Why has this forum shifted so much in opinion on Robert E. Lee?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Compare:

https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=458459.0
https://talkelections.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=92966.0

At least it's a shift in the right direction.

[Ancestral Republican]

The mythology is starting to die.

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

I went to school in Connecticut and not a bad word was said about the man. The excuse given for why he "technically wasn't bad" is that he was a brilliant military tactician that Lincoln wanted as Commanding General before McClellan or Grant. I probably would've voted FF in the 2009 poll because that was the year I had learned about it in middle school - a more kinder, gentler Lost Cause, if you will.

I suppose he gets points in the North for maybe considering the Union before deciding that the interests of his state outweighed those of the country. Why his hesitation and ultimate wrong decision on the matter should deserve him any special sympathy is very strange to me.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

People are woke?

[John Dule]

I went to school in Connecticut and not a bad word was said about the man. The excuse given for why he "technically wasn't bad" is that he was a brilliant military tactician that Lincoln wanted as Commanding General before McClellan or Grant. I probably would've voted FF in the 2009 poll because that was the year I had learned about it in middle school - a more kinder, gentler Lost Cause, if you will.

I suppose he gets points in the North for maybe considering the Union before deciding that the interests of his state outweighed those of the country. Why his hesitation and ultimate wrong decision on the matter should deserve him any special sympathy is very strange to me.

Self-doubt is a virtue, so I do understand why knowing that might make someone empathize more with a historical figure.

[Хahar 🤔]

We're all familiar with the relevant cultural and intellectual trends, but a specific piece that matters more directly here than elsewhere is that the partisan mythologies through which our national history is continually retold have shifted substantially now that Southern whites are no longer looked to as an important swing constituency.

Yeah, it's telling that the first post in that 2009 thread is by benconstine; his white Southern affectation was silly even then but is hard to imagine now. The position that a suburban kid might take now to differentiate himself from his liberal parents would be something like opposing gun control because gun owners can defend themselves against the police.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

We're all familiar with the relevant cultural and intellectual trends, but a specific piece that matters more directly here than elsewhere is that the partisan mythologies through which our national history is continually retold have shifted substantially now that Southern whites are no longer looked to as an important swing constituency.

Yeah, it's telling that the first post in that 2009 thread is by benconstine; his white Southern affectation was silly even then but is hard to imagine now. The position that a suburban kid might take now to differentiate himself from his liberal parents would be something like opposing gun control because gun owners can defend themselves against the police.

It's interesting how benconstine-style Moderate Heroism has mostly gone extinct, even people like Wulfric are off the deep end on some views. In fact the closest thing to it that's still widespread is probably Glenn Greenwald/Tulsi Gabbard-style knee-jerk contrarianism.

[RINO Tom]

The Civil War, rightly or wrongly, is seen less and less of a “war between brothers” (i.e., a regrettable splitting of a nation that had to learn to heal together in the years since) by the year.

[Del Tachi]

The mythology is starting to die.

A new mythology is taking shape.

[Ancestral Republican]

The mythology is starting to die.

A new mythology is taking shape.

Yes, we all know where you stand on the question of "black people are humans and have historically faced and currently face systemic racism."