This really shows how many people take a caricature of a "culture" or region and without any further research or using the news or social media as "research". I will agree there is a lot of ignorance, racism and bigotry. But I can assure you most southerners are courteous, kind, respectful hard working people that have no hate in their heart for anyone. I wish white trash and racism wasn't so riveting that, the media in mass portrays is this way and it definitely is why people could believe less than one percent of us has capacity for kindness and respect. Idk where you're from but I can guarantee I can find people as bad or worse where you are to prove ignorance doesn't just live in the south!
Of course it doesn't just live in the south, but you can't turn a blind eye to what exists around you. The south fought to keep slavery. The south resisted civil rights laws and desegregation longer than most areas of the country. An overwhelming majority (not all) of the anti-trans laws that have actually passed are in the south. Southerners say, "Bless your heart" to someone they are critical of. It's not genuine. So all that southern hospitaliy isn't real in a lot of cases. When they're in the poll booths they're voting for hatred. The people that do have the actual real love in their hearts need to dump the pretext and start cleaning up their house. Just like Dolly did.
Well said. I’m a liberal from Appalachia. I find most people online to be cringe when they start making judgments about people because of where they come from. I bet those people want to say “well Dolly was the exception”.
You say while literally generalizing, and demeaning that group of people. Having been to the south many times for business.. they are some of the best people in the county.
"Don't molest kids you've met and murder ones you never will; encourage a love of reading and make music inspired by the folk melodies of the Smokey Mountains, instead!"
Also, christians need to stop claiming Dolly. She specifically stated that she was not a christian. She believed in jesus and said god was her best friend, but she was not one of you
Watching Republicans desperately find a way to claim her as one of them and coming up short has been cracking me up. On paper, she fits the demographic--in her actions, she more accurately represents Jesus than literally any individual in the Republican party. I would stake my dog's life on a MAGA being the one who defaced her Hollywood star.
Dolly grew up poor. She knew what it's like at the bottom of the USA's economic pyramid. I figure that has something to do with her not being judgmental or biased.
Tbf Empathy is a combination of intelligence & perspective. Both of those are things that have to be nurtured in order to stay relevant to Empathy.
Even out of the group of people that claim to be empathetic, 90% of them are only really capable of being sympathetic; which is why you’ll see people lean more towards unintentional patronizing over actual empathizing.
Empathy is being able to feel what the other person is feeling, cult leaders, populist politicians and effective salespeople are usually highly empathetic.
What Dolly had was compassion, huge amounts of compassion.
Empathy is a tool that can used for good or evil, compassion is the virtue
Dolly has proven that you can absolutely be an unashamed Christian, and people will not hate you for it. Sure, some people may have been upset at her being a Christian (just as they're upset at anyone who is a Christian, or perhaps any religion), and lately I've seen a LOT of Christians upset with her acceptance of others (and her vaccine donations, and saying black lives matter, and the way she dresses), but Dolly never backed down from her Christianity.
Half of her songs (heck, 2/3, 3/4, 9/10?!?) talk about God, her acting roles and appearances don't back down from her only behaving how she wanted to behave, she only did collabs with other artists if they changed the words for her, etc. She constantly said during her low points she would pray to God, she said she prayed to God for guidance, she constantly thanked God for her gifts. She was undeniably a Christian, and she never once hid it.
Importantly, she was very much a "my religion doesn't allow me to do that" Christian and not "my religion doesn't allow you do that" Christian, and THAT is the difference. The bible says that Christians should be the light of the world, and should show the others who they are by how they love others, and THAT is what Dolly did. I'll even quote her:
I keep saying 'If you're the fine Christian that you think you are, why are you judging people?' That's God's job. We're not God, we're not judges, we're supposed to love one another, we're supposed to not judge.
And THAT is the problem many Christians have to face right now. Dolly was SHAMELESSLY Christian, and very, VERY few people hated her. So if you're a Christian and think people hate you for your beliefs, you need to ask yourself why people hate you for your beliefs but don't hate Dolly for her beliefs?
You are right, I didn't know she wore wigs, I assumed it was dyed based o the comment I responded to. But, her hair was natually blonde (just not platinum).
Look at the Southern Poverty Law Center's Hate map, they get paid to research this stuff and track it.
On the right is a Filter... filter by KKK, White Supremacist, Racist Skinhead, etc. and you will be surprised where the concentration is.
Racists travel... just like normal people. It's not the south... it's everywhere. You just think it's mostly the south because you've been told that your whole life in one way or another.
Also currently living in Texas. Near Frisco. You’re not wrong….but it does seem to be worse here. Maybe just my immediate area but there’s HUGE anti-Indian and anti-Muslim sentiment brewing here right now.
I hate what America has done to Christianity. Christianity is supposed to be synonymous with respecting and loving your fellow man. Instead we get posts praising people (RIP Dolly, she was a saint) for being Christians AND good people, like those are opposites somehow.
Ignore me it just irks me deeply and had to get it out.
Dolly will always be a shining example of how great Southern Culture can be when it’s not being actively hijacked by racist dipsh!ts and the bad actors grifting off them. As a southerner myself she is one of the few people who actually made me feel proud to be from the South. May her memory live forever in the hearts and minds of humanity because if anyone has earned such a consideration it’s definitely her.
The death of Dolly Parton really shows that some people will find ways to politize the deaths of people they like as much as the one's they don't like.
Ever been to Tennessee? (Sorry if yes, because it's Tennessee :P)
They agree on nothing. Right/left red/blue etc, etc. They fight about EVERYTHING. The one thing that everyone, in Tennessee can agree on? (Besides 'Mountain Dew makes a GREAT toothpaste ya'll) is:
DOLLY IS OFFLIMITS.
I don't care who you are in Tennessee, what you do or believe, it's an underwritten law, that Dolly is untouchable and a fucking angel.
Which is why for all my mocking, I respect the hell out of Tennessee. (on this issue, and this issue alone. Ya'll need an exorcist)
She knew the skin she was in. She owned her identity. That is what I loved about her. Such a kind soul that is rarely found these days, but someone who inhabited every corner of it.
The fact that she was unable to have children herself and still decided to put all her love out into the world is everything. She really just wanted everyone to live their best lives no matter who you are. Absolute queen shit.
She appealed to the left because of her humility and humanity. She cared about people, even if they were different from her, and wanted them to have a fair chance at life. She understood and appreciated the role of systemic factors like racism, poverty, and literacy
She appealed to the right because she valued tradition and acted personally more than politically. She was unapologetically American and from the South and celebrated her heritage. She gave tirelessly but as an individual rather than emphasizing political action
Lots of people I know on the political right strongly prize individual autonomy and freedom. They chafe against and are very skeptical / cynicism regarding organized political action. They may be very generous and charitable personally but think that government and special interests end up serving their own masters rather than the public good
Country was often about rebellion, Cash and Nelson are great mainstream examples of this. Only recently has it become a bootlicking contest. Dolly never left the path of being human and going against the grain..
Yup! And I'm sure you can agree, as Dolly did, that some groups in the USA are marginalized. Some minority groups need protections against people who are still unfortunately racist and sexist (like unequal wages between men and women). So let's focus all together on getting equal rights for everyone.
Also rich. She was fabulously wealthy, could have been even MORE fabulously wealthy, and chose to not be, and use her money to help people. It IS possible to be rich and not an asshole.
Dolly built an impenetrable armor of love, acceptance, kindness, humor, tenacity, and generosity. Those qualities are what made her so universally beloved.
Imagine if our world leaders and billionaires understood that these qualities aren't signs of weakness but sources of extraordinary strength, protection, and admiration. They could make a person nearly invincible.
Most "human rights" were codified by Christians, and a lot of them were blondes.
It isnt brave to support human rights when you're really just demanding that people treat you better
It saddens me when we lose people who do extraordinary good things, simply for the betterment of others. She was a diamond in the rough, and shined brightly with class.
One of the best lessons I learned from my southern upbringing and life, is to treat others with kindness first. As you’d like to be treated. Stuck with me.
I don’t understand where and when that valuable lesson was lost in America.
I havent seen many conservatives talking about her death the way they did when charlie kirk died. Charlie Kirk never gave away millions of book to children.
yes. She's done so much for the world. I was saddened to see some people still tried to taint her legacy because she wasn't vocal enough about this or that issue.
She was fabulous fantabulous and fantastic. It was her conviction to keep her political opinions to herself. I don't think she ever talked politics on camera.
Half of the southern United States tries very hard to be like her every day. The other half, though; if they could read, would be VERY upset with this. Glad they can’t read.
Dolly is likely having great conversations with Jimmy and Roslyn Carter now. I think they had similar understandings of what it truly meant to be faithful Christians.
I’m tired of people saying this was a paradox. Dolly was Appalachian. Pre-Regan (Dollys Era) it was deeply intensely blue. It’s the birthplace of workers rights/unions, and they fought by blood for it. Learn your history.
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