Bentley, the Flag and pussification

[Kaos]

Governor Bentley today pulled a Bruce Jenner.  He became a woman.  No offense to women.  Bentley exposed his wrinkled gray vagina and showed it to the world. 

In response to a manufactured national furor Bentley ordered the Confederate flag removed from the grounds in Montgomery.  What a pussy.  So afraid that John Oliver might say something in his stupid British accent; so afraid that Rachel Maddow might bleat to the eleven people who watch her shitty show; so afraid that Bill Maher might have something condescending to say; so afraid that Cooper Anderson might leak a rainbow tear, the Pussy In Chief took the flag down. 

I've never owned a confederate battle flag.  I've never flown one.  But I'm tempted to do so now. 

I'm sorry Dylann Roof wrapped himself in a symbol of the Old South.  But I'm sick of being denied MY heritage because it might offend somebody else or be used by a group I don't care for. 

Roof wore a shirt that said Gold's Gym.  Should we order them closed?
Roof wore Wolverine Boots. They must be symbols of racism.
He took pictures with a camera!  Ban all photography.

LA gangsters killed more people than Roof ever thought about killing. They adopted the gear of the Oakland Raiders.  We should ban all Raiders gear from being sold across this land.  Malcom X's nation of Islam killed more people than Roof.  All X's should be stricken. 

Here's the thing about the Civil War.  I studied it extensively in college.  And while slavery was a part of it, the war was NEVER about slavery. 

The South objected to the intrusion of the federal government into state control.  That was the real war.  Slavery was a part of that, but very few Southerners owned slaves.  It was more about being told what to do.  As a matter of fact, technological innovations would have ended slavery naturally anyway.  The institution would have become inefficient and cost prohibitive.

Lincoln made the war "about slavery" as a matter of perception.  He was losing the war.  He was losing support.  The South was on the verge of obtaining economic and military support from France and England.  He needed to figure out something to keep from losing. And he chose slavery.  By declaring the war to be about the freedom of slaves (which it never was) he gained the "moral high ground" and turned things in his favor. 

If the South had won?  We'd still be the USA, but states would have more autonomy and the federal government would have much less power over our daily lives.  Frankly?  That would be a better situation. 

Either way, the Confederate Flag is a part of our history.  Taking it down isn't going to make things magically better. People like Dylann Roof will still exist, still do crazy things.  People won't like each other more or hate each other less.  It's a symbolic, pussified gesture that means absolutely nothing. 

Hiding from history, revising it to make it say what you think it should will never solve anything.  It only makes things worse.

I'm disgusted with Bentley.  I think he showed just how weak he is. 

[Tiger Wench]

I don't care what people wear, display, salute, worship, whatever, including the Confederate Flag.  My maternal grandfather's grandfather fought and survived and I am not ashamed of his service to a cause he believed was just. 

The only reason - ONLY REASON - I am not totally bent about all this shit now is that the State Capitol buildings are government buildings, and they represent political subdivisions of the United States of America.  Not the Confederate States.  The United States.  And while their purpose is to represent all citizens of their state, those citizens are citizens of the United States first.  It does not seem right for a state capitol to fly any flag other than our nation and their state.  Most Southern states were part of Spain, France, and England too, and none of those flags fly over state government buildings, because it would not represent allegiance to the United States.

If they want to ban t-shirts, personal flags, stickers, SCV, etc., then to hell with them all.  We are all free to express ourselves as we see fit.

But government buildings are a different matter. 

[Kaos]

I don't care what people wear, display, salute, worship, whatever, including the Confederate Flag.  My maternal grandfather's grandfather fought and survived and I am not ashamed of his service to a cause he believed was just. 

The only reason - ONLY REASON - I am not totally bent about all this shit now is that the State Capitol buildings are government buildings, and they represent political subdivisions of the United States of America.  Not the Confederate States.  The United States.  And while their purpose is to represent all citizens of their state, those citizens are citizens of the United States first.  It does not seem right for a state capitol to fly any flag other than our nation and their state.  Most Southern states were part of Spain, France, and England too, and none of those flags fly over state government buildings, because it would not represent allegiance to the United States.

If they want to ban t-shirts, personal flags, stickers, SCV, etc., then to hell with them all.  We are all free to express ourselves as we see fit.

But government buildings are a different matter.

The flag of every nation that governed the State of Alabama during its history is flown at the state capital. 

Doesn't fly over the dome, but they are on the grounds just like the Confederate flag was. 

What matters more to me is Bentley being a pussy and taking it down now. 

[Tiger Wench]

The flag of every nation that governed the State of Alabama during its history is flown at the state capital. 

Doesn't fly over the dome, but they are on the grounds just like the Confederate flag was. 

What matters more to me is Bentley being a pussy and taking it down now.

Every nation.  The Confederacy was not a nation, by its very definition. 

South Carolina's flies over the dome. It should come down.  Sometimes is just the right time.  Strike while the iron is hot and all that.  Of course people who oppose the removal will call it pussification and wimping out, etc., but it needs to be done. It makes no sense.  That is not South Carolina's only identity - it was a single four or five year period in a 250+ year history. 

[Kaos]

Every nation.  The Confederacy was not a nation, by its very definition. 

South Carolina's flies over the dome. It should come down.  Sometimes is just the right time.  Strike while the iron is hot and all that.  Of course people who oppose the removal will call it pussification and wimping out, etc., but it needs to be done. It makes no sense.  That is not South Carolina's only identity - it was a single four or five year period in a 250+ year history.

It wasn't over Alabama's dome. 

This isn't South Carolina.

It IS part of South Carolina's history, like it or not.

The flag itself had no bearing on the actions of Roof and it's sickening that the focus has turned onto the flag as opportunists latch on to a chance to further rewrite and whitewash history.

We were a nation (had a president, Congress, etc.)

There was no demand from anywhere (other than raging white guilt) to do anything in Alabama. Our solution to display a part of our history was deemed acceptable.

Bentley acted like a frightened pussy. 

Like I said, I don't fly the flag.  But the flag here isn't the problem.  It's irrational and unreasonable to place blame there and even more pansy assed for Bentley to snatch it down because he's afraid of a British comedian.

[WiregrassTiger]

Many of us on here likely have ancestors that fought in the Civil War. And most of them probably lost. As much as I believe that the war and the Confederacy was as much (if not more) about taxation/representation, most people will never believe it. Most history books will never tell the true story. Because the winning side gets to write history. So, the side that lost finally gets it's flag taken down. It's been up a very long time. Yes, it's definitely a part of our history but we live in the territory of the side that lost.

It's thankfully a non-issue to me. It is a big issue that lunatics like Roof have made it into a symbol of hate to most people. And these people are too ignorant to understand that there are conf flag wavers out there who aren't supremacists or race baiters, that truly identify with the ideals of the Confederacy. And some do it simply because they are southern history buffs. Whatever. I'm fine with them.

Taking it down...Meh.

I only hope that my completed manifesto is much better than this moron's. I've got to get started on that.
http://www.vibe.com/2015/06/dylann-roof-manifesto/

[Kaos]

Many of us on here likely have ancestors that fought in the Civil War. And most of them probably lost. As much as I believe that the war and the Confederacy was as much (if not more) about taxation/representation, most people will never believe it. Most history books will never tell the true story. Because the winning side gets to write history. So, the side that lost finally gets it's flag taken down. It's been up a very long time. Yes, it's definitely a part of our history but we live in the territory of the side that lost.

It's thankfully a non-issue to me. It is a big issue that lunatics like Roof have made it into a symbol of hate to most people. And these people are too ignorant to understand that there are conf flag wavers out there who aren't supremacists or race baiters, that truly identify with the ideals of the Confederacy. And some do it simply because they are southern history buffs. Whatever. I'm fine with them.

Taking it down...Meh.

I only hope that my completed manifesto is much better than this moron's. I've got to get started on that.
http://www.vibe.com/2015/06/dylann-roof-manifesto/

That post wasn't funny at all. 

You're slipping. 

[WiregrassTiger]

Governor Bentley today pulled a Bruce Jenner.  He became a woman.  No offense to women.  Bentley exposed his wrinkled gray vagina and showed it to the world. 

In response to a manufactured national furor Bentley ordered the Confederate flag removed from the grounds in Montgomery.  What a pussy.  So afraid that John Oliver might say something in his stupid British accent; so afraid that Rachel Maddow might bleat to the eleven people who watch her shitty show; so afraid that Bill Maher might have something condescending to say; so afraid that Cooper Anderson might leak a rainbow tear, the Pussy In Chief took the flag down. 

I've never owned a confederate battle flag.  I've never flown one.  But I'm tempted to do so now. 

I'm sorry Dylann Roof wrapped himself in a symbol of the Old South.  But I'm sick of being denied MY heritage because it might offend somebody else or be used by a group I don't care for. 

Roof wore a shirt that said Gold's Gym.  Should we order them closed?
Roof wore Wolverine Boots. They must be symbols of racism.
He took pictures with a camera!  Ban all photography.

LA gangsters killed more people than Roof ever thought about killing. They adopted the gear of the Oakland Raiders.  We should ban all Raiders gear from being sold across this land.  Malcom X's nation of Islam killed more people than Roof.  All X's should be stricken. 

Here's the thing about the Civil War.  I studied it extensively in college.  And while slavery was a part of it, the war was NEVER about slavery. 

The South objected to the intrusion of the federal government into state control.  That was the real war.  Slavery was a part of that, but very few Southerners owned slaves.  It was more about being told what to do.  As a matter of fact, technological innovations would have ended slavery naturally anyway.  The institution would have become inefficient and cost prohibitive.

Lincoln made the war "about slavery" as a matter of perception.  He was losing the war.  He was losing support.  The South was on the verge of obtaining economic and military support from France and England.  He needed to figure out something to keep from losing. And he chose slavery.  By declaring the war to be about the freedom of slaves (which it never was) he gained the "moral high ground" and turned things in his favor. 

If the South had won?  We'd still be the USA, but states would have more autonomy and the federal government would have much less power over our daily lives.  Frankly?  That would be a better situation. 

Either way, the Confederate Flag is a part of our history.  Taking it down isn't going to make things magically better. People like Dylann Roof will still exist, still do crazy things.  People won't like each other more or hate each other less.  It's a symbolic, pussified gesture that means absolutely nothing. 

Hiding from history, revising it to make it say what you think it should will never solve anything.  It only makes things worse.

I'm disgusted with Bentley.  I think he showed just how weak he is.

I'm with you. I've been wanting to burn this mofo down for a long time. Let's do it.

[Catphish Tilly]

Don't worry about that lil flag and the history of a people. Those taxes aren't gonna raise themselves, K!

"I have taxes to raise ... And it was my decision that the flag needed to come down."

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/06/confederate_flag_removed_from.html#incart_2box

[Kaos]

Let's talk about the manifesto. 

The guy was a terrible writer, but he obviously had some frustrations with today's society.  The way he expressed those frustrations was very clearly wrong.  But there are some things in there that probably represent what many people actually think.  And sadly, he wasn't wrong about some of it. 

I was not raised in a racist home or environment. Living in the South, almost every White person has a small amount of racial awareness, simply beause of the numbers of negroes in this part of the country. But it is a superficial awareness. Growing up, in school, the White and black kids would make racial jokes toward each other, but all they were were jokes. Me and White friends would sometimes would watch things that would make us think that “blacks were the real racists” and other elementary thoughts like this, but there was no real understanding behind it. Probably true everywhere.  Do white people really think about or have a daily awareness of race?  Doubtful

The event that truly awakened me was the Trayvon Martin case. I kept hearing and seeing his name, and eventually I decided to look him up. I read the Wikipedia article and right away I was unable to understand what the big deal was. It was obvious that Zimmerman was in the right. But more importantly this prompted me to type in the words “black on White crime” into Google, and I have never been the same since that day. The first website I came to was the Council of Conservative Citizens. There were pages upon pages of these brutal black on White murders. I was in disbelief. At this moment I realized that something was very wrong. How could the news be blowing up the Trayvon Martin case while hundreds of these black on White murders got ignored? It's a valid question.  Why the focus on that case when there are (on average) 35 murders a day in the US and the vast majority of those are committed by blacks?

From this point I researched deeper and found out what was happening in Europe. I saw that the same things were happening in England and France, and in all the other Western European countries. Again I found myself in disbelief. As an American we are taught to accept living in the melting pot, and black and other minorities have just as much right to be here as we do, since we are all immigrants. But Europe is the homeland of White people, and in many ways the situation is even worse there. From here I found out about the Jewish problem and other issues facing our race, and I can say today that I am completely racially aware. No.  I don't think he was aware.  Not at all

Blacks

I think it is is fitting to start off with the group I have the most real life experience with, and the group that is the biggest problem for Americans.
blacks are stupid and violent. At the same time they have the capacity to be very slick. Black people view everything through a racial lense. Thats what racial awareness is, its viewing everything that happens through a racial lense. They are always thinking about the fact that they are black. This is part of the reason they get offended so easily, and think that some thing are intended to be racist towards them, even when a White person wouldnt be thinking about race. The other reason is the Jewish agitation of the black race.
I don't know what the Jews have to do with this, that part is muddled. But (aside from his language) there is a clear and pervasive pattern of violence among blacks.  We can debate the reasons for this all day -- poverty, lack of father figure, whatever -- but it is a reality.  Blacks make up 11% of the population but 40% of the prison population. Incarceration rate is six times higher than any other race.  A full third of all black men will be imprisoned at some point in their lives.  That's appalling. 85% of crime in Chicago and Atlanta, committed by blacks. 

Also don't think we can deny that blacks as a whole -- thanks to television and "activists" like Jesse and Al -- do view things through a racial prism.  There is a predisposition to suspicion of bias where there often isn't any.  Agitators like that keep racial tensions stirred and deny true healing in order to line their own pockets.

Black people are racially aware almost from birth, but White people on average dont think about race in their daily lives. And this is our problem. We need to and have to.
Say you were to witness a dog being beat by a man. You are almost surely going to feel very sorry for that dog. But then say you were to witness a dog biting a man. You will most likely not feel the same pity you felt for the dog for the man. Why? Because dogs are lower than men.
This same analogy applies to black and White relations. Even today, blacks are subconsciously viewed by White people are lower beings. They are held to a lower standard in general. This is why they are able to get away with things like obnoxious behavior in public. Because it is expected of them.
Modern history classes instill a subconscious White superiority complex in Whites and an inferiority complex in blacks. This White superiority complex that comes from learning of how we dominated other peoples is also part of the problem I have just mentioned. But of course I dont deny that we are in fact superior.

Okay, this is a little off the rails.  You could make an argument that historically whites have done more with technology, innovation, etc. But "superiority" is a stretch.  Do blacks have an "inferiority complex."  Perhaps.  But what I see today more than anything is pervasive white guilt.  Guilt over things that didn't happen the way we've been told.


I wish with a passion that blacks were treated terribly throughout history by Whites, that every White person had an ancestor who owned slaves, that segregation was an evil an oppressive institution, and so on. Because if it was all it true, it would make it so much easier for me to accept our current situation. But it isnt true. None of it is. We are told to accept what is happening to us because of ancestors wrong doing, but it is all based on historical lies, exaggerations and myths. I have tried endlessly to think of reasons we deserve this, and I have only came back more irritated because there are no reasons.

Other than wishing for mistreatment, he's got a point here.  What we've been told and taught is utterly and completely wrong.  Everything we think we know about the Civil War is based on a convenient falsehood. I can understand a frustration over the corrupting of the truth. 

Only a fourth to a third of people in the South owned even one slave. Yet every White person is treated as if they had a slave owning ancestor. This applies to in the states where slavery never existed, as well as people whose families immigrated after slavery was abolished. I have read hundreds of slaves narratives from my state. And almost all of them were positive. One sticks out in my mind where an old ex-slave recounted how the day his mistress died was one of the saddest days of his life. And in many of these narratives the slaves told of how their masters didnt even allowing whipping on his plantation.

True about the number of slave owners. The actual number was probably even lower than that.  The treatment of white people goes to the "white guilt."  I also understand the frustration that comes from feeling as if he's denied opportunities or others receive preferential treatment because of something that he had no part in. 

There are numerous slave narratives that are positive, that reflect a peaceful way of life. Those are typically quashed because they don't fit the story that revisionist historians want to tell.  There are also slave narratives that reflect brutal treatment.  Not defending slavery at all, it's indefensible.  But this isn't the only place it existed, it still exists in other countries -- African countries. 

This is a confused kid who doesn't understand why we are where we are and he is angry that he feels he and his family are being punished for something they had no part in.


Segregation was not a bad thing. It was a defensive measure. Segregation did not exist to hold back negroes. It existed to protect us from them. And I mean that in multiple ways. Not only did it protect us from having to interact with them, and from being physically harmed by them, but it protected us from being brought down to their level. Integration has done nothing but bring Whites down to level of brute animals. The best example of this is obviously our school system.

Eh... The school systems have declined since integration.  They've declined since prayer was removed. They've become more violent.  The educational standards have essentially collapsed.  Is that a result of integration or are they unrelated?  This kid saw a connection. 

Let me state again for the record that this kid acted in a manner that is utterly reprehensible.  But the ideas that he expressed (poorly expressed) exist.  They exist beneath the surface of the PC-driven exchanges we're allowed to have -- exchanges that limit the freedom of expression and essentially guarantee that no truths will be revealed and no resolutions reached. 

Do you think Bentley taking down the Confederate flag or SC doing the same will make the (numerous) people like Dylann Roof go "oh, dang man.  I was wrong."  Do you seriously think that? 

More likely people like Roof will become even more entrenched.  This action will drive more people to their cause.  They'll feel even more infringed upon by the people they consider beneath them.  And things will just get worse. 

Until we can discuss this issue without fear of retribution because one person's ideas may not be politically correct according to some random arbiter of what's allowed and what's not?  Things won't ever change and there will be more Dylann Roofs -- no matter how many flags are put away. 

[GH2001]

I don't know what the Jews have to do with this, that part is muddled. But (aside from his language) there is a clear and pervasive pattern of violence among blacks.  We can debate the reasons for this all day -- poverty, lack of father figure, whatever -- but it is a reality.  Blacks make up 11% of the population but 40% of the prison population. Incarceration rate is six times higher than any other race.  A full third of all black men will be imprisoned at some point in their lives.  That's appalling. 85% of crime in Chicago and Atlanta, committed by blacks. 

The implication that Jews are behind the scenes of most of the things that would be able to influence "agitation" - tv, newspapers, movies, magazines, community organizer/agitator dirty money suppliers like George Soros, etc, etc. And if that is the implication, its not totally incorrect.


And I agree on Bentley...I had soured on him before this anyway. Just the nail in the coffin with this. I understand Nikki Haley's decision moreso than Bentley's. Her state is ground zero right now. Enormous pressure, Lot of pain. So I can see it. Bentley, not so much.


And although much of what you said was absolutely correct, be prepared to get lashed violently by the village PC idiots.

[RottenBottom]

Fuck  Bentley. The democratic left knows this flag had nothing to do with the shooting. They see it as a chance to attack the republican south. They can say that the south is Roof or whatever the shooter's name was. The fact Bentley didn't stand up for this makes me realize even more why I didn't vote for that piece of shit in the first place.

[Kaos]

Fuck  Bentley. The democratic left knows this flag had nothing to do with the shooting. They see it as a chance to attack the republican south. They can say that the south is Roof or whatever the shooter's name was. The fact Bentley didn't stand up for this makes me realize even more why I didn't vote for that piece of shit in the first place.

Bigger pussy? 

Warner Brothers. 

The Dukes of Hazard no longer drive the "General Lee" and the flag will be removed from all future representations of their vehicle. 

Fuck Bugs Bunny. 

[AUJarhead]

Ebay and amazon have banned selling the battleflag of the Army of Northern Virginia

I'm happy I can still buy nazi stuff on there, though.

[bottomfeeder]

I am moving to Texas, fuck this place. Oh, and just bought the last of the confederate flags and tags at the local wallmarks.

[Kaos]

Ok.  So the weird thing about all this. 

My 15 year old daughter had a friend spending the night.  She is essentially apolitical.  Would probably trend liberal if anything. Very concerned about equality, despises anything she considers to be racist or racially biased.

She and her friend come downstairs last night seething.  Did I hear what governor Bentley did? What right does he have to do that? She's looking at rebel flag bathing suits. She and her online friends are trading "solid south" memes (whatever that is) and putting confederate flags on their instaface and bookergram pages.

So while Roof's action may have had the opposite effect he intended, so too it appears does the reaction to it. 

I asked her if she understood why it was taken down and what people think it represents.  And her friend replies:

"It's just a piece of cloth.  It didn't kill anybody. It's part of being from the South and we are just as proud to be southern as we are to be American.  Nobody should take that away." 

[djsimp]

[Catphish Tilly]

Here's the thing about the Civil War.  I studied it extensively in college.  And while slavery was a part of it, the war was NEVER about slavery. 

I think one problem you run into when defending the above statement is that the declaration of causes for succession made by most Confederate states mentions slavery in their opening lines and some reiterate the "subjugation of the inferior race" throughout. Which, truth be told, is a pretty damning statement.

However, most tend to look back at history as simple definable chunks of time and forget that it was much more complex, filled with actual real people with real emotions and real lives, and was as or more complicated (and certainly more demanding) than our own. We perform no deep research when forming opinions and neglect to realize things like, as you mention, most Southerner's had no hand in slavery but were instead fighting for much deeper causes... causes I respect. Personally, I'm glad we've chosen to honor them for doing so for as long as we have... but I can also understand why others opinions differ.

I don't support the opinions behind those lines in the written declarations any more than the lunacy being spread right now. Terrible mistakes were made, sure - as have been throughout human history - but the heritage of the South is by and large better than most and it is certainly better than the blemishes it is mostly judged on. Besides, the battle flag is just that, a flag. A symbol and one we've gravitated towards as a historical reminder of a time when our ancestors said they'd rather go it alone.

But for the continually self-serving and perpetually offended hashtag generation, who haven't studied the war beyond an 8th grade history class, those first few lines are all they're ever gonna see because a) the words can fit in a twitter post or be skimmed on a facebook newsfeed b) it conveniently fits their preconceived narrative.

[CCTAU]

Let's talk about the manifesto. 

The guy was a terrible writer, but he obviously had some frustrations with today's society.  The way he expressed those frustrations was very clearly wrong.  But there are some things in there that probably represent what many people actually think.  And sadly, he wasn't wrong about some of it. 

Let me state again for the record that this kid acted in a manner that is utterly reprehensible.  But the ideas that he expressed (poorly expressed) exist.  They exist beneath the surface of the PC-driven exchanges we're allowed to have -- exchanges that limit the freedom of expression and essentially guarantee that no truths will be revealed and no resolutions reached. 

Do you think Bentley taking down the Confederate flag or SC doing the same will make the (numerous) people like Dylann Roof go "oh, dang man.  I was wrong."  Do you seriously think that? 

More likely people like Roof will become even more entrenched.  This action will drive more people to their cause.  They'll feel even more infringed upon by the people they consider beneath them.  And things will just get worse. 

Until we can discuss this issue without fear of retribution because one person's ideas may not be politically correct according to some random arbiter of what's allowed and what's not?  Things won't ever change and there will be more Dylann Roofs -- no matter how many flags are put away.

There are a lot of young white kids out there who are starting to see things this way. They did nothing to anyone, yet they are lumped into a category of oppression. As it gets even worse, these young whites will begin to lash out as the young blacks have for years. There is just one problem for society in this, there are a lot more of them than there are young blacks. Then where does this leave us as a country? First they will try to come for our guns. Then there will be a lot of law abiding citizens turning into fighting criminals. And then the real war starts...
Is this the intention of the federal government, to create a situation where they can use military force on us "for our own good"? We will have another civil war, or we will just lie down and whimper. I do not look forward to either option.

[Kaos]

I think one problem you run into when defending the above statement is that the declaration of causes for succession made by most Confederate states mentions slavery in their opening lines and some reiterate the "subjugation of the inferior race" throughout. Which, truth be told, is a pretty damning statement.

However, most tend to look back at history as simple definable chunks of time and forget that it was much more complex, filled with actual real people with real emotions and real lives, and was as or more complicated (and certainly more demanding) than our own. We perform no deep research when forming opinions and neglect to realize things like, as you mention, most Southerner's had no hand in slavery but were instead fighting for much deeper causes... causes I respect. I'm glad we've chosen to continue doing so for as long but I can also understand why others opinions differ.

I don't support the opinions behind those few declarations any more than the lunacy being spread right now. Terrible mistakes were made sure, as have been throughout human history, but the heritage of the South is by and large better than most and certainly better than just that. Besides, the battle flag is just that, a flag. A symbol and one we've gravitated towards as a historical reminder of a time when our ancestors said they'd rather go it alone.

But for the continually self-serving and perpetually offended hashtag generation, who haven't studied the war beyond an 8th grade history class, those first few lines are all they're ever gonna see because a) the words can fit in a twitter post or be skimmed on a facebook newsfeed b) it conveniently fits their preconceived narrative.

Yes, slavery was a part of the equation.   But only insofar as it was the catalyst issue that defined how the North was treating the South.  It was one of the rights -- the right to make our own determinations on issues -- that led to the the schism.