Over the course of the last several years, our nation has undergone some turbulence the likes of which we’ve rarely seen in the modern era.
Our two party system has turned toxic, in many ways, with the polar viewpoints now being the only viewpoints we have poured into our brains by the medias; social and mainstream. This turns us ever further away from one another, and thus prone to bitterness and angst.
Now, as several states have seemingly made it their duty to oppose the Biden administration at every turn, there’s even a bit of a secession vibe in the ether…and the proof is in the pudding when it comes to interest in the Civil War.
Civil War battle reenactments have been taking place across the South since the 1960s. But reenactor Billy Pugh told ABC News that recently, they have been seeing a growing number of people interested.
“There were probably about three or four hundred spectators yesterday, so there were a good bit of people,” Pugh said. “They were lined up all the way around the road and up the hill to the flag yesterday.”
And that’s not all:
Martin O’Toole is a spokesperson for the Georgia Division Sons of Confederate Veterans. The group is suing, in some cases, to stop cities across the country from removing Civil War monuments from public spaces.
He told ABC News it should be acceptable for people in the South to honor and celebrate the Confederacy.
“When we have calls for diversity, it should include diversity of opinion as well,” O’Toole said. “And if people say they don’t like statues, put up their own statues, let all Americans have their say [about] what they want about their ancestors, their history and the like.”
O’Toole said he has been seeing a growing interest in joining the organization over the past few years.
Just a quirky phase of America’s development, or a genuine lurch toward splitsville? Perhaps only time will tell.
