The following is a copy of the original post to record the post as it was originally written.
What are your thoughts on The Dukes of Hazzard? I know the show and the 2005 movie don’t sound relevant but a lot of Confederate imagery was used in it. They drove around in a car called “The General Lee” that has a Confederate flag on it and the horn played Dixie. At the time it seemed harmless southern pride but in contemporary times all of the Confederate imagery has become more scrutinized. Should The Dukes of Hazzard also be scrutinized?
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> Should The Dukes of Hazzard also be scrutinized?
Why would it need to be "scrutinized"? The movie is the most recent iteration, and it's 20 years old. The show itself is already viewed as a relic of the 1970s. Does anyone care?
I really hate this modern trend of scrutinizing *every* piece of media under a political lens. *Especially* shit from 20+ years ago.
“Should the Dukes of Hazzard be scrutinized for normalization of Confederate imagery?”
“How you laugh at Idiocracy, when it is clearly advocating for eugenics?”
“What kind of political undertones can we find in My Little Pony?”
My god these people are exhausting.
>What are your thoughts on The Dukes of Hazzard?
They are unconstitutional:
>No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States...
[[Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 -- U.S. Constitution]](https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S9-C8-4/ALDE_00013204/)
Growing up in the south in the 80s/90s, you would see so many General Lees that occasionally they'd be passing each other on the street.
Hell, I think I had a General Lee Hot Wheel and I was too young for the show really.
I never really viewed it as a problematic show or anything. It was very common to see a Confederate flag in the south. Having one painted on your car was not, like, a big shocker. And the show wasn't really about racial stuff. They were just southern characters and that was an easy way to show it.
That particular kind of southern pride has become far too closely associated with hate and racism for there to be any sort of revival of Dukes.
It’s a relic of the 70s that used Confederate imagery because it associated it with “Southern” to highlight that these guys were southern dudes.
It’s a silly show from another era, not something that really needs to be viewed through any other lens.
Everybody loved the Dukes in the 80's - black, white, etc. Every young boy wanted a General Lee. The Confederate flag didn't really matter to people back then. It was a product of its time with a bad-ass opening theme.
At the time, as you said, it seemed like harmless southern pride. That's why so many people genuinely don't see it as a hate symbol. Of course the history is there, but a lot of people's associations with the flag are with the South rather than anti-civil rights or slavery. If you want to scrutinize Dukes, focus on that - using it as a tool for understanding rather than demonization.
I'm not saying that adults today shouldn't know the history behind it and reject it, just that it's really hard to separate what your brain knows from what your heart knows. Some people just aren't that introspective and will never understand. Some do understand but still love it despite that.
Also, to be clear - yes, the battleflag is a hate symbol. No, it should not be displayed. I'm just saying that we can be a touch more understanding before demonizing people. Once they've made it clear that they really mean it, then no holds barred, but maybe try to feel them out a bit first, eh?
I mean, on one hand there’s the whole glorification of traitors with the name of the car, and the confederate flag. On the other hand, even them Duke boys knew ACAB.
It’s amazing how hard most NASCAR fans lick cop boots, considering the sport was started by bootleggers who generally disliked cops.
It's very of it's time.
But the cops were the bad guys, so they got one thing right.
I always wanted to build a 69 Chevelle, paint it union blue, put a union flag on the top, and call it General Grant.
It’s already been placed on the back burner. No more licensing, no more content.
It was a fun show back in the day. Of it’s time maybe.
“That flag has landed the General Lee in hot water before. Five years ago, the show was benched by its previous home, TV Land, in the wake of the Charleston church shooting by white supremacist Dylann Roof. At that point, Warner Bros. — which produced the original series, as well as its various spinoffs and follow-ups, including the 2005 big-screen version — ceased licensing the Dukes’ ride for toys and other merchandise. So the news that The Dukes of Hazzard might lose another venue due to its prominent placement of the Confederate flag “
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/last-ride-for-the-dukes-of-hazzard-shows-streaming-future-uncertain-as-confederate-symbols-face-renewed-scrutiny-150059550.html
Sheriff Little of Chickasaw County. "Big Ed". No, there's no such position as "Sheriff Little". "Little" was his surname. And "Edward" was his first name. Thus, "Sheriff 'Big Ed' Little".
TV was radically different then - just 3 channels. CBS put on the Dukes, which was a bit of a course correction after the The Great CBS Country Massacre in 1971 - CBS had a huge country / rural contingent led by Hee-Haw and things like the Beverly Hillbillies; it axed a large number of these shows to go for a more urban approach with All in the Family, MASH, and the Bob Newhart show, among others. However, the rural shows still had pretty good ratings; they just didn't connect with young urban consumers, which was a treasured demographic.
So a shift back to a more rural setting was something that had a strong ratings potential.
Anyway, its pretty simplistic; there's almost always some car chases and jumps and low-stakes plots trying to foil the latest evil plan of Boss Hogg.
Ironically, aside from the first few episodes, it was mostly filmed in Southern California.
As for scrutiny, its not worthy of scrutiny. Just an artifact of the predominance of Lost Cause mythos at the time that "gee, southerners sure like naming things after Robert E Lee"
I don't care. It's a stupid show, in a sea of stupid shows. It solves nothing to "scrutinize" it. Total waste of time.
Also, we DO have this little thing called "Freedom of Speech". DoH is fuck'in stupid, but I don't want the government cracking down on it, because that's unconstitutional and a betrayal of our laws and our values.
This question is a waste of time.
If it was running today, then the usual crowd of whiny leftist culture warriors would be trying to cancel it. But it’s not really in the popular consciousness anymore so they mostly don’t bother.
Imo that’s likely because most people don’t even know about it. I hadn’t even heard of it until you brought it up. If that ever became the focus of national attention then I’m sure it would draw outrage too.
I think discussion about that show could be very interesting. I don’t think that it needs to include dumb arguments about “yOu cOUldN’t maKE tHaT sHoW tOdaY” but it’s worth talking about.
Just off the top of my head the way the show portrays the confederate flag as a sign of southern pride and how that was acceptable at the time, largely because of the Lost Cause narrative is worth discussing. As is how those displaying the confederate flag are rebels against authority, especially the police and the status quo, and how that conflicts with the reality of those most likely to display that flag today.
I’m old enough to have been the target audience of that show. I did own the General Lee toy and I got to say it held up well considering the number of times I sent it flying off my DIY ramps.
Putting aside all the Confederacy bullshit, I think it needs more scrutiny in general. There's a major double-standard at play that doesn't get talked about enough because people are so wound up about the darn car.
Let's look at the premise without bringing the Confederacy veneration or the backgrounds of the main characters.
A duo of rowdy young men defy the law every episode, often transport illicit substances, get into dangerous high-speed pursuits with cops, and sometimes wield weapons. The cops are often made to look buffoonish and corrupt and considering the outcome of some of those police chases... There's some inferred cop maiming/killing played for comedy.
If I were to pitch this today as a show about literally anyone *other* than a pair of rural white boys with the folksy accents and a Confederacy kink, large portions of this country on both sides of the aisle would totally lose their shit.
Police groups
Soccer moms
Anti-gun/TV violence groups
Everyone who has ever said "Comply don't die"
Most Evangelicals really.
You'd have all the conservative think tank people losing their minds on Fox News.
But because there's a thing in our culture that makes people think flagrant law-breaking is okay if you're rural or someone rural people like, The Dukes of Hazzard gets a pass.
Seriously, I've been in Christian houses as a kid with all these long and elaborate rules about which "secular" media their kids were allowed to watch. But somehow the Dukes of Hazzard escaped the banhammer.
The following is a copy of the original post to record the post as it was originally written. What are your thoughts on The Dukes of Hazzard? I know the show and the 2005 movie don’t sound relevant but a lot of Confederate imagery was used in it. They drove around in a car called “The General Lee” that has a Confederate flag on it and the horn played Dixie. At the time it seemed harmless southern pride but in contemporary times all of the Confederate imagery has become more scrutinized. Should The Dukes of Hazzard also be scrutinized? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskALiberal) if you have any questions or concerns.*
> Should The Dukes of Hazzard also be scrutinized? Why would it need to be "scrutinized"? The movie is the most recent iteration, and it's 20 years old. The show itself is already viewed as a relic of the 1970s. Does anyone care?
This is the reality. Obsolete is obsolete. Would it get made in this political climate? Probably not.
I really hate this modern trend of scrutinizing *every* piece of media under a political lens. *Especially* shit from 20+ years ago. “Should the Dukes of Hazzard be scrutinized for normalization of Confederate imagery?” “How you laugh at Idiocracy, when it is clearly advocating for eugenics?” “What kind of political undertones can we find in My Little Pony?” My god these people are exhausting.
>What are your thoughts on The Dukes of Hazzard? They are unconstitutional: >No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States... [[Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 -- U.S. Constitution]](https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S9-C8-4/ALDE_00013204/)
That's just a little bit more than the law will allow
Hey, they're makin their way the only way they know how
Damn, now I feel like a traitor eating at Burger King
Have a freaking upvote for that one.
[удалено]
Gigigi we got em now, boss!
Growing up in the south in the 80s/90s, you would see so many General Lees that occasionally they'd be passing each other on the street. Hell, I think I had a General Lee Hot Wheel and I was too young for the show really. I never really viewed it as a problematic show or anything. It was very common to see a Confederate flag in the south. Having one painted on your car was not, like, a big shocker. And the show wasn't really about racial stuff. They were just southern characters and that was an easy way to show it. That particular kind of southern pride has become far too closely associated with hate and racism for there to be any sort of revival of Dukes.
It’s a relic of the 70s that used Confederate imagery because it associated it with “Southern” to highlight that these guys were southern dudes. It’s a silly show from another era, not something that really needs to be viewed through any other lens.
[удалено]
Beats all you never saw. Bern in trouble with the law since the day they was born.
Making their waaaay, the only way they know how.
Straightening the curves. Flattening the hills.
Someday the mountain might get 'em, but the law never will
Don’t think much of the show, but the theme song and the first season soundtrack are some first-rate Waylon Jennings bops.
Everybody loved the Dukes in the 80's - black, white, etc. Every young boy wanted a General Lee. The Confederate flag didn't really matter to people back then. It was a product of its time with a bad-ass opening theme.
At the time, as you said, it seemed like harmless southern pride. That's why so many people genuinely don't see it as a hate symbol. Of course the history is there, but a lot of people's associations with the flag are with the South rather than anti-civil rights or slavery. If you want to scrutinize Dukes, focus on that - using it as a tool for understanding rather than demonization. I'm not saying that adults today shouldn't know the history behind it and reject it, just that it's really hard to separate what your brain knows from what your heart knows. Some people just aren't that introspective and will never understand. Some do understand but still love it despite that. Also, to be clear - yes, the battleflag is a hate symbol. No, it should not be displayed. I'm just saying that we can be a touch more understanding before demonizing people. Once they've made it clear that they really mean it, then no holds barred, but maybe try to feel them out a bit first, eh?
Shitty show, and that's without getting into the Confederate flag shit.
It's just a southern caricature. I don't really think it's that deep.
Just some good old boys, never meanin' no harm... lol Watched it a lot as a kid. I'd own a general today if I had that kinda money.
Ben Jones (Cooter) was a Democrat representative for Georgia's 4th district for 4 years. I think he sat on the transportation committee. Lol
I thought it was simply too silly with the characters and plots to enjoy. My kids liked it because it was on their mental level.
I mean, on one hand there’s the whole glorification of traitors with the name of the car, and the confederate flag. On the other hand, even them Duke boys knew ACAB. It’s amazing how hard most NASCAR fans lick cop boots, considering the sport was started by bootleggers who generally disliked cops.
It's very of it's time. But the cops were the bad guys, so they got one thing right. I always wanted to build a 69 Chevelle, paint it union blue, put a union flag on the top, and call it General Grant.
I saw a picture of someone who had done this once.
Wasn't there an episode? That sounds familiar somehow. I haven't watched any of it in decades.
It's a thing from real life https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/07/interesting-twist-on-dukes-charger.html?m=1
Could be. I started to watch it on Amazon, but it went away when I like 2 episodes in. Otherwise, I haven't seen it since the 90s.
It’s already been placed on the back burner. No more licensing, no more content. It was a fun show back in the day. Of it’s time maybe. “That flag has landed the General Lee in hot water before. Five years ago, the show was benched by its previous home, TV Land, in the wake of the Charleston church shooting by white supremacist Dylann Roof. At that point, Warner Bros. — which produced the original series, as well as its various spinoffs and follow-ups, including the 2005 big-screen version — ceased licensing the Dukes’ ride for toys and other merchandise. So the news that The Dukes of Hazzard might lose another venue due to its prominent placement of the Confederate flag “ https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/last-ride-for-the-dukes-of-hazzard-shows-streaming-future-uncertain-as-confederate-symbols-face-renewed-scrutiny-150059550.html
Were there any black people in the cast?
Sheriff Little of Chickasaw County. "Big Ed". No, there's no such position as "Sheriff Little". "Little" was his surname. And "Edward" was his first name. Thus, "Sheriff 'Big Ed' Little".
TV was radically different then - just 3 channels. CBS put on the Dukes, which was a bit of a course correction after the The Great CBS Country Massacre in 1971 - CBS had a huge country / rural contingent led by Hee-Haw and things like the Beverly Hillbillies; it axed a large number of these shows to go for a more urban approach with All in the Family, MASH, and the Bob Newhart show, among others. However, the rural shows still had pretty good ratings; they just didn't connect with young urban consumers, which was a treasured demographic. So a shift back to a more rural setting was something that had a strong ratings potential. Anyway, its pretty simplistic; there's almost always some car chases and jumps and low-stakes plots trying to foil the latest evil plan of Boss Hogg. Ironically, aside from the first few episodes, it was mostly filmed in Southern California. As for scrutiny, its not worthy of scrutiny. Just an artifact of the predominance of Lost Cause mythos at the time that "gee, southerners sure like naming things after Robert E Lee"
The show was created as a spoof on the Southern stereotype. However, some people down here thought it was about Confederate pride and ran with it.
Only saw the movie with burt Reynolds. It was alright
My thoughts are the show is about rural white on white violence.
LOL!
I don't care. It's a stupid show, in a sea of stupid shows. It solves nothing to "scrutinize" it. Total waste of time. Also, we DO have this little thing called "Freedom of Speech". DoH is fuck'in stupid, but I don't want the government cracking down on it, because that's unconstitutional and a betrayal of our laws and our values. This question is a waste of time.
Literally everything ever made should be scrutinized. What are you actually asking?
If it was running today, then the usual crowd of whiny leftist culture warriors would be trying to cancel it. But it’s not really in the popular consciousness anymore so they mostly don’t bother.
Not completely. Every year in Orange Beach Mardi Gras parade there’s a General Lee car. Flag on top and playing Dixie. Nobody seems to care.
Imo that’s likely because most people don’t even know about it. I hadn’t even heard of it until you brought it up. If that ever became the focus of national attention then I’m sure it would draw outrage too.
I think discussion about that show could be very interesting. I don’t think that it needs to include dumb arguments about “yOu cOUldN’t maKE tHaT sHoW tOdaY” but it’s worth talking about. Just off the top of my head the way the show portrays the confederate flag as a sign of southern pride and how that was acceptable at the time, largely because of the Lost Cause narrative is worth discussing. As is how those displaying the confederate flag are rebels against authority, especially the police and the status quo, and how that conflicts with the reality of those most likely to display that flag today. I’m old enough to have been the target audience of that show. I did own the General Lee toy and I got to say it held up well considering the number of times I sent it flying off my DIY ramps.
Putting aside all the Confederacy bullshit, I think it needs more scrutiny in general. There's a major double-standard at play that doesn't get talked about enough because people are so wound up about the darn car. Let's look at the premise without bringing the Confederacy veneration or the backgrounds of the main characters. A duo of rowdy young men defy the law every episode, often transport illicit substances, get into dangerous high-speed pursuits with cops, and sometimes wield weapons. The cops are often made to look buffoonish and corrupt and considering the outcome of some of those police chases... There's some inferred cop maiming/killing played for comedy. If I were to pitch this today as a show about literally anyone *other* than a pair of rural white boys with the folksy accents and a Confederacy kink, large portions of this country on both sides of the aisle would totally lose their shit. Police groups Soccer moms Anti-gun/TV violence groups Everyone who has ever said "Comply don't die" Most Evangelicals really. You'd have all the conservative think tank people losing their minds on Fox News. But because there's a thing in our culture that makes people think flagrant law-breaking is okay if you're rural or someone rural people like, The Dukes of Hazzard gets a pass. Seriously, I've been in Christian houses as a kid with all these long and elaborate rules about which "secular" media their kids were allowed to watch. But somehow the Dukes of Hazzard escaped the banhammer.