In doing research for “The War at 150” (page 10), an anecdote came to mind. About five years ago, a friend invited me to attend a screening of the 1939 classic film Gone with the Wind.

I hadn’t seen the movie since I was maybe 10 years old, but I recalled it as exotic and lavish: dashing Southern gentlemen and beautiful belles, enormous hoop dresses, rolling hills, drawling accents and sprawling plantations. It was a world very different from the plain clothes and flat farmland of my youth. Being a “Yankee,” the South and the Civil War were not topics I thought much about at the time. And the only person I associated with a Southern accent, I’m sorry to say, was Jim Nabors’ Gomer Pyle character from the TV show Mayberry RFD.

The Nashville movie theater was jammed that day – it seemed we weren’t the only ones excited about seeing an old favorite on the big screen. We settled in with popcorn and soda and as the film reel unspooled, I remembered why I had enjoyed it: the repartee between Scarlett and Rhett, the quiet beauty of Melanie, the valiant young men going off to war. The story is captivating.

But after a little while, I felt a prick of discomfort, and then another. I began to realize I felt differently about some of the familiar scenes playing out before me, that I was watching the film through a different pair of eyes. I winced at the African American actors’ roles – plump and grinning wide-eyed servants. And in the infamous scene in which Scarlett slaps Prissy across the face, I cringed. Glancing around the theater, I observed mostly white faces and felt ashamed.

Taking a look at the Civil War on the occasion of its 150th anniversary is, for some people, a tough sell. Many of us would rather ignore it, claiming it’s “ancient history” and not relevant to our lives today. But the truth is, we still have racial inequities in 2011. We still have violence and political upheaval. We still have unfair treatment of minorities.

The Civil War, which culminated in the Emancipation Proclamation, may be 150 years in our past, but we still have a long way to go.

Looking back may make us uncomfortable, but maybe that’s a good thing. Recognizing the mistakes of our past just might help us avoid making the same ones in the future.

The sesquicentennial of the start of the Civil War is upon us, and for the next four years, we’ll hear about events, speakers and activities that will take a look back at what happened a long time ago. Don’t be afraid to take that look.

Joan Brasher
Editor in Chief, Vanderbilt View
view-editor@vanderbilt.edu

Posted 02/01/11