We Southern Rednecks are a despicable people, according to nationally syndicated columnist Thomas Sowell. We are lazy, ignorant, prone to violence and sexually permissive. And to make matters worse, we passed these traits on to our black neighbors who then populated the northern ghettos.

That's right. According to Sowell every time a black hoodlum in South Chicago kills another black person because he said the wrong thing, it is Southern Whites who are to blame.

Sowell makes this absurd statement in his new book, 'Black Rednecks and White Liberals' (Encounter Books, San Francisco).

Now Mr. Sowell is not totally wrong. There is a small group of white southerners who fit his description. We call them White Trash. Mr. Sowell's problem is that he first conceived of his idea, and then went in search of evidence to support it. In doing so, he latched on to this handful of white trash and declared them to be typical of all Southern whites.

He is also correct when he said that Southern culture was brought here by Celtic people from the British Isles. He is wrong to describe Celts as being lazy, ignorant, violent and sexually permissive barbarians.

He is correct about the English elitists and their efforts to use what ever tricks they had to force the Celts to comply with their idea of civilization. They went so far as to attempt to wipe out the Gallic language, and almost succeeded.

He is also correct in stating that there are plenty of black rednecks. I grew up among them. I picked cotton in the same field with them. I fished with their kids. The redneck culture is based on a rural lifestyle and Southern rural blacks and whites have much more in common than that which separates them.

Now here are some of the things he ignored. First, the white trash had little or nothing to do with Southern blacks, free or slave. The opposite is true. Southern blacks as a group consider white trash to be the lowest form of human; even lower than slaves.

Second: the attitude by urban blacks that white people owe them a living came from the Freedman's Bureau and other northern supported organizations that came south during 'Reconstruction.' If whites contributed to the problems of the ghettoes, it is this group of carpetbaggers.

Finally, Sowell makes no effort to equate black lawlessness to their African origins. He ignores the current violence, ignorance and even slavery that exist in Africa today. But if he could find a way to accuse Southern Rednecks of going to Africa and teaching one tribe to chop to death members of another tribe, he would likely attempt to use it against Southern Culture.

Mr. Sowell is a smart man. Much of what he writes is true. He is a talented writer with many good ideas. But the temptation to join in the South bashing was just too much for him to resist. By doing so, he has taken a large step toward permanently damaging his own credibility.

I hate when that happens.

Copyright © June 1, 2005 by Frank Gillispie
frankgillispie@charter.net. 706-549-7966