Respone to "Dying for Dixie"

I think this chapter was definitely more intense than the one we had to read previously. However, once again I felt that Horwitz tended to sympathize with the African Americans. At first, we learn of Michael Westerman being shot by Freddie, and Michael is portrayed as being completely innocent. Later on when Horwitz visits Michael’s previous workplace, he finds out that Michael was racist. One of the waitresses there said, “Mike had a racial hang-up.” Also, she considered him as being a bully. Also, the treatment of Hannah, Michael’s wife, towards Freddie’s mother was quite disturbing. In contrast, Horwitz portrays Freddie as being apologetic for his behavior. However, at Michael’s house at the end, they are still supporting what they believed previously. They had rebel flag on display at their house and one of the toddler’s wore a rebel-flag shirt.

The thing that I found most interesting was when Frances Chapman states that, “Blacks just need to get over slavery, and you can’t live in the past.” However, she was doing the same thing by defending the rebel flag. Also, she states, “Don’t put us where they used to be.” She says this right after saying that slavery was not really that bad. So, if it wasn’t that bad then why should she mind being in their place? I just don’t understand why people can’t just treat everyone as equal, but then again if I think about it even now we still have class and status divisions. However, no one is limited to what they can achieve. Such things still exist, but just not as much as before.