Department of Agriculture cancelling the performance. Furthermore, the prevailing backlash in the region has been from angry residents who feel their rights and opinions were not heard or accounted for in the decision to cancel Confederate Railroad, not from citizens concerned about the Confederate Railroad name.
Political blogger Rich Miller questioned directly in his post if it was appropriate for Confederate Railroad to play a government-owned venue in the “Land Of Lincoln.” However Confederate Railroad played the Bond County Fourth Fest’s Independence Day Celebration in downtown Greenville, IL on July 6th, and are also scheduled to play the Lawrence County Fair in Sumner, IL on August 3rd. The band has regularly performed throughout the State of Illinois for many years.
4. The Removal of Confederate Railroad Starts a Path Down a Slippery Slope
Confederate Railroad has no songs that could be considered or construed as racist. The band has never been accused of making racist comments. Being disallowed to play a government-organized event and venue simply because of their name and after being approved opens up a slippery slope of concerns for the future of free speech in musical performance and beyond. A similar outcome could happen to artists such as the Dixie Chicks, whose name also makes direct reference to the Civil War South, and have already been the victims of an unfair political backlash. Mainstream country act Lady Antebellum derives its name from the glorified Antebellum Era in the American South when slavery was still legal. Artists such as Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, and John Denver, who covered The Band’s sympathetic Confederate anthem “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” could face backlash and erosion of their legacy due to misunderstanding, or misconstruing by the media or public. Furthermore, if a band like the Dixie Chicks were allowed to play an Illinois state function after Confederate Railroad had been removed, this would be an example of a clear double standard based not on name, but political alignment since the two country music outfits reside on opposite sides of the political spectrum from each other.
– – – – – – – – – – –
The lesson of the blackballing of the Dixie Chicks is how unreasonable political vitriol can result in unjust outcomes. This lesson should apply to the situation facing Confederate Railroad. The Confederacy is an unavoidable part of American history, and referencing that legacy is not always condoning its sins. It is fair to question how we are to learn from the lessons of the Civil War if we eradicate any notions of the Confederacy’s existence from culture, which is the headlong and misguided effort of many. Furthermore, these efforts at eradicating Southern heritage rarely do anything to solve the continued concerns of racism in America, they often exacerbate them by emboldening racists due to the double standards behind the decisions, and the unreasonable incursion into Free Speech rights they often involve. Removing Confederate Railroad from the Du Quoin State Fair has stirred racism, not stamped it out.
The Freedom of Speech is an apolitical and agnostic principle at the foundation of American Democracy. A strike against anyone for exercising Freedom of Speech is a strike against everyone’s Freedom of Speech.
On April 10th, 1865—the day after Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox—President Lincoln came out on the streets of Washington DC to address a crowd of roughly 3,000 people who had assembled to celebrate the news. Lincoln had no prepared statement, but saw that there was a band that had joined the throng and requested they play “Dixie” before they played “Yankee Doodle.” “I have always thought ‘Dixie’ one of the best tunes I have ever heard,” Lincoln said.
Today, it’s fair to be concerned if Abraham Lincoln would be considered a Confederate sympathizer, as opposed to someone who understood the appeal of a good song.
Confederate Railroad has not addressed the controversy publicly. The Du Quoin State Fair date remains on their tour calendar.
July 7, 2019 @ 5:06 pm
I am officially so sick of all of this. Europe is already there with oppression of free speech. I just wonder when people are going to have enough here. Thank God for the First Amendment.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:31 pm
Please share family and friends,and if you will take the time to call on of the two numbers I have posted here to demand they put the Confederate Railroad band back on the venue!! This is getting rediculous,all because Confederate is in their name,is why they pulled this band!! Here are the numbers,please even if you don’t live in Illinois you can still make your voices heard! We have to stand together, because when is it going to stop,and what is next!! There is power in numbers! Thank you,and I hope we can make a difference!
Fairgrounds Manager is Chris
DuQuoin 618-542-1515
Springfield 217-782-6661
July 8, 2019 @ 4:19 am
#boycottduquoinstatefair
July 8, 2019 @ 12:31 am
In what way is ‘Europe is already there with oppression of free speech’?
July 8, 2019 @ 2:06 am
Read anything about France this week.
July 8, 2019 @ 6:29 am
People are being arrested in England for posting stuff on Facebook.
July 8, 2019 @ 12:56 pm
… and you did not realize those were overblown articles “sponsored” by Breitbart, defending hate speech against immigrants …
July 9, 2019 @ 12:50 am
The ones I am talking about are in the New York Times and The Hill, hardly sponsored by Breitbart.
July 12, 2019 @ 3:08 pm
You should go to Germany or France and see how ridiculous it has gotten. I’ve gone there every year for decades, and it’s truly sad to see how PC is destroying the very fabric of these nations.
July 8, 2019 @ 6:34 am
Are you familiar with the European Arrest Warrant?
July 8, 2019 @ 11:05 am
No, but I saw Europe and Warrant in concert once.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:08 am
Did Warrant play 32 Pennies in a Ragu Jar?
July 8, 2019 @ 6:49 am
Hell …they jailed a guy in Scotland for posting a video of his Pug dog raising its paw doing the ” Nazi salute”
Effing liberal Asshats.
July 7, 2019 @ 5:17 pm
The extreme left are cut from the same cloth as the extreme right.
Both groups are too stupid too see it.
July 7, 2019 @ 11:16 pm
Bingo.
July 8, 2019 @ 7:02 am
Damn autocorrect.
July 8, 2019 @ 12:31 pm
You are absolutely, 100% correct, particularly with regard to both groups being too stupid to see it. So you get stupidity from the left like this and then stupidity from the right if someone doesn’t stand appropriately during the National Anthem.
Why can’t people just shut the fuck up and let others live their lives? Why do people feel the need to try to make people live like they do? You want to change gender? Knock yourself out. How does that impact me? You want to go to church every time it’s open and hang flags around your house? Knock yourself out. How does that impact me?
What the fuck is wrong with people?!?!?!
July 9, 2019 @ 4:10 pm
Somewhere in the middles just fine
July 7, 2019 @ 5:24 pm
This is my local state fair and let me tell you people are irate over this. Whitey Morgan is going to be performing at the state fair this year and my husband and I had planned on going but after this ordeal we will not be supporting the fair at all. I have seen Confederate Railroad perform at a local of our local fall festivals and there has never been any complaints about their name. The state of Illinois is such a shithole.
July 7, 2019 @ 5:27 pm
Trigger, I’m glad that you spoke of the geography. People automatically think the whole state is Chicago. From where I live I can be in Birmingham just as fast as I could be in Chicago.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:43 pm
It sounds like Sh$tcago is trying to dictate how the rest of you in Illinois live.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:16 pm
Oh Chicago has always dictated how we live. That place has ruined our state.
July 8, 2019 @ 8:03 am
For the record I don’t live in the actual city of Chicago and I hate going into the city for anything and only do so to see a concert and support the bands on here that only play in the city.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:46 pm
Is Whitey going to be banned because of his name?
July 8, 2019 @ 2:59 pm
yes. They also already declared the American flag racist. Not just the confederate one.
July 9, 2019 @ 11:09 am
Who declared the American flag racist?
July 9, 2019 @ 11:16 am
The American flag flew over slavery for a lot longer than the Confederate battle flag.
July 9, 2019 @ 11:49 am
Colin Kaepernick complained when Nike put the Betsy Roos flag i=on a pair of sneakers to celebrate the 4th of July. Colin asserted that the flag is racist because when the 13 colonies were around, racism was illegal in American. This is the slippery slope at work. And yes, there are also factions that are saying that the American Flag in general is a symbol of racism.
July 9, 2019 @ 5:46 am
Same here Farmer. We USED to attend all the motorsport events at both fairs. No more! One less hotel room for 2 nights, both places, no 2 meals a day for both of us, no more concession purchases, no more parking fee. With us it WAS 6 events a year and planned on going to this very concert. PC can kiss my dick.
July 7, 2019 @ 5:33 pm
Have we finally reached peak-politically correct stupidity? Sadly, probably not. One political “blogger” caused this. As Joe from the Oak Ridge Boys said, “God please save us all!”
July 7, 2019 @ 5:38 pm
Dylan cut one of the best “Dixie” Covers ever. This is getting out of hand. They’re trying to guilt white people into this trap. Euthanizing history because of sins sets a dangerous precedent. It’s Marxism 101. Same crap the Politburo and the KGB did in The Former Soviet Union through the political secularist wing of the communist party.
What’s Next? Radio station executives will ban Dixieland Delight from its rotation. So will OCMS and Alabama be told to not play Dixieland Delight at Music Festivals and shows. Fight Back. Tired of this mArxist crap.
July 7, 2019 @ 5:38 pm
I grew up in Southern Illinois, and we were never overly fond of the people up in Springfield and Chicago who looked down their noses at us “bumpkins” (but were always ready to take our money for their boondoggles).
So it comes as no surprise that this stink was stirred up by somebody who 1) probably had no intention of going to that fair, 2) probably wouldn’t be caught dead listening to country music, and 3) probably doesn’t know squat about the band.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:38 pm
No offense, but I would bet that Chicago and other large cities in Illinois effectively subsidize your rural area. I work in local government in a rural part of the Country and the fact is the tax base is almost always in large metro areas. That money is then distributed across rural America to pay for roads, broadband, farm subsides, etc.
That’s not to say the IDA is correct here, just the idea that urban America somehow “robs” rural America is wrong. Rural America supplies the food and urban America supplies the taxes.
July 8, 2019 @ 4:45 am
You’d think but they actually don’t. They keep the money for themselves for the most part. My local school district had a digital billboard up that would highlight upcoming school events and then also show the amount of money the state owed our district daily. (usually well over $100,000). Our local district had to have fundraisers to scrape up extra money.
July 8, 2019 @ 6:33 am
Not in Maryland! Baltimore is an economic drain, and the rural Eastern Shore is a net loser when it comes taxes vs spending.
July 9, 2019 @ 8:55 am
Horseshit. The urban areas always waste more tax money than they receive.
July 9, 2019 @ 2:15 pm
Most urban & suburban areas of this country drive tax growth. Drive through the Midwest and tell me how many rural areas are thriving and producing massive tax hauls for states. Your statement simply doesnt line up with the modern reality of rural America. Many rural areas are being propped up right now by agricultural welfare and tax dollars being generated in urban and suburban America.
July 7, 2019 @ 5:46 pm
First of all, I think this is wrong.
However, we evolve and amendments evolve (at least they should). There are hundreds of words we used 50-60 years ago which are no long acceptable in common dialogue. The remaining members of Lynyrd Skynyrd stopped using confederate flag imagery years ago because they felt it became a racist symbol. To get this kind of reaction to the name Confederate Railroad (another band without original members) doesn’t shock me today and I’m not dying on that hill for it’s survival. It’s part of evolution …. we don’t smoke on planes anymore or use led paint and Archie Bunker isn’t using the word negro on TV. Confederate Railroad can still play clubs in south Illinois, but they aren’t welcome to at very public event like a fair in souther Illinois. Neither are the following bands: The Revolting Cocks, Nashville Pussy, Fucked Up, Funeral Rape, or Gay Witch Abortion, or Cock and Ball Torture. I’m not losing any sleep over it and I don’t feel my freedoms are being infringed upon.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:04 pm
The next dirty word is “country.” In fact, it already is in many circles, and growing more and more each day with every Lil Nas X think piece. This is the slippery slope.
“Confederate Railroad can still play clubs in south Illinois, but they aren’t welcome to at very public event like a fair in souther Illinois.”
That’s why I point out they just played an even in downtown Greenville, IL last night, and are also scheduled to play the Lawrence County Fair in Sumner, IL on August 3rd. They literally just played a public event in southern Illinois, and have another one on their schedule. You know why? Because the music of Confederate Railroad is innocuous. Maren Morris is more offensive.
Frankly, I think calling a band “Confederate Railroad” sounds fuddy duddy and outmoded. These guys have been living off their first record for going on 30 years. But it happens to be perfect for the State Fair circuit. People know them, it brings the local rural country music listeners out, and no one gets hurt. I understand and respect why some are offended by the Confederate flag and other homages to Southern culture, and I think it’s fair if they want to raise a beef. But there was no beef to be had. Nobody was complaining except for a political blogger. Now this State Fair has a much bigger problem on their hands than a band with a deprecated name.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:14 pm
Next on their secularist Marxist agenda:
1. Remove Dixieland Delight out of Stations country music rotation. Advise Alabama and OCMS not to play Dixieland delights at Music Festivals and shows or they will be banned. Marxists don’t stop plucking away.
This is Straight of the Book of Karl Marx
July 7, 2019 @ 6:27 pm
Calm down. No one is pulling Confederate Railroad music from the shelves or digital stores. The FCC hasn’t issued a statement forbidding radio stations from playing Confederate Railroad music. As Trig pointed out, they are still playing shows in that region.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:55 pm
Just like no one was going to pull accolades given to the Founding Fathers? Remember, they just wanted to take down Confederate generals. That is all they wanted.
Well, Charlottesville just eliminated Thomas Jefferson Day. And other monuments are under attack. Those people aren’t going to stop. If you give a mouse a cookie….
July 8, 2019 @ 4:32 am
Sure, it’s just a small thing. But that’s precisely the problem.
It’s got the people on the receiving end wondering: is there ANY tiny corner of our lives that the PC hatchet-wielders won’t come after? If the PC crowd will raise a big fuss over a band playing a fair they wouldn’t go to if you paid them, it seems hard to believe they’ll let anything else go.
July 8, 2019 @ 6:00 am
That’s not the point. The point is they should be allowed to play at that fair because there is nothing wrong with that group. They are a wonderful group they do a good show and their music is fantastic. We go all over the country watching them because they are so good and we enjoy them. And by the way we do have every one of their CDs .
July 7, 2019 @ 7:24 pm
Same with Dixie Road AND God Bless The USA. Lee Greenwood fans…unite! They may be able to remove statues, crosses, murals and passages from history books. But God help them messing with country music. Charlie Daniels, John Rich and others need to put together a televised benefit concert (i.e. Live Aid) to raise money for a legal defense fund against all of this PC BS.
July 8, 2019 @ 2:58 pm
Not just the confederate flag. They also claimed (and still claim) the American flag is also racist. And even got Nike to declare it as racist also and drop it.
https://nypost.com/2019/07/04/nikes-pathetic-colin-kaepernick-bungle-turned-betsy-ross-flag-into-racist-symbol/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/leeigel/2019/07/08/the-slippery-slope-of-nike-pulling-betsy-ross-flag-sneakers-after-colin-kaepernick-criticism/#65e2cb702a2c
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/07/05/nike_and_betsy_ross_flag_the_left_salutes_tribalism_140716.html
July 7, 2019 @ 6:24 pm
Also, you got to look at who was footing the bill. I’m guessing Illinois Department of Agriculture with public funds? That’s what makes it different than a club show. The middle ground is a very vanilla, boring place.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:37 pm
You need learn the motives behind these people and who’s fueling this. Also, it’s called a slippery slope.. so please spare me the advice to calm down
July 8, 2019 @ 12:20 pm
CR was to be part of a ticketed event, with prices from $14 to $20. One could argue that cancelling them will likely be a financially irresponsible act for the state, which apparently adds up to good politics.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:54 pm
You should be concerned. This is a direct violation of the First Amendment.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:17 pm
Who decides what is unacceptable? Words are just that words. If you don’t like what someone has to say with their choice of words don’t listen.
July 8, 2019 @ 2:14 am
You are a fool.
July 8, 2019 @ 6:26 am
Inalienable rights don’t evolve dummy.
July 8, 2019 @ 7:27 am
Tell that to women who didn’t have the right to vote. Then we evolved and amended the constitution. There’s 33 amendments to the constitution because we evolved, got smarter and learned from our lessons.
Signed,
Dummy
July 8, 2019 @ 8:48 am
first 10 amendments the constitution are inalienable rights spelled out by the Bill or rights. They don’t evolve. Anything after that, is a different story.
July 8, 2019 @ 10:50 am
I mean…they’re literally “Amendments” to the Constitution, haha.
The fact that they didn’t make the first draft is in the name.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:05 am
33 amendments to the constitution ???? try 27
July 8, 2019 @ 11:34 am
Oh for Fox sakes! I’m off by 6. My point is invalid now.
July 8, 2019 @ 4:57 pm
With all due respect, your point was never valid. The first 10 amendments to the constitution and the bill of rights are one and the same. If you advocate for “evolving” the first amendment you are willingly giving up your right to free speech. It is paramount that these amendments should never be changed. You don’t have to like the name confederate railroad, but you must respect their right to use that name.
July 9, 2019 @ 8:57 am
I don’t think you know what the word inalienable means. HInt: Its not provided by government.
July 9, 2019 @ 9:07 pm
This kind of “it doesn’t affect me” mentality is how Nazis were able to take over Germany, and almost the world. 6 million Jews died, but it didn’t affect the non-Jewish population, so they let it happen. 20 million Russians died because of the same weak-minded lack of commitment to principles, as Stalin did his thing.
In America, the southern states were decimated in the aftermath of the war of Northern Aggression. We rebuilt Germany, Japan, and Iraq. We ground the bootheel into our own peoples’ necks. There is a reason for this contrast: The politicians of the North feared the potential of a future uprising. They made damn sure it could never happen again.
Were the American Revolution to take place today, we would never win our independence. But hey, “it doesn’t affect me” so I am not going to die on that hill…….
Will we all just stand by and watch as the freedoms that we don’t use are taken away from those who do use them, until they finally show up to take away the one that does “affect me”? Each of us will only cry out when they take away the ONE thing we care about, and that’s just guaranteeing that we will LOSE THEM ALL.
July 7, 2019 @ 5:51 pm
Once again, my state makes me so proud. Retiring in 18 months, then the People’s Republic of Illinois will be in my rear view mirror.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:49 pm
Hope there is a Portillo’s in what ever part of Florida or Arizona you are moving to. Da’ Bears!! Ditka!
July 7, 2019 @ 5:54 pm
I hope the ACLU or similar gets involved. You’re right, this a slippery slope and leads to a bad place.
Also, you know things are actually pretty good in society (in practical, real terms) when this is what a hactivist has to whine and feel virtuous about.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:02 pm
Fuck Illinois, I’m embarrassed to even share a border with that shithole
July 7, 2019 @ 6:07 pm
The political left’s desire to unravel and destroy all facets of traditional American culture, be it good or bad, is on full public display these days and the Constitution and Bill of Rights are at the top of the left’s hit list. This type of idiotic politically correct bullcrap just keeps becoming more and more common, blatant and extreme as it gains momentum fueled by the news and entertainment media establishments, the education system at all levels, and above all the Democrat party which now extolls the virtues of socialism over personal freedom and liberty.
This reminds me of the Los Angeles Auto Show a couple of years ago where Fiat/Chrysler had a display case full of iconic Chrysler Corp.related items. In that case they had a small scale model of the “General Lee” Dodge Charger from the old Dukes of Hazzard TV series of the 1970’s and the confederate flag on the roof was missing. The way the left is now conveniently defining nearly everything in this country as “offensive” will unravel the fabric of our society, which has been it’s goal all along. Truly pathetic.
July 8, 2019 @ 3:04 pm
They already declared the American flag is racist also. Look up “Nike” and “American flag”
July 7, 2019 @ 6:09 pm
Boycott this fair and boycott these political bastards. Let Chicago die.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:30 pm
Privatize the State Fair and none of this would happen
July 7, 2019 @ 6:36 pm
Boycott the fair!! Ridiculous!!
July 7, 2019 @ 6:37 pm
I agree, boycott this fair, and don’t spend a dime in the town either.
July 9, 2019 @ 9:24 am
It isn’t the towns fault! The decision came straight from the governors office! Call the governors office and complain!
July 7, 2019 @ 6:43 pm
The funny thing about all the recent controversy over Confederate material is that Civil War veterans were more hospitable to each other during battle reunions and those men shot at each other. Monuments were installed, etc.
Heck, even in the 70s and 80s, Southern culture dominated the airwaves and popular media yet America survived.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:44 pm
Just a minor point of order on the first sentence, I’t’s not the Illinois State Fair in Du Quoin, it’s the Du Quoin State Fair. It was originally established by local business entities to give farmers and ranchers in the south an opportunity to show and compete without making the long trip to Springfield. The State of Illinois did take over operation several years ago, but the name remains the same.
I have to say, I’m pretty disappointed in my home state while at the same time not the least bit surprised.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:46 pm
Well, the good news is all racism has now disappeared from Illinois because of this heroic stance. Chicago will now be free from the vast numbers of shootings. Affirmative action is now rendered outdated. Fatherless children in Chicago have forsaken the hood lifestyle.
A wonderful day.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:47 pm
PC insanity is destroying us.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:47 pm
Daddy Never Was the Illinois Kind
July 7, 2019 @ 6:48 pm
My name is Eric Heflin and I’m part of the #boycottduquoinstatefair page on Facebook. Alot of people are outraged over this. Rich Miller… a blogger started this which I been in contact with but he bacame non responsive to emails when ask why he raised ruckus about the Confederate Railroad and their cover and not snoop dogg and his album name and cover which depicts a dead president trump with a toe tag labeled trump and album called make America Crip again which everyone knows is a very hostile gang originated on the west coast. Which Snoops album cover is the front runner for this state fair concert in our Illinois Capitol. I think both should play or both should be addressed the same.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:53 pm
Trigger,
I love Confederate Railroad as a band, but I actually disagree that this is a violation of the 1st Amendment.
The 1st Amendment protects people from being prosecuted for their speech, but as far as I’m aware, it has never been interpreted to force a government entity to hire someone or prevent a government entity from not hiring someone, for any reason or no reason.
Also, you mentioned that “hate speech” has been deemed unlawful by the courts. Since we are not in Europe, could you please explain what the heck you’re talking about? Seriously. Either you’re really confused about something, or I’ve overlooked a significant ruling. Please elaborate.
As for the name “Confederate Railroad”, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why anyone who calls them self a Rebublican, or conservative (I’m neither of those), is so obsessed with celebrating what was essentially the former Democrat nation and what is essentially the retired battle flag of the Democrat Party. It’s a very strange phenomenon if you think about it. I have my own theories about it, but it would get way off topic.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:13 pm
I have to agree. The Supreme Court has so far ruled that hate speech is protected, unless it incites violence.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:25 pm
“The 1st Amendment protects people from being prosecuted for their speech, but as far as I’m aware, it has never been interpreted to force a government entity to hire someone or prevent a government entity from not hiring someone, for any reason or no reason.”
The important point here is that Confederate Railroad WAS hired for a service, and then fired later simply for their name. The fact that they were hired as opposed to just being rejected or not even considered is a very critical element to this story, and why I tried to emphasize it multiple times in the article. The reason it’s so important is because it proves that the Department of Agriculture first deemed Confederate Railroad as qualified to do the job, and then rejected them later for their name. If and when this issue goes to litigation, this is where the case will hinge. The Department of Agriculture has every right to choose who they wish to play this fair. But if they then turn around and cancel a performance based off of a band’s right to expression, this would be in violation of the 1st Amendment. When Josh Gross said, “While every artist has a right to expression…” he cooked his own goose, because he admitted that it was Confederate Railroad’s “expression” in their name that they found disagreeable.
“Also, you mentioned that “hate speech” has been deemed unlawful by the courts.”
If you use racial or homophobic slurs during a crime, or a crime can be proven to be motivated by bigotry, then it can be labeled as a hate crime, which can and does lead to more charges against individuals, stiffer penalties, or federal charges on top of local/state charges. These “hate crimes” have also been upheld by numerous courts as not being protected by the 1st Amendment.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:38 pm
I doubt this ever gets litigated, but I wish it would be. Trigger, your point that they were hired as qualified then fired because of their name (which they had at the time they were hired) is a very interesting legal argument. It would be interesting to see how the courts decided this.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:46 pm
No, Trig, it doesn’t matter if they were hired, then fired, or never hired at all, no one is being prosecuted. 1A does not apply here. 1A prevents prosecution; it does not entitle you to a government job.
…”If you use racial or homophobic slurs, or a crime can be proven to be motivated by bigotry, then it can be labeled as a hate crime, which can and does lead to more charges against individuals, stiffer penalties, or federal charges on top of local/state charges.”…
Says whom? A crime is not the same speech. If you’re saying “hate speech” is now a crime in the United States, then please name the ruling where it was declared as such, or cite the applicable statute.
July 7, 2019 @ 8:50 pm
Honky,
With all due respect, you’re getting two separate ideas convoluted here. Nobody is being “prosecuted,” meaning the bringing of a criminal complaint. The band is being “persecuted” for expression due to their name, and by a governmental body. This is what the 1st Amendment is meant to protect against.
July 7, 2019 @ 9:17 pm
No Sir, I don’t need an English lesson, but it seems you may be in need of a civics and/or history lesson.
You fundamentally misunderstand 1A. It’s intent is to prevent prosecution. It does not, and should not, prevent persecution.
July 8, 2019 @ 9:01 am
Honky,
The name of this band, and the fact that it was cited to breach a contract, is most certainly a 1st Amendment issue.
– – – – – – – – –
“Members of the Asian-American rock band The Slants have the right to call themselves by a disparaging name, the Supreme Court says, in a ruling that could have broad impact on how the First Amendment is applied in other trademark cases.
The Slants’ frontman, Simon Tam, filed a lawsuit after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office kept the band from registering its name and rejected its appeal, citing the Lanham Act, which prohibits any trademark that could “disparage … or bring … into contemp[t] or disrepute” any “persons, living or dead,” as the court states.
After a federal court agreed with Tam and his band, the Patent and Trademark Office sued to avoid being compelled to register its name as a trademark. On Monday, the Supreme Court sided with The Slants.
“The disparagement clause violates the First Amendment’s Free Speech Clause,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his opinion for the court.”
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/19/533514196/the-slants-win-supreme-court-battle-over-bands-name-in-trademark-dispute
July 8, 2019 @ 1:39 pm
I see where both of you are coming from, but I think Honky still has the better argument here. Confederate Railroad is still being allowed to be Confederate Railroad, whereas The Slants were being prevented from The Slants by the trademark people.
One point that I think is being lost here is that the performers at the Fair aren’t government employees –they’re essentially contractors, and the state govt is under no obligation to hire anyone in particular for whatever reason.
The only real option is to petition the governor to fire the fair organizers or vote in someone who will.
The slippery slope goes both ways, really. If Confederate Railroad can force a contract due to free speech, then the same argument could be made for Planned Parenthood, for example, when state government cancels contracts with that organization and others it deems to not be in the best interests of its populace.
July 8, 2019 @ 2:18 pm
The Slants story was not the crux of my 1st Amendment argument, just an example of how the name of a band became a 1st Amendment issue. If Confederate Railroad, then the Dixie Chicks, then Lady Antebellum, than any band that has ever sung a song that could be considered sympathetic to the Confederacy end up being rejected from playing any event that is promoted or sponsored with public funds, this most definitely would be a 1st Amendment issue violating the freedom of expression.
Also, the people who made the decision at the fair were not contractors. They were government employees and entities. This is well established.
July 8, 2019 @ 1:49 pm
Freedom of speech doesn’t equal freedom of consequence. There is no law prohibiting the band from having confederate in their name or prohibiting them from performing. It might be a breech if contract but for all we know the state has a clause in theirs giving them a right to cancel for any reason.
Just like the black balling of the Dixie Chicks who used their right to free speech and then had to suffer the consequences because it wasn’t illegal for radio stations to hold butthurt CD burning parties, CR has to facethe consequences of having a name that many find offensive.
July 8, 2019 @ 6:00 pm
I never said the fair organizers are contractors. I said the artists are the contractors. The people who are actual employees of the fair organizers, and the fair organizers themselves, are people who work in the applicable state offices (parks and rec, community outreach, or something like that), and they are the ones protected by the 1st amendment. The rules change when the govt. hires contractors, and everything is fair game. Another example of this type of arrangement, and why it’s advantageous to govt, is Blackwater and all the other private contractor mercenary corporations who aren’t as restricted/protected by federal law and the Constitution, and who therefore can do the dirty work the State can’t.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:53 pm
Just like no one was going to pull accolades given to the Founding Fathers? Remember, they just wanted to take down Confederate generals. That is all they wanted.
Well, Charlottesville just eliminated Thomas Jefferson Day. And other monuments are under attack. Those people aren’t going to stop. If you give a mouse a cookie….
July 7, 2019 @ 7:18 pm
CountryKnight,
I’ve gathered from a lot of your comments that you’re probably a conservative Republican type of person. Shouldn’t you be happy the Democrat monuments are torn down?
I feel pretty neutral on the issue myself. I like history, but I’m pretty independent as far as politics go. But I think if I were a Republican, I’d be happy about these monuments being torn down.
July 7, 2019 @ 9:57 pm
Jefferson was as Right Wing as they get, and no I want Statues of Robert E Lee and Jefferson Davis up just as much as Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin
July 8, 2019 @ 4:28 am
Honky,
I am never happy to see history torn down or censored. That is a Communist tactic and America should be better than that.
It is an issue that goes beyond party lines even though the Democrats did erect the Confederate statues. The dirty little history they hate to admit so they try to push the false parties switching narrative.
July 8, 2019 @ 3:24 pm
Next they’ll probably ban the song “I wish I was in Dixie” as being racist and very offensive”
And anything to do with the south. Which means ALL country music bening banned as racist and offensive since it originated in the south.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:56 pm
Inevitably, someone is going to compare this to the Dixie Chicks. But it is not similar. Country Music and country music fans decided to block the Chicks, which they had every right to do so. The State of Illinois doesn’t have that right.
Crucial difference.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:23 pm
The 1A prevents people from being prosecuted for speech. No one is being prosecuted in this situation.
July 7, 2019 @ 10:00 pm
The Founding Fathers Prosecuted people for speech. 1A is about Persecution by Government. Which does not apply here because it is a job.
July 8, 2019 @ 12:09 am
@Honky
“The First Amendment prevents people from being prosecuted for speech.”
That’s true, but it’s a severely limited view of what the First Amendment does. The language of the First Amendment speaks of “abridging freedom of speech.” The Supreme Court has found violations of the First Amendment in all sorts of cases where a government body suppressed someone’s speech–whether or not the person whose speech was suppressed was also prosecuted.
..
Most famously, the Supreme Court found a violation of the First Amendment when the town of Skokie Illinois denied a parade permit to American “Nazis.” The Nazis weren’t prosecuted. They were merely denied a right to march through the streets of Skokie, waving swastikas.
July 7, 2019 @ 6:59 pm
As someone who is a bit left of center I have to say this is just ridiculous. I grew up with Confederate Railroad’s music and even saw them once opening for Sawyer Brown and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The fair deserves any and all backlash it gets over this dumb and idiotic move.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:05 pm
Anyone here catch the news (oh so shockingly not much reported) about the festival in Michigan charging different ticket prices based on race?
July 8, 2019 @ 4:35 am
Not until you made your post.
Can’t say I am surprised it happened in Detroit. Of course, racism against European Americans is OK in some eyes.
July 8, 2019 @ 6:58 am
Well the good news is they got called out and changed it, but still pretty crazy that they thought that was a good idea in the first place.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:06 pm
One more reason to get the hell outta this state!
July 7, 2019 @ 7:07 pm
“Country Reloaded”? Hoo boy, talk about a dog whistle. How’d that one get past you, Josh?
I demand the whole day be rebranded “90s Country Approved by Josh.”
While we’re at it, I DEMAND that “Chicago” change its name and make restitution for culturally appropriating the word “shikaakwa” from the locals.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:08 pm
Pretty much said in above posts. Welcome to post-common sense America where people are looking for ways to be offended so they can push an agenda. I hope CR sues but it would probably end up in the ninth circuit court of appeals in California.
I am sure AOC is clapping her approval. And as said earlier, it is nowhere the same as the Dixie Chicks.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:13 pm
I am an Illinois native and presently reside in the central part of the state. Northern, central, and southern Illinois are quite different and I assure you the attitude expressed by the fair in no way represents the state as a whole. Its really embarrassing the department of agriculture would make such a decision and issue such a statement.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:31 pm
Bet the pols in Crook, I mean Cook, County are applauding this brave, heroic stand by the Ag Department.
July 8, 2019 @ 4:46 am
Why do you say that? Why would you assume the people of Chicago would support such a decision? I grew up in a Chicago suburb and cant imagine anyone there being onboard with this.
July 8, 2019 @ 4:53 am
Not the citizens, the politicians. This is right in the machine’s wheelhouse. I would hope most of the fine folks in the metro area would not support this, glad that you are one of them.
July 8, 2019 @ 8:18 am
Yeah, it may be the “Illinois Department of Agriculture”, but like everything else in Springfield these days, it dances at the end of Pritzger & Madigan & Friends strings.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:17 pm
If I were Restless Heart or Shenandoah, I would walk on stage and play my opening number. Then I would say, “Please welcome our special guests,” hand our instruments over to Confederate Railroad and walk off stage…pull an Alan Jackson/George Jones move. If the fair tried to remove them, they would have to go through the fans first. It would be really ugly publicity. Every fan attending should wear a Confederate Railroad t-shirt. Local radio should play their music. All. Day. Long. FU, political correctness.
July 8, 2019 @ 9:21 am
When the Department of Agriculture realizes how important the Shenandoah Valley was to the Confederate army during the civil war they’ll probably cut them as well.
Long set for Restless Heart, I guess.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:25 pm
I had a whole different post typed, but when I submitted it, got an error saying I was posting too fast (which is weird because I haven’t commented here for several days).
Anyhoo, this is beyond stupid. This Miller guy wrote an article on a blog and the Illinois Department of Agriculture decided to boot Confederate Railroad. Really? Being a native of NC here in the deep South, I admit I’m not tuned into Illinois politics, but I never heard of this Miller guy. If the Dept. of Agriculture hadn’t acted, how many people would have even taken notice of this Miller’s article? I’m guessing not many.
We, as country music fans, are not being totally honest with ourselves if we can’t admit that some of our most treasured artists have a problematic past when it comes to racial sensitivity (“If the South Would Have Won” by HW Jr. springs to mind – a song I grew up with and love, but understand it could set some people on edge) but we can’t ever have an intelligent or meaningful discussion about our very real southern pride versus our racist history so long as the PC police keep nitpicking every single little teeny tiny reference to the old south.
I am more liberal than most country music fans I know, and even I am sick of it.
July 7, 2019 @ 7:41 pm
So as one who’s pretty progressive and wants nothing more than to see the Confederate battle flag removed from the Mississippi state flag. I agreed, at first, that this is ridiculous.
However, I’ve never seen CR live and started wondering if they use Confederate battle flag imagery at their shows. I checked their website, and while I didn’t see it in any current shows (definitely some in the past but I won’t hold it against them), it’s all over their logo. That needs to change.
So, are we sure this was *only* because of their name or could it be about the imagery they use as well? Most bands who would’ve had the battle flags flying 20 years ago have gotten rid of them. It’s time for CR to do the same.
July 7, 2019 @ 8:20 pm
Anything else they “need” to change to appease you? Do tell.
July 7, 2019 @ 9:33 pm
More than likely they’ll need to stop singing that song about trashy women as well….Might trigger some other groups.
July 7, 2019 @ 9:55 pm
Maybe we just ask “progressives” to write a handbook for everyone to follow, complete with acceptable language, dress code, and attitude guidelines. I mean, why not just cut to the chase?
July 8, 2019 @ 11:09 am
Well, according to nearly everyone here, the fair organizers “need” to change their decision and let them play. Maybe we should all just hush and not voice our opinions, at least that seems to be what you are saying. What’s your point?
July 8, 2019 @ 11:22 am
Sorry, your whataboutist argument doesn’t work here. Expecting our government institutions to uphold the constitution, either legally or in spirt, is different than telling a private citizen what to express.
You can say whatever you want, I never suggested otherwise. But don’t expect to not be called out for telling an artist what they “need” to do.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:35 am
Oh, good grief. I never said we should hold a gun to their head and make them. I never said the govt should either. You saw the word “progressive” and decided you disagree with everything I said and just want to argue. You might be surprised how closely we actually agree on many things. I’m not going to waste my time arguing with you any further though.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:44 am
We might, if you have classical liberal ideals. And I personally would never even think of using the confederate flag. But our freedoms are now under attack by “progressives.” And even though you didn’t mention a gun to the head, using langue like “must” implies some sort of force or pressure. In the age of outrage and cancel culture, that just didn’t sit right with me. Hopefully you can see why.
July 7, 2019 @ 8:55 pm
If it was the Confederate flag imagery that got Confederate Railroad canceled, it hasn’t been cited by anyone locally. Not that it didn’t play into the decision.
I have quite involved feelings when it comes to the Confederate flag. I understand how some see it as heritage, but I also see why others can see it as hate, even if that’s not how it’s intended. Because of this, I feel like it’s just best to avoid it. That’s not to cowtow to the politically correct, it’s just often not worth the fight, and why offend someone inadvertently? But even then, I still feel like people should have a right to fly it if they so choose, just like people have the right to march with propaganda on posters that many other people find offensive, and is often created purposely to be offensive. This is free speech at work, and as soon as you limit free speech on one side and not another, you’re inviting tyranny.
July 7, 2019 @ 9:31 pm
Some people will roll their eyes at your tyranny remark, but it’s very true and I respect you for saying it. It’s important to note that the intentions in these cases are often good hearted, even if didactic and self-righteous. But ultimately, while I would never set out to hurt anyone, we either value free speech or we don’t. There can’t be any in between.
July 7, 2019 @ 9:45 pm
I think the Confederate flag is a powerful symbol, and the nature of symbols is that they take on whatever meaning people give them. Many people might earnestly view it as a symbol of southern heritage and pride, but when Dylan Roof appropriates it to murder black people in church he changes its meaning in many people’s minds. Most of the time I see it flown now I can’t help but think it’s done as a deliberate finger in the eye of some cultural opponent, real or imagined, and where’s the point in that?
Being from the West, my history with the Confederate flag is pretty much uncomplicated, and I share your opinion that it may as well just be avoided.
July 7, 2019 @ 10:18 pm
Nobody in the area has said jack shit about the confederate flag. Most people around here have one or someone in their family does.
July 8, 2019 @ 7:25 am
Nobody had a problem with the flag until our terroristic media told them to.
July 9, 2019 @ 10:19 am
Maybe no one you know had a problem with it, but there are plenty of people that have had a problem with it for a long time, myself included.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:00 am
Eh, if they use the battle flag imagery onstage, the decision makes a lot more sense.
Pretty easy for people to construe that as something along the lines of “using state funds to glorify treason” and fire the bureaucrat in charge of allocating the funds.
July 10, 2019 @ 1:45 pm
The local paper where I live (not Illinois) was referring to it as being based on the use of the Confederate Flag, rather than the band’s name. I ran a search for a source local to the issue and found this, which DOES state that the use of the Confederate Flag in their logo, not the band’s name.
https://www.10tv.com/article/illinois-cancels-confederate-railroad-fair-lineup-over-flag-logo-2019-jul
Several other articles cited the same reason (the flag, not the name). I haven’t tried to focus on older articles to see if this is a post hoc rationalization or if it was the reason given from the outset.
Below is a link to an article about an IL State Rep raising the same question some have raised here about whether there is a double-standard in allowing Snoop Dogg to perform when he has an album depicting violence against a figure representing the current President. FWIW – There is no indication that Snoop Dogg’s album cover at issue was going to be incorporated into his stage show, as a band’s logo usually would be, like as a backdrop, on the bass drum, or even on merch. If the issue is the logo / flag, one wonders whether the band was given the option of performing if they omitted anything with that logo). I can see the argument that an act using the Confederate flag and name could constitute discrimination against people who have been targeted for harassment by individuals and groups using the Confederate flag as their symbol. I also can imagine someone arguing that Snoop Dogg’s album cover constituted discrimination by deterring them from attending the concert. I think that is a harder argument to make. No one waving his album cover has massacred a bunch of people at Church.
Under IL anti-discrimination law, it likely is problematic for the State to employ entertainment that will use imagery that is regarded as signaling to people that they are not welcome based on their membership in a protected category (e.g. race). The same logic would apply to a band using a Nazi flag in their logo or stage decor. Arguably, the same logic also would apply to Sinead O’Connor, if her plan for her show was to rip up a picture of the Pope. (Ostensibly discriminating against Catholics based on their religion).
https://www.illinoisreview.com/illinoisreview/2019/07/state-rep-bryant-on-duquoin-state-fair.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fdlacomb%2Fillinoisreview+%28illinoisreview%29
July 10, 2019 @ 2:18 pm
Yes, I’ve seen this. I’m not buying it. I think this is classic political spin. If it was the Confederate Flag, why did it take five days for someone to cite this when before credit was expressly given to the name? They decided people would forgive canceling for the flag, but not the name.
July 7, 2019 @ 10:00 pm
Lisa,
Based on your comment, I assume you are Democrat. If so, why are you so opposed to a fundamental part of your party’s history? If anything, your party’s former battle flag should serve as a reminder to you about how far your party has come. Why do you want to get rid of it?
It seems like everything is backwards. Republicans want to preserve and celebrate the Democrat Party’s history, and Democrats want to erase their own party’s history.
July 7, 2019 @ 10:30 pm
I think you’re assuming a continuity to the political parties that just isn’t there. Democrats might be liberal and Republicans conservative today, but that wasn’t always the case. The former Dixiecrats are Republicans now and don’t have much connection to the historical Republican party of the civil war era
July 7, 2019 @ 10:42 pm
Hi Zach,
The stuff you’re saying, is a very common misunderstanding or misrepresentation of history that a lot of younger people have bought into. And I’m not convinced that it’s not an intentional misleading, being perpetrated by universities and the media.
The reality is, it’s been thoroughly debunked, over and over. The parties never switched sides. I’d be happy to provide links for you, if you’d like to learn.
I’m an independent, but I like social studies.
July 8, 2019 @ 9:43 am
You’re talking nonsense, Honk. White southerners were Democrats until the 1960s. Over the ensuing two decades, white southerners almost completely switched to Republican. Barry Goldwater opposing the ’64 Civil Rights Act that LBJ pushed, followed by Nixon’s Southern Strategy and Ronald Reagan spurred the switch.
July 8, 2019 @ 12:27 pm
Lucky,
That’s a lie, that has been thoroughly, and completely debunked.
Who are you listening to?
Where are you hearing this lie?
Goldwater was a constitutionalist. The CRA is technically unconstitutional.
The Southern Strategy did not happen. It’s a myth. Please wake up.
I can’t believe you sleepy heads have got me defending one party over the other, as I despise them both. But there was no switch.
July 8, 2019 @ 1:57 pm
You’re just speaking more nonsense, Honk.
The vote on the Civil Rights Act had little to do with party. Northern Senators and Representatives voted FOR it, Southern Senators and Representatives voted AGAINST it. At the time, almost all the white southerners were in the Democratic party. Now, they’re almost all in the Republican party. How did that happen? White southerners switched parties–like Strom Thurmond, Jesse Helms, Trent Lott, etc.
July 8, 2019 @ 2:52 pm
I’d be happy to see your links. The sith used to be majority Democrat, now it’s majority Republican. Surely you’re not suggesting that all the Democrats moved away?
July 9, 2019 @ 4:36 am
The Democrat Party used to be a national party that represented the interests of working people, North and South. The Republican Party, essentially the Whig Party redux, was the party of plunder, mercantilism, corporate welfare, and northern business interests. Until recently, the Republican Party was always a regional party. It had no support in the South, except occasionally in national elections.
The Democrat Party is now the party of criminals, welfare dependents, sexual deviants, etc. So, naturally decent people, who didn’t want to be associated with such a revolting group, fled to the Republican Party. The Republican Party, accepted them cynically and exploited them for their votes, while giving lip service, but no real action, to their concerns. When a threat from the middle arose occasionally, the parties would team up to capture and defuse the uprising, by co-opting some of the issues, or splitting the groups on various issues in order to ensure that no plurality could be achieved outside of the two parties.
July 7, 2019 @ 11:14 pm
Actually, no. I consider myself an independent and prefer to think for myself. This whole issue is way too complex to go into here but I’ll try.
I am a historian, and yes, I have a degree from a university, but I’ve been researching the subject for years, way before I ever made it to the university. I used to agree with you but the more research I’ve done, the more I understand the Confederate battle flag and why bands and the like shouldn’t use it. I agree with Trigger as well. I have no problem with those who want to fly it themselves. People can, and should, do what they want, but when it comes to public entities, don’t be surprised when there are repercussions.
Zach is pretty well spot on, granted they definitely aren’t exactly the same and didn’t exactly “switch sides” but the sentiments sure are the same.
The entire subject really shouldn’t and can’t be simplified, so it’s hard to say it in a few paragraphs.
July 8, 2019 @ 7:57 am
The sentiments are not the same, Lisa. Nothing about what Zach said, is accurate.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:02 am
In the 1880s, Southern Democrats literally called their party the “Democratic CONSERVATIVE Party.” If I could add attachments I’d show you the newspaper articles. The issues are different, but basic ideologies are the same, granted you always have those on both sides that go a bit further each way. I’m not going to continue to argue with you until you show some proof, especially after several other posters have said the same thing.
July 9, 2019 @ 10:26 am
Do you think Democrats today should be on board with the idea of slavery just because Democrats 150 years ago did? Parties change with the times. The Democrats of today are a completely different party than those of the civil war era. Hell, they’re a different party compared to the Democrats of 30 years ago, same as the Republicans.
July 10, 2019 @ 7:53 am
No, I don’t. I’m just saying they should stop lying about history.
July 7, 2019 @ 10:11 pm
Your comment sounds like a High Schooler’s Introduction paragraph to an essay. Nothing “Needs” to change. Just because one mans symbolism is not well received by others does not signify an obligation of him to censor it. Even in the 80’s the Punks wore Swastikas, and the Hammer and Sickle. Two ideologies responsible for over 100 Million deaths, and btw what those two groups are responsible for are much worse than the confederacy could’ve ever done; but nobody threw a fit then so why now?.
July 7, 2019 @ 11:27 pm
True, they can do what they want, but then don’t be surprised when things like this happen.
And I can’t speak for punks in the 80s, I was too young to know it was happening, but I’d venture to guess none of them had a website where those symbols were blatantly obvious. They were also punks, and that’s what punks do. It’s to be expected.
I’d also wonder if it’s not like a similar antidote I often hear about the Confederate battle flag: “Nobody’s complained about it for years. Why now?” Wrong. People have been complaining about it since 1865, but the people saying noone’s complaint haven’t been paying attention. I’ve got plenty of article showing people complaining about it, especially since the Civil Rights movement. That’s my biggest issue with the battle flag. It’s symbolic of a false history that Americans desperately NEED (see there, I did it again) to understand.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:07 am
Eh, citing facts won’t do you much good – it’s like talking with a Lost Causer, and pointing out the 1865 Charleston Mercury editorial titled “We Want No Confederacy Without Slavery,” which details “states’ rights” only ever being a pretext for maintaining and expanding the institution of slavery.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:12 am
^^^TRUTH
July 10, 2019 @ 12:30 pm
The funny thing about editorials is that they’re written by one person, and generally reflect that one person’s opinion.
July 10, 2019 @ 2:28 pm
What about South Carolina and Georgia’s Declarations of Secession, signed by the entire delegation?
Whose opinion do they reflect?
The funny thing about Lost Causers is that they don’t seem to know much about the “Cause” every Confederate elected official made explicitly clear was at issue.
July 7, 2019 @ 9:06 pm
If there was one place and one group of people dumb enough to pull a stunt like this, it is Illinois politicians. Then again, I’m shocked about this only because it means they are aware of something happening outside of Chicagoland.
July 8, 2019 @ 6:06 am
Nobody had a website in the 80’s.
July 7, 2019 @ 9:18 pm
While I think this is political correctness gone completely overboard, I still can’t agree that it’s a first amendment issue. The process of selecting bands was always going to be subjective, beholden to the tastes and discretions of those doing the selecting. A spot on the lineup was never going to be something open to any and all applicants, the way a paving contract or an opportunity to speak at a public meeting might be. It’s art and it’s subjective. Surely there were many other bands that were passed over for purely subjective reasons. Are their first amendment rights also being violated? I don’t think so. You might legitimately claim that the department of agriculture’s selection process is cynical and weak, but they are under no obligation to hold a concert or to choose any particular band to play in it.
July 7, 2019 @ 10:49 pm
Hey Zach,
I understand this is an involved point that may not be self-evident, but I think this is a unique situation that definitely falls under a 1st Amendment issue.
This was not just a simple situation where Confederate Railroad was passed over for consideration by the fair, like hundreds, maybe thousands of bands are each year. They chose to book Confederate Railroad. Very likely, the fair reached out to their booking agency to personally request them. It’s rare these days for established bands to reach out to events for consideration. It’s usually vice versa. The fair chose to book Confederate Railroad to perform, meaning the band was vetted and approved, and deemed appropriate and qualified for the venue and the event. There was a signed contract, because they had been announced to the public. Then, according to the State Fair Manager Josh Gross himself, the fair canceled their performance do to their name. Gross used the term “expression” in his public statement.
I believe this is going to become a legal case. That is the reason Confederate Railroad has not said a peep about any of this, and isn’t playing it up on social media for publicity. And I believe the fact that the fair wanted Confederate Railroad to play and had a signed contract with them, and then backed out due to their concerns about the “expression” within their name will be the linchpin of the case.
July 8, 2019 @ 12:23 am
I guess I see it as a simple case of the organizers changing their minds. The band originally met their arbitrary standards, then they didn’t. It seems whatever arbitrary standards they used changed arbitrarily. The band certainly didn’t change their name during the period between being hired and fired, so it’s hard for me to draw a line between them being dropped and anything they did, even if the manager did use the word “expression”.
It seems clear that the only thing that changed was public pressure, even if it was only one guy threatening to raise hell. It’s unfortunate that that’s all it takes but I still don’t see the legal case
July 8, 2019 @ 12:38 am
And even if they were fired for “expression”, I think there’s plenty of precedence for that. There are numerous school teachers, police chiefs etc. that have been fired after exercising their first amendment rights in objectionable or offensive ways or in ways that simply didn’t fit the job they were hired to do.
July 8, 2019 @ 2:41 pm
There are also numerous cases of public school teachers and police officers winning their jobs back after they were fired for expressing an opinion.
July 7, 2019 @ 9:52 pm
Folks/Trigger/Everybody,
Persecution does not equal prosecution. 1A does not protect you from persecution. 1A prevents the government from taking your freedom away, for your speech. Government employment is not a freedom.
July 8, 2019 @ 7:51 am
Honky,
2 things.
1. Though it’s not a slam dunk, there is potentially a case here. 1A isn’t as broad as some people suggest but it also isn’t as narrow as you are suggesting. 1A protects against retaliation for speech. This band was retaliated against for their name, a word (or possibly a symbol). A lawyer could easily prove that, because they were hired, and then fired for their name. 1A is what is allowing the fight to protect Chick-Fli-As at airports despite “progressive” attempts by government to retaliate against it. Yes, there are many grey areas and you can find some cases, in schools for example, where vulgarity rules prevailed. But a good lawyer could make a case out of this and POSSIBLY win. The Chick-fil-A case is still ongoing, and the FAA is investigating, but that is a similar case where 1A is being used as defense and may ultimately prevail.
2. Even if the case lost or this wasn’t covered legally by 1A, doesn’t mean we can’t at the same time also hold ourselves to a standard in promoting culture that allows diverse viewpoints. In other words we can individually call for organizations to behave in the spirit of 1A, even if they legally don’t have to.
July 8, 2019 @ 2:02 pm
OK, we get it, you know more than we do about this 1A. Enough already.
July 7, 2019 @ 10:17 pm
I am from Pinckneyville and have seen multiple acts at the fair. Charlie Daniels, Dwight Yoakam, and Merle Haggard just to name a few. Everyone in the area is pissed off with the removal of Confederate Railroad.
This is one of the most idiotic things they have done and let me tell you there have been many. Trigger hit the nail on the head when he said that we don’t have anything in common with the rest of the state. Hell, we wish we would be a different state but that’s for another day.
Thank you Trig for shining a light on the stupidity of Josh Gross
July 7, 2019 @ 11:31 pm
OK Tigger, i’m gonna try to refrain myself as much as i can (but this got me really pissed off), i’m a HUGE fan of Confederate Raildroad fan and kickin’ them off a gig because of their name is pure bullsh*t.
We have reach a point in time where our culture has rejected the ol’ saying “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words cannot hurt me” – simply because it doesn’t allow people to weaponize their feelings and use it to force their opinions on people and discriminate against those who disagree.
I hate to mix music with politics but in this case it’s unavoidable: CF got the hook because they’re rednecks and that’s enough for “some” people to perceive them as Johnny Rebel’s backing band. I found it amusing how politically correct people, who preach the gospel of tolerance, has no problem with cultivating this kind of stereotype.
Since i live in Sweden, a country where people generally have a very deep-seated contempt for people in rural areas and their kind of cultural expressions (especially our music), i feel this one particularly. It is indeed a slippery slope when a band can get excluded just because of their name.
i believe that these people doesn’t care that society is polarized enough, i think it’s what they strive for. they don’t want music as a common ground, they want it as a ideological battleground. God forbid that we can set our differences aside for one evening and listen to some good music while having a beer and dance. And that is what’s Confederate Railroad means to me: a damn good time!
July 8, 2019 @ 11:38 am
Well, they did work as David Allan Coe’s road band early on.
July 7, 2019 @ 11:31 pm
This will be an unpopular comment, but so be it.
According to Vice-President of the Confederacy, Alexander H. Stephens, the ideological basis of the Confederacy was formed “upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition…” That is disgusting and offensive to all of humanity and is nothing to wax nostalgic about.
Despite attempts at revisionist history that maintain slavery was not the root cause of the Civil War, it is well-documented that opposition to the abolition of slavery was the reason for the formation of the Confederacy. The Confederate states were traitors to the United States of which their members were citizens and fought for the right to enslave, torture, rape and/or murder other human beings for their own financial gain. The resulting war led to the death of 1/2 million people.
The whining of some people at the dim view taken of the Confederate flag by the majority of this country all about “muh heritage” completely ignores the repugnancy for which it stands and that, yes, it is hurtful as hell to the vast majority of black people who see it as a symbol of terror. I realize that some folks don’t believe they should have to take into account the feelings of marginalized and/or oppressed groups, which they call “political correctness” but the rest of us call basic human decency and throw tantrums at the very idea a civil society requires such consideration.
I realize that the band Confederate Railroad has been around a long time and stems from a time when awareness and sensitivity weren’t as high as they are now. But that is their problem. Losing a gig is a natural consequence of having an offensive name. Some may think they should be “grandfathered in” because of the time period in which they were formed and certainly whoever did the booking for the fair should have recognized the problem with the name before they booked them. But this is not a civil right’s issue. It really is incumbent on the band to think about whether the Confederacy is truly something they want to be even nominally associated with.
July 8, 2019 @ 6:03 am
Hahaha. Somebody is a victim of public schools.
July 8, 2019 @ 8:22 am
The Civil war was about Slavery. When the states seceded thats even what they wrote in their secession documents. Sure it was about states rights. But it was the right to have slaves, and the South’s economy was largely based on Slaves at the time
July 8, 2019 @ 8:29 am
I know what Houghton Mifflin and Channel One told you. You don’t need to regurgitate it here.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:16 am
…they taught him how to read South Carolina’s Declaration of Secession?
July 9, 2019 @ 11:07 am
RD – are you saying that the quote I used from Alexander H. Stephens is fabricated? Because unless you have reason to believe that it was, your comment makes no sense.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:47 am
You’re leaping from the Civil War to Secession pretty quickly.
A solid argument could be made that slavery was the primary motivator behind secession, although it must be acknowledged that there were several driving factors.
But the Civil War was about reuniting the Union.
July 9, 2019 @ 11:03 am
Which would not have needed re-uniting if not for secession – an illegal act.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:12 am
Those damn public schools, teaching people how to read!
Otherwise, there’s no way we’d know that every contemporaneous argument for secession was based explicitly on maintaining the institution of slavery!
July 8, 2019 @ 6:37 am
Talk about revisionist History- slavery was an after thought for Lincoln- keeping the Union together at all costs was his objective- and he implemented *conscription* (which is the same as slavery)- 600,000 people died as a result- As far as slavery goes, the North was pissed because it gave the South an economic advantage- don’t kid yourself as to the goodness of those in the North East who were the loudest criers- they had slaves, they just didn’t work on plantations- BTW, most of the Souths soldiers weren’t plantation or slave owners- they, like most rational people, just wanted to be left to their own devices- as another BTW, the Reconstructionist were just as bad in their treatment of others and maybe worse because they had the weight of godvernment on their side so they could *legally* mistreat all who disagreed- yet we are expected to revere the Stars and Stripes- why is that?
July 8, 2019 @ 6:59 am
“The Northern onslaught upon slavery was no more than a piece of specious humbug designed to conceal its desire for economic control of the Southern states.”
– Charles Dickens
July 8, 2019 @ 7:01 pm
Nice work, Trigger. You’re saving country music, one confederate apologist at a time…
July 8, 2019 @ 10:07 pm
You’re batting well below .200.
July 8, 2019 @ 10:31 pm
Moses,
The only comments I endorse here are my own, or ones I endorse by leaving a comment in agreement. Comments that cross a line get deleted because Saving Country Music is not a democracy, it’s benevolent dictatorship. As I said in the article, you took a situation where nobody was making a stink, and nobody was offended, and stirred up a hornet’s nest that of course was going to exacerbate racial divisions, and has. I don’t condone racism, but I also don’t condone instigating it by unnecessary actions.
July 9, 2019 @ 3:18 am
Trigger, you worry about country getting unfairly branded as “racist” but then you write an article decrying CR getting dropped without spending any time considering how a significant portion of Americans might feel about a band celebrating the Confederacy. What do you it’s like for a black parent at the fair who has to answer when their kid asks “what’s a Confederate?” What do you think people think when they wander to this site wondering if country is worth saving and see an article full of comments like the ones here? Are you here to save country or have a crusade about political correctness? Because for a while now it seems like you’ve sacrificed the former for the latter, and it’s disappointing for quite a few of us.
July 9, 2019 @ 10:22 am
“What do you it’s like for a black parent at the fair who has to answer when their kid asks “what’s a Confederate?” What do you think people think when they wander to this site wondering if country is worth saving and see an article full of comments like the ones here?”
First off, I WANT black kids to ask their parents what a Confederate is so they can learn about racial injustice, and how political conflict can spill over into incredible violence that we can never allow to happen again, and unfortunately we’re slowly moving towards once again due to the efforts of the media to polarize the populace amid a dying business model, and social media engaging us with negativity. Erasing all references to the Confederacy is the first step in detaching us from the lessons learned from the Civil War.
Make no mistake, there is a headlong effort to destroy country music at the moment being perpetrated by ideologues who see the genre as a perfect place to wage a political proxy war because they cannot oust the Trump Administration. Branding country “racist” is the easiest way to do so. I am not a Republican, or a Democrat. I believe that politics is a scourge. But the name of this site is “Saving Country Music,” and if there is a headlong effort to destroy the genre, then it is imperative I address these matters directly, regardless of the popularity, or the “optics” of it to some. Outright lies are being regularly perpetrated against country music, and I refuse to sit by and watch something I love be destroyed in such a manner.
You have done here what the internet has trained you to do, which is to seek out the most extreme viewpoint in a comments section, and take it as the prevailing thought. I think generally the comments on this article are very reasonable, very articulate, including many challenging me on my assertion this is a 1st Amendment issue. This is a healthy discussion where ALL viewpoints are allowed to participate, including ones I may not agree with, or may be embarrassed to read. This is the 1st Amendment at work.
I completely agree this is a “greasy” subject, and others like it dealing with race and country music. Trust me when I say that I completely understand how these articles are being taken and characterized by certain segments of readers. But the State Fair was wrong to back away from Confederate Railroad do to the opinion of one radical journalist. Journalists from dozens of other outlets have outright lied at country music’s expense when it came to Lil Nas X. Ultimately, it is my duty as a journalist to present the truth. This is a very difficult time, and don’t think addressing these issues doesn’t way very heavy on my soul. But I refuse to sit back and watch institutions important to me—whether it’s the 1st Amendment or country music—destroyed.
July 9, 2019 @ 4:01 am
What am I supposed to tell my kids when they miss out on a job or a scholarship to lesser candidates because of the color of their skin?
July 9, 2019 @ 10:48 am
Confederate Railroad isn’t teaching anyone about the Civil War. A child who asks their parent that question in the context of a band playing at a county fair is likely to have a logical follow up question, which is “why is my community specifically giving a platform to a group of people representing a past effort to keep black people enslaved?” And then “what is this music they’re playing, and who is it for?” And if that’s the frame for country music, well then we know who it’s for. And it’s completely fucked that you think you are saving country music but you aren’t devoting a single second of bandwidth to that perspective. Don’t give me that BS about the “internet teaching you to pick out the most extreme view.” I’m engaging your viewpoint. I only point out the ridiculous slavery apologists views to highlight to you what kind of comments articles like this are attracting. I’m sympathetic to you when you get it right, or your view is unfairly maligned. But you’re not trying hard enough here to see beyond your own grievances with twitter warriors. Not everyone who sees concerns in issues involving race is arguing in bad faith. I’ve turned numerous country music loving, completely apolitical, friends onto this blog, and so many have messaged me in the last few months to say they just can’t justify reading it anymore. The most obvious question in response to this whole ordeal is “is Confederate Railroad (or anything) a viable name for a band in 2019?” But that’s completely absent from your analysis.
July 9, 2019 @ 11:43 am
Moses,
As I said in the article, one of my issues with cancelling Confederate Railroad is it wouldn’t end racism, it would stir it up, embolden it, and give it credence by presenting double standards. This is exactly what it has done. I didn’t start this. A political blogger did.
I’m not defending the name Confederate Railroad. To be honest with you, I think it’s fucking stupid, and totally understand why some find it offensive. I don’t like the names The Queers, The Slants, NWA, the Dixie Chicks, or Lady Antebellum either. But I would take up arms for the right for any band to call themselves whatever the fuck they want, because it’s their freedom of expression. This is something we should all agree upon.
July 9, 2019 @ 11:59 am
You are stirring this up just as much as anyone. Where in your original post is anything about recognizing the hurt that people might experience by seeing a band celebrating the Confederacy given a stage at their county fair? Instead you’ve offered one line, at pains, 200 comments deep. Confederate Railroad not playing means that some people won’t end up attending their county fair and surmising that the people who put these things together don’t give a shit about them. It means people won’t hear country music and automatically associate the sound with racism. If you really care about saving country music, these are things you should be concerned about. Country is supposed to be about songs that are poignant and moving but for regular people. Putting up a clear signifier like Confederate guarantees that the music is only for some people. People not seeing this are doing way more damage to country music than some bloggers you don’t like. And we both know that having artistic license and freedom of expression doesn’t mean you’re entitled to set at the county fair. (Although I can certainly agree that it was beyond stupid to book them in the first place, knowing their name.)
July 10, 2019 @ 12:25 pm
There are two schools of thought with regard to the Constitution. Secession isn’t mentioned in the Constitution, so if you adhere to the conservative view – “If it doesn’t say you can, you can’t” – then yes, secession was illegal. But if you adhere to the liberal view – “If it doesn’t say you can’t, you can” – then secession was perfectly legal. So the truth isn’t as cut-and-dried as you seem to think it is. Chances are that some courts would have ruled it legal and some would not have, and each decision would probably have been 5-4.
All of which is really irrelevant because who cares if it was legal? I’m sure the British government considered the Declaration of Independence illegal.
July 7, 2019 @ 11:42 pm
“whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain – that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it. In either case, it is unfit to exist.” Lysander Spooner
All this 1A talk is irrelevant ..
Confederate Railroad won’t sue anyone ..it’ll never go anywhere .. the Constitution means what the gov says it means … I just know, I ain’t signed $hit and that piece of paper doesn’t protect anyone when it comes to gov over each.
Gov is arbitrary and uses force arbitrarily to keep its Monopoly of force.
July 8, 2019 @ 8:24 am
Well Somebody sounds like a Black Pilled Libertarian
July 8, 2019 @ 8:53 am
This bureaucrat that was clutching his pearls …and made a big government mountain out of a band’s name, used his office as the arbiter of what is or isn’t moral. What he did is an offense to common sense, but since when does gov bureaucrats use common sense?
There may very well be a legal infraction of the constitution, as Trig pointed out, but a ruling will never come. So effectively, if a band’s name offends a gov employee; using the office that employs this employee for retribution of the offender is permissible. This is now the established precedent.
The proverbial slippery slope referenced in the article.
July 8, 2019 @ 12:22 am
I listened to Confederate Railroad in the ’90s.
Funny thing is, Confederate Railroad was never one of those aggressive, in-your-face, proud-to-be-a-redneck, “I-carry-a-gun-in-my-pick-up-truck-and-I’m-itching-to-use-it-on-a-liberal”-type bands.
They were always big-lug-but-softy types, with songs like “Jesus and Mama,” “Daddy Never Was the Cadillac Kind,” and “When You Leave That Way You Can Never Go Back.” Even in their ostensibly “chauvanist” songs like “Trashy Women,” the joke was usually on them.
July 8, 2019 @ 4:29 am
If C.R. signed a contract stating that they would appear the county fair and were disinvited simply because of their band name? They should sue the county and fair organizers for breach of contract and discrimination.
July 8, 2019 @ 7:08 am
If both sides signed a contract, then CR can probably collect irs fee. The band’s name was known to the Fair management at the time that they booked them. Its not something that came up later. As a non-headlining band, it’s probably not a huge fee.
July 8, 2019 @ 4:33 am
Lincoln would have been a Confederate Railroad fan.
Someone should tell the Illinois government that. See how many heads explode.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:09 am
Edgy, brah.
Can you pass me a clove cigarette?
July 8, 2019 @ 6:54 am
It’s going to be an interesting day when the far leftists realize that they also have to live in this world they’re trying to create…
July 8, 2019 @ 7:21 am
You used to read stuff like this only on The Onion. Nowadays truth is even stranger than fiction. Going to make The Onion’s job that much harder.
July 8, 2019 @ 8:29 am
This is an interesting legal issue.
– Is a name free speech? I would say yes.
– Is it Constitutionally protected in this instance? I’ve seen arguments on both sides.
– Would the courts reach the correct conclusion anyway? Who knows…
Identity politics only serve to divide us so power stays with those who already have it. That’s why they’re used extensively by both Democrats and Republicans. As someone who cherishes the First Amendment and supports progressive policies, I cannot stand any flavor of identity politics. It’s all a dangerous distraction.
July 8, 2019 @ 9:19 am
If you support “progressive” politics, then you truly don’t cherish the First Amendment. The endgame for progressive politics is the abolishment of the First Amendment.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:43 am
You’re confusing progressives, who push for better policies that will improve our lives and preserve and expand our civil liberties, with neoliberals, who use virtue signaling and identity politics to divide us so they can stay in power.
July 8, 2019 @ 8:47 pm
I don’t know CountryKnight, I’m a progressive AND a big supporter of the first amendment. In fact, most lefties I know are proponents of free speech.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:52 pm
And 9 out of 10 dentists prefer Colgate.
July 8, 2019 @ 9:42 am
You know I live in the suburbs of Chicago and I decided not to give in to this political correctness crap. People sometimes look at me funny but whatever. Someone told m how bad he thought the confederate flag was. I told him if o lived in the south I would have. He shut the hell up. Sorry for the rant just had to get it out.
July 8, 2019 @ 9:45 am
Maybe this will work out in Confederate Railroad’s favor by bringing them back in the public eye.
I hope so.
July 8, 2019 @ 9:46 am
While obviously a pretty massive fuck up to book them and then rescind, it doesn’t really surprise me that a band called “Confederate” anything wouldn’t be an appropriate choice for a county fair. I have to imagine that the members of Confederate Railroad have been concerned about some kind of backlash for some time now.
July 8, 2019 @ 2:47 pm
It might not surprise you, but this is only something that’s happened in the 2010s. Nobody found the Confederate Railroad name offensive when they were formed in the 1990s. They’ve played state fairs ever since, without inciting any controversy.
July 8, 2019 @ 2:56 pm
It’s likely plenty of people did find the name hurtful, but it wasn’t a concern that found much public purchase. But it’s gotten less and less viable to bandy about the Confederate flag (I don’t know that they do) and claim ignorance of its impact on black Americans. It’s tough for this particular band, but it would be crazy to imagine that hadn’t at least been worrying lately that something like this would happen.
July 8, 2019 @ 10:06 am
I’m no tin foil hat survivalist or anything, but what I’m seeing is just another example of biased media and government increasingly working hand-in-glove to bulldoze the citizenry. The former creates and propagates the agenda, and the latter implements the policy – based on the false notion that it’s “what’s best” for people.
The democratization of media and information is a beautiful thing (SCM is an obvious beneficiary), but the unintended consequence is that a minority of political ideologues, along with a handful of powerful tech and social media companies (monopolies, at this point) in conjunction with willing government officials, have the power to spark and implement sweeping political and ideological tyranny. It’s a vicious cycle, and I don’t see it playing out well in the future.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:27 am
This is dumb, and only makes sense if the concern was with battle flag imagery…but I just want to talk about how dumb a name “Confederate Railroad” is?
It makes me think of a Gene Autry cowboy suit – outdated, poorly made, and highly flammable.
July 10, 2019 @ 12:53 pm
It’s a self-deprecating name. Confederate railroads during the Civil War were fraught with problems such as incompatible rail lines and parts for engines that were only available from northern suppliers that they couldn’t get during the war.
July 10, 2019 @ 1:32 pm
I actually do think it’s a pretty great name…but I do understand why some random bureaucrat threw a hissyfit.
July 8, 2019 @ 11:33 am
This is definitely a step too far. Yes, the band’s name does have what could be considered an offensive connotation in 2019, but it’s pretty low on the scale.
That said, every artist should consider and be prepared for how people will construe and react to their chosen band name. You can complain about political correctness gone awry until you’re blue in the face, but it’s obviously here and not going away anytime soon.
My primary band is named Godless Angel. I knew the second I chose the name that there would be a lot of people that would take offense, and a lot of potential fans that wouldn’t even give me a listen because of one word in my name. I don’t complain about people being overly sensitive when it comes up, because I chose the name knowing the consequences. And as much as it sucks, if you’re an artist looking to expand to a larger audience, this is something you have to consider, First Amendment be damned.
July 8, 2019 @ 2:33 pm
Maybe they can get Snoop Dog or Lil Wayne to replace them.
July 8, 2019 @ 4:28 pm
Du Quoin is a charming community and the state fairgrounds are a nice facility.
Too bad the office which runs the fair is screwing this up so badly.
I was born in Southern Illinois in 1957.
I still get back there sometimes and I like the rural communities and the agriculture.
It’s too bad that area is joined at the hip to the rest of the state, which in the case of Chicago is a third world country.
Illinois is so broke it can’t pay its retirees or its lottery ticket winners.
But now that they are safe from the predations of Confederate Railroad, I’m sure the residents can rest assured that they are now safe and in good hands.
July 8, 2019 @ 7:06 pm
if someone wanted to make some big money quick they should hire crr to play near duquoin that same night and promote the shit out of it people would show up in droves to show support against this pc bullshit and crr would sell a lot of t shirts that night and probably gain some new fans It would bury the fair that night
July 8, 2019 @ 9:37 pm
Nobody has the right to a state contract. It has nothing to do with the first amendment. Check your facts, it would only take a second. Your story is an example of terrible Faux News journalism and click bait jumping on a band wagon. The comments are so misinformed it makes me worry about those who live here in southern Illinois with me. Illinois pays it’s retirees, btw. Southern Illinois had the highest rate of volunteers for the Union to fight against the south in the state … one of them was my Gx3 Grandfather The state fair in DuQuoin is one of two in the state and the only reason there is one here is for political pork. Also, is Confederate Railroad ‘real’ Country Music? I thought this site is more about, I don’t know, country that isn’t corporate Nashville shite’.
July 8, 2019 @ 9:50 pm
Longtime reader who’s never posted on the blog because I prefer not to get into arguments with strangers on the internet. Love the blog and all the great music Trigger!
That said, I grew up outside of Chicago and lived in the city Chicago for 4 years. My Dad is from Appomattox, Virginia (where Lee surrendered to Grant), I have a history degree from a Virginia college (where I got A’s in my Civil War class for book reports on Confederate generals and D’s on book reports from Yankee generals) and I’ve lived other parts of the South.
So I feel I speak both Yankee (with a Chicago accent) and Southern. I currently live in Colorado so I feel I’m relatively unbiased. I also feel the need to clear up some points raised by various people.
1) Speaking as a Chicagoan, nobody from Chicago (much less the politicians) cares at all about what is happening to a bunch of rednecks down in the sticks that nobody has ever hear of. So those of you posting the Chicago conspiracy theories, please stop.
2) This is a bureaucrat issue, not a free-speech issue. Some public relations bureaucrat, whose job primarily consists of trying to avoid controversy freaked out, talked to a county lawyer, whose main job is to avoid risk, who freaked out, and they pulled the band.
3) I personally think it’s a pretty stupid decision, albeit typical of bureaucrats. If the band was called “We Love the KKK” or something along those lines, then there’d be a lot better argument for pulling them, much less not hiring them in the first place… This is just some not-too bright bureaucrat… That said, bands get pulled from Coachella all the time after a band-member is accused of some nebulous unproven rumor… I personally don’t think it’s right but it’s unfortunately fairly common.
4) Free Speech-wise, somebody referred to the Skokie case, an extremely Jewish suburb just north of Chicago. Yeah, the Nazi’s got their free speech permit to march (and they were met by a near-riot of counter-protesters) but that’s not the same thing as the city of Skokie hiring the Nazi’s as entertainment at their summer fair. Confederate Railroad has a right to have their name but nobody is under any obligation to hire them/not fire them because of their name. There’s a reason that Confederate Railroad probably does better in the South than the North, and the name is part of that…
5) Speaking as a historian. Of course the Civil War was about slavery – the entire Southern economy and culture was predicated upon slavery. Don’t get me wrong, the North was (and still is) racist (Chicago’s still the most segregated city in the country and rioted/stoned Dr. King when he visited in the 60’s) but the North’s economy was not a agricultural economy based upon the forced labor of slaves. If you believe otherwise you’re a Lost Causer who needs to read up on history…
6) The Confederate Flag. As a black buddy of mine once told me “You need to tell your white redneck friends that the Confederate Flag is a big F-You to any black person.” And it is! To make an analogy – I’ve got a German buddy who lives down the street. And he doesn’t fly a Nazi flag to celebrate the valor of the German army during WWII because he understands that people will then think he’s a f-ing Nazi! There are plenty of ways to celebrate Southern pride and plenty of things for the South to be proud off. (All great American music originated in the South: Gospel, Blues, Jazz, Country, Bluegrass, Rock & Roll). But in this day and age, if you’re flying the Confederate flag to celebrate the valor of the Confederate army during the Civil War 150 years ago, then at best you’re stubborn, ignorant or stupid, but most likely because you’re a stupid racist redneck too dumb to understand that you’re proclaiming yourself as a stupid racist redneck. My German buddy doesn’t wanna be called a Nazi so he doesn’t fly the Nazi flag. Don’t act like a stupid racist redneck and fly the Confederate flag. Yeah, you have a 1st Amendment right to fly the Confederate flag and other people have a 1st Amendment right to call you out on your racist redneck stupidity.
7) And enough with the “political correctness” self-pity party. The economy is a mess, the President is nuts, the environment is collapsing, the kids are more depressed than ever, the divorce rate is over 50%, foreign-policy-wise we side with the Russians & North Koreans over the British or the American government, they’re locking up babies on the border, nobody can afford health care or college, and yet all the retirees are obsessed with how victimized they are by “political correctness.” Worry about something important and deal with the world as it is now, not some idealized Lost Cause from 150 years ago…Ugh
Looking forward to the Tyler Childers and hopefully Sturgill by the end of the year…
July 9, 2019 @ 1:19 am
Amen.
To all of that.
July 9, 2019 @ 8:07 am
Wouldn’t be surprised if you’re holed up in Boulder.
July 9, 2019 @ 9:20 pm
You’re definitely not an English major. Your degree must be from a northern university, since you have no idea that the majority (vast) of southern whites owned zero slaves. The victors write the history books, and the horrible practice of slavery makes a great narrative when you are trying to convince people that you did the right thing by burning a swath to the Atlantic, murdering women and children, and destroying an entire region for 70 years after the signing of the surrender. Hope you can come back and see the long lasting effects on southerners, including negros, of the Reconstruction govenrnment imposed upon the freedom-loving people by the Union.
Best Wishes.
July 9, 2019 @ 9:44 pm
Yeah, Georgia’s decision to secede had nothing to do with slavery!
Just ask the state of Georgia!
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/csa_geosec.asp
July 8, 2019 @ 9:59 pm
I am very much on the left. Always have been and always will be. But I have a serious problem with how the left is now the group that silences free speech. In the 80s and 90s, it was the conservatives who did a lot of the censoring, who were obsessed with putting warnings on CDs and policing what was in entertainment. Now, it’s the left and the social media mob. I might not agree with all the comments on this thread (there are many I don’t), but you’d never see a comment thread like this with such a wide range of opinions being openly expressed on a leftist site where everyone has to speak a certain way and agree about everything or else be accused of of some -ism. The language of social justice and identity politics has certainly become weaponized to reduce free speech. People can’t have disagreements anymore. Other ideas or perspectives are not welcome. I don’t agree with those on the right about too much, but I do agree that political correctness is out of control right now and it’s not doing our country any good when we need to figure out how to coexist and engage with each other.
If there were public outcry about the band and many people were upset about it and petitions were signed, I’d maybe understand firing them, but even then I’d be concerned because from these comments it seems that they’re music is not promoting hate or anything like that. Knowing that literally one person wrote a blog post and all this happened is just ridiculous to me. We’re living in a different time and I do see the confederate flag as a symbol of bigotry. I am from the South. I’ve never liked the flag ever, but of course people have the right to display it. To be fired from the fair over their name feels wrong to me. As Trigger pointed out, what about the Dixie Chicks and Lady Antebellum? Their names are also connected to a darker part of our past, but no one is firing them. So I see the slippery slope argument. One could argue they should change their name but if they’re making a living off their past music, that’s how people know them and it’s not so easy to change it. It’s a name. It’s not hurting anyone. Firing them from the fair gets us nowhere. It doesn’t solve race relations in this country. It accomplishes nothing but to further inflame the culture wars and divide us. This is exhausting. The way that politics has bled into every facet of life is toxic to me. There’s also an exaggeration with a lot of things. As I said, it’s a name. Why put so much energy into this? They’re not physically harming anyone. The way the smallest things are amplified and blown out of proportion is not good.
July 9, 2019 @ 4:16 am
Actually, labeling music was a bipartisan effort. Tipper Gore was the most prominent founder of PMRC. I always liked Tipper Gore and I think it was and still is a good idea to keep offensive smut out of the hands of children.
July 9, 2019 @ 7:44 am
Glad to see some of the larger media outlets picking up this story. Yahoo is one of the very few that still has a comment section and in reading them its obvious alot of people have had enough of this PC bullshit.
July 9, 2019 @ 7:16 pm
I read that, while the issue was originally brought up because of the band’s name, it was because of the use of the flag in their logo is why they were canceled. That makes more sense to me than because of the name.
July 10, 2019 @ 2:37 pm
No one is required to book you if they feel like you don’t fit into their preferred themes, every comedian and every performer already seems to know this but y’all. Pull your head out your ass. Corporate events don’t hire “dirty” comics and performers because it’s a family friendly environment. It sounds like this is similar and the sentiments expressed by the negative symbolism in the band’s chosen name isn’t appropriate for this venue. Maybe build a bridge and get over it? If you’d and to see them you should try one of those crappy cowboy style bars I’m sure they like to play at on the weekend because no one else will take them either.
July 10, 2019 @ 2:56 pm
But they booked them. They decided they were okay. And then they cancelled them.
July 13, 2019 @ 3:35 pm
So, I’m surmising you don’t like them?
July 13, 2019 @ 1:34 pm
This is not a first admendment issue of any order. THey are not being censored by anyone. The fair chose n ot to allow them to perform. Performers deal with people not wanting them for a variety of reasons during their entire career.
The Dixie Chicks were censored because of their actual political beliefs. That was a first admendment issue.
Confederate Railroad were disinvited because of the fair didn’t like their /name/, which is part of their /act./ That’s valid and fine.
This is not a censorship issue, and it is not a first amendment issue. You can argue because you don’t like it, but nobody’s rights are being censored.
July 26, 2019 @ 11:48 am
confederate Railroad is a Great country band have seen them perform. I just want to tell the Illinoise agriculture agency and New York That U can KISS MY ASS!!!!!! Heritage and Pride will always last u ignorant Assholes!
April 3, 2020 @ 11:11 am
In my “southern” opinion that political blogger named Rich Miller ought to be ridden out of town on a rail. Country music is the backbone of the South and gives strength to people of all ages. races and generations. Anyone who desires to destroy or disrupt that should be be dealt with swiftly and not tolerated. Keep up the good work Confederate Railroad and all of Country Music. I love you and support you!!!
April 9, 2020 @ 2:44 pm
SHOCKED on examining the predominate behavior of southern Illinois ?
or
SHOCKED at having to admit it ?
stop torturing yourself,, get over being embarrassed by your own race
July 3, 2024 @ 2:04 pm
It has only gotten worse since 2019.
July 3, 2024 @ 2:50 pm
CountryKnight,
I appreciate you reading archival material. But I’m not sure what value you think you’re getting by replying to five-year-old comments on five-year-old articles that few if anyone will every pay attention to, except the person that will get a reply notification from a website they went to seven years ago from some politically strident person.
But you do you, I guess.
July 3, 2024 @ 3:30 pm
Catching up on thoughts.
I regularly reread your archives.
July 3, 2024 @ 3:33 pm
I’m also looking for a Cool Lester Smooth comment when he calls me a virgin and someone seeking to please online people. It was after the JTE’s overdose but it wasn’t on one of those articles.