So what if it is tradition? Chanting “the South will rise again” is offensive to every minority living in the U.S. “From Dixie With Love” is one of Ole Miss’ traditional songs sung during game day. Students have chanted “the South will rise again” for so many years, yet apparently no one found anything offensive in the phrase; until recently.
The controversy began when the Ole Miss Associated Student Body passed a resolution banning the chant “the South will rise again,” replacing it with “to hell with LSU.” The decision was never fully enforced because the proper officials did not approve it after it passed in the senate.
The students openly ignored the resolution, which in return provoked a written warning by Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones. When the student still did not abide by the new decision, it resulted in a ban of “From Dixie With Love.”
This decision to ban the song has drawn the attention of the Ku Klux Klan, which plans to protest the ban by wearing their full, classic attire: yes, the pretty costumes with cone hats. Nothing gets the public’s attention faster than the participation of the KKK.
Shane Tate, the great titan for the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, confirmed the KKK will rally on Ole Miss’ campus in protest of the chancellor’s decision. He argued on grounds of tradition preservation and that the students chanting are not racist.
Old habits die hard, more so for some than for others. One can understand why the song is important for the university; it is still tradition.
“This is a classic example of one group of people turning something relatively harmless into a huge deal. Why does it matter now?” explained civil engineering senior, Rami Ayash.
A chant regarding the Civil War became a racial chant. As for the KKK, their involvement did not help the cause at all. Their appearance alone has automatically made the banning decision valid.
The South has been haunted by racial segregation for decades; one can give many more important issues to fight for. How about the recent 50 percent increase in KKK membership?
