Last week, TIME magazine’s “The South Issue” hit newsstands with the goal of explaining this part of South’s “complicated story” to a readership that apparently views this region of the country as alien, strange and unfamiliar.
The issue appears to be a tribute to Stacey Abrams, Georgia’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, who is featured on the cover of the issue, and if you believe the polling, has a 50-50 shot at winning in November.
The rest of the issue is what one would expect from a mainstream media outlet’s deep dive into southern culture — long-meandering historical narratives and critiques of the South’s culture and its priorities. There is even the obligatory “southerners are crazy about their college football” piece, this one by ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
Also among the articles is an essay by Sewanee alumni and Belle Meade, Tenn. resident Jon Meacham, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and former Newsweek magazine editor, who sees an opening for the South to redeem itself for its past ways.
Meacham is a chronic critic of President Donald Trump, who he sees as demagogic and appealing to the nation’s worst impulses. (Meacham is optimistic the country will overcome Trump — a case he makes in his latest book “The Soul of America: The Battle for our Better Angels.”)
One of the elements of this redemptive is a change in the South’s politics, from solidly Republican to shades of purple inspired by the election of a handful of Democrats.
“The bottom line: Southern politics are far more fluid than many people believe, and even the slightest uptick in Democratic strength in the South could portend far greater gains elsewhere,” he wrote.
He suggests that would include fewer “MAGA hats,” which are the red ballcaps with “Make America Great Again” inscribed on them that were originally made famous by President Donald Trump. As a substitute, he hopes more people will visit the lynching memorial in Montgomery that opened earlier his year.
“If the South can come to grips with its tragic past–if more people, say, visit Bryan Stevenson’s new lynching memorial in Alabama than acquire MAGA hats–then the region has an opportunity to advance redemption in a country torn asunder by tribalism,” Meacham continued.
Meacham concludes by saying such measures could allow for the South to be a force “for good,” as if it isn’t already.
“At which point a newly enlightened South may rise again–as a force not for ill but for good,” he wrote.
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.
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