Page 34 - Tim Wise News Today

Idea it wasnt about slavery, even though every state that gave causes for secession says thats what it was about, it doesnt surprise me that maybe you have missed that conversation. i think those of us in the south have got to insist on an accurate history, an honest history of our region and of our country and lets also remember -- i think lz makes a good point. brad paisleys from west virginia. there were some white folks, mountain folk in west virginia who broke away from virginia because the...

Things dont -- you cannot compare all of those things. if someone actually think that is theyre equal, then we are in major trouble as a society. if someone, white or black or whatever you are, thinks that a rebel flag is equal to a do-rag, we have really big issues in this country, bigger than i thought about. and if they want to start that song at an honest level, at an honest place, it would be like, hey, i was in the starbucks and im wearing this rebel flag and all of a sudden i realize, may...

♪ im just a white man ♪ comin to you from the southland ♪ ♪ tryin to understand what its like not to be ♪ ♪ im proud of where im from ♪ but not everything weve done ♪ ♪ it aint like you and me can rewrite history ♪ >> so lets talk a little history, music, and race. cnn contributor lz granderson is also a senior writer for espn. joining us from nashville, music city, tim wise and country music singer and songwriter and producer peter cooper. good to see all of you. so these gu...

Heres one part of "accidental raci racist," thats the name of it. its getting a lot of attention. ♪ im just a white man ♪ comin to you from the southland ♪ ♪ tryin to understand what its like not to be ♪ ♪ im proud of where im from ♪ but not everything weve done ♪ ♪ it aint like you and me can rewrite history ♪ >> so lets talk a little history, music and race. cnn contributor lz granderson is also a senior writer for espn. joining us from nashville, music city, tim wise and c...

Compassion. im not advising anyone to truly forget slavery. but what i am saying is, forget the slavery mentality, forget the bitterness. dont get bitter. get better. >> but in the end, i felt like what we had on tape was something that people needed to hear. lets not be victims of things that happened so long ago. >> lets respect it. but then after we respect it, lets also open our hearts up so that we can move forward. >> my panels back. peter cooper, tim wise, lz granderson. lz, are they seri...

But what i am saying is, forget the slavery mentality, forget the bitterness. dont get bitter. get better. >> but in the end, i felt like what we had on tape was something that people needed to hear. lets not be victims of things that happened so long ago. >> lets respect it. but then after we respect it, lets also open our hearts up so that we can move forward. >> my panels back. peter cooper, tim wise, lz granderson. lz, are they serious? >> yes, yes, they are. i dont think this song came from...

If youve got multiple generations of white folks who have been lied to about the benignity of the symbol, the idea it wasnt about slavery, even though every state that gave causes for secession says thats what it was about, it doesnt surprise me that maybe you have missed that conversation. i think those of us in the south have got to insist on an accurate history, an honest history of our region and of our country and lets also remember -- i think lz makes a good point. brad paisleys from west ...

I dont think this song came from a bad place. i dont think the intentions were really, really good. i just think its -- i hate to keep ripping on ll. i grew up on ll. his music is not known to be that intellectually in-depth. hes not known as an artist to be that really introspective. i think he took a nice, big swing and he missed in trying to communicate the perspective a lot of african-americans have today in regards to the topics that theyre talking about. >> tim, why not just say, listen, w...

And my question was, can you be an accidental racist? >> the character in the song is a character. and if youre writing about this issue, probably not the way to write about it is to say if you have anything to do with this flag, youre a racist. i grew up with it on the statehouse. they moved it as a hey, were sorry deal. but its something that people in the south grow up with. i think the way to get that 11-year-old kid to think twice before putting the shirt on is not to say, you little 11-yea...

Have got to insist on an accurate history, an honest history of our region and of our country and lets also remember -- i think lz makes a good point. brad paisleys from west virginia. there were some white folks, mountain folk in west virginia who broke away from virginia because they didnt want to secede. there were folks in georgia who had to steal that secession to get out of the -- you had to -- >> tim wise, im going to ask you then -- im going to play devils advocate here. some people may ...