Dukes of Hazzard concert stopped over protests

A few facts...

The Cincinnati Pops never scheduled any performances with Wopat and Schneider. They approached the performers about the POSSIBILITY of a performance. No contracts were signed; therefore, nothing was actually canceled.

Conductor Erich Kunzel contacted the NAACP... NOT the Cincinnati Pops, nor was it on behalf of the Cincinnati Pops. The orchestra made the decision not to engage Wopat and Schneider before Kunzel contacted to the NAACP.

Now my humble opinion...

If I had the choice between a show that displayed a confederate flag and a show that didn't, I would choose the show that didn't. I know that the confederate flag is a battle flag, but there are many people that believe that the flag symbolizes a racist culture (especially in Cincinnati). The orchestra is trying to sell tickets, not offend people... nor is it on some kind of mission to change the unfortunate mentality of the majority of the population. There was no reason for the public to know that they didn't schedule the show.

It's unfortunate how far of the mark Mr. Jones is.

"we were ALL southerners, and no one thought anything of it. "


Let's hear it for Trudeau's Just Society and a vision of a pluralistic culture.

btw Trudeau is a former Prime Minister of Canada.

btw Canada is north of the US

btw Canada is not a state, it's an entirely different country (with freedom from high crime rates)

btw north is up

Is this what America has come to? Is this what America fought our revolution for? A society where the few govern the many? A society where there is no regard for what many in the world are so envious of.....the Bill of Rights? Whatever happened to freedom of speech? How have we come to the point where organizations feel they have to have the consent of the NAACP to conduct their lawful activities? Whatever happened to artistic freedom? One museum allows sick images claiming freedom of speech, but another group in Ohio discards this same freedom in the name of appeasement.

We are squandering what made us great.

You people that are offended by everything out there, get over it!!!! We have people offended by every conceivable freedom, action, inaction, expression, image, speech; anything that can be imagined, someone is offended by it.

Yeah, it's fashionable to dis the Confederacy. But guess what, people, next time, it may be your ox that is being gored. After all, 20 years ago, the Confederacy was ok, the flag was displayed without rancor, 40 years ago, the word Dixie wasn't dirt, we sang it in high school, even the blacks took pride in it; we were ALL southerners, and no one thought anything of it.

Now, after having the black racemongers tell them for 40 years they should be offended, "some" blacks are complaining. And, of course, they have the inevitable white people that are so anxious to show how hip they are, how non-racist they are, that they fall all over themselves using racist, bigoted speech to support the instigators.

If the NAACP wants to fight racism, why doesn't it take on the Black Congressional Caucus, that refuses to let a white Tennessee congressman join them because of his race?

If the NAACP is so concerned about racial inequality in sports, why doesn't it take on the NBA, the NFL and the NCAA over the disproportionate number of black athletes in those sports?

If the NAACP wants racial harmony, why doesn't it stop attacking other races' heritage?

I'll tell you why.......it's the same old game of one people trying to get more than their share, in this case by complaining and crying "victimization" and playing the race card. They will ride this horse, whip it, and flog it until it collapses.....or, until we get sick and tired of it, and stop it ourselves.

Most black people I know couldn't care less about attacking my heritage. Most black people I know don't have a problem with the flag, the Confederacy, Dixie, or the south. We are all Southerners and it's the old thing about you respecting me and me respecting you.

But, that respect isn't happening today. A few individuals, who make their living, get their publicity, and collect their donations through racial disturbance, keep stirring the waters, thrashing the waters, to keep ill will alive, create controversy, conjur phantoms.

I'm sick of it.

OK, so we hear all the arguments ad nauseum about how Southerners are proud of their flag because it has such rich symbolism, pride, etc.

What I don't get is how, when the flag has been appropriated by the likes of white supremacy hate groups, any decent southerner WANTS this flag to represent them anymore. I sure wouldn't.

Surely the South must have many other rich traditions they can be prideful in than this divisive symbol of hatred for so many.

The swastika was originally a Hindu symbol. The Nazi party adapted it and forever changed the world's perception of the symbol.

I understand that people of the South have their traditions they hold firm, but through no fault of most of them, the Confederate flag was adopted by White Power groups using the same arguments of "history and tradition." The flag is now largely, especially in the Midwest where I live, as an antiquated symbol of hate and oppression. It's time to let the flag go, plain and simple.

There's another article about it at Yahoo, http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20070319/en_celeb_eo/ed585d123cba_47c7_ac75_c249b5659733;_ylt=Ahy_H4bBsXpFb35r.Zw5Q9hV.nQA

From what I gather, and assuming the above article is truthfully factual, the folks at the Cincinnati Pops and NAACP need to get a grip. Apparently they are canceling the concert simply because Wopat and Schnieder were once involved in an entertainment production with an offensive symbol in it. If that's the case I guess there won't be any concerts at all this summer because I don't know who they can get to fit their criteria.

There's another article about it at Yahoo, http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20070319/en_celeb_eo/ed585d123cba_47c7_ac75_c249b5659733;_ylt=Ahy_H4bBsXpFb35r.Zw5Q9hV.nQA

From what I gather, and assuming the above article is truthfully factual, the folks at the Cincinnati Pops and NAACP need to get a grip. Apparently they are canceling the concert simply because Wopat and Schnieder were once involved in an entertainment production with an offensive symbol in it. If that's the case I guess there won't be any concerts at all this summer because I don't know who they can get to fit their criteria.

I am so glad I'm Canadian...

Again, the Dukes of Hazzard was a G rated show. There was absolutely NOTHING racist about it. It portrayed Southerners as genuinely good people, with a strong sense of family, and an intelligence to outwit those who do wrong. These people were happy and genuinely cared about each other, even their enemies. And they had a lot of fun.

To protest any depiction of this show is just stupid. They weren't making any political statements. The flag was meant to symbolize the fighting spirit of the south, not slavery.

Anyone upset with this just doesn't know a damn thing about the show and needs some help.

And don't forget the Africans sold and traded slaves before the Americans did.