Southern Pride! Michigan-Born Rockers Kid Rock And Ted Nugent Defend Their Confederate Flags

Southern Pride! Michigan-Born Rockers Kid Rock And Ted Nugent Defend Their Confederate Flags

In perhaps the best example that the Confederate flag really has nothing to do with Southern pride or history and more to do with identifying with white rednecks, Michigan-born musicians Ted Nugent and Kid Rock fired back against critics of their use of the flag during shows or on their properties. Both musicians, who have become conservative icons in recent years, stuck to their guns leading up to Friday’s historic moment in South Carolina when the battle flag was taken down in front of the state capitol.

On Thursday night’s episode of The Kelly File, host Megyn Kelly, while speaking with Tea Party darling Dana Loesch about South Carolina taking the flag down, read a short statement from Kid Rock regarding his feelings about protesters. In recent days, demonstrators associated with Al Sharpton have called for Rock to stop embracing the flag. He told the activists to “kiss his ass” in a roundabout way.

Below is video from the segment, courtesy of YouTube user hwagner247:

 

 

Meanwhile, The Nuge indulged some NRA members earlier this week regarding his love of the racist symbol, as he not only proclaimed that he’ll continue to fly the flag on his property due to it representing Southern traditions, but wondered if people in Chicago would stop shooting themselves if we took down all the flags. Also, on his Facebook page, when asked by a fan his thoughts on South Carolina taking down the flag, he responded with one word — Bullshit!

I don’t think we even need to talk about the irony behind these two, both born and raised in Michigan, pretending to care about the flag and what it represents due to Southern pride and heritage. All this really shows is that both men are nothing more than poseurs who will pander to what they know are their largest fanbases — white rural and Southern dudes who are at least a little bit racist. While Nugent has been doing this shit for decades now, Kid Rock’s case is a little more maddening.

The fact is, Kid Rock grew up in an upper-middle-class family in suburban Detroit. Early on, he wanted to be a true hip-hop artist and recorded a straight rap album in the early ’90s that failed to take off. After a number of years, he latched onto the burgeoning rap/metal genre and found stardom. Through the years, as his fame ebbed and flowed, he decided to go the Southern-fried country-rock direction and totally embrace a full-on white trash persona, chock full of disses of Obummer and Beyonce while living on a ranch in Alabama. This is how you arrive at the Confederacy loving Kid Rock of today. It is, essentially, just an act, and one he would shed if he saw greater fortune somewhere else.

 

Image via Wireimage

Justin Baragona

Justin Baragona is the founder/publisher of Contemptor and a contributor to The Daily Beast. He was previously the Cable News Correspondent for Mediaite and prior to starting Contemptor, he worked on the editorial staff of PoliticusUSA. During that time, he had his work quoted by USA Today and BBC News, among others. Justin began his published career as a political writer for 411Mania. He resides in St. Louis, MO with his wife and pets.

26 thoughts on “Southern Pride! Michigan-Born Rockers Kid Rock And Ted Nugent Defend Their Confederate Flags

  1. To be fair, I am sure that not everyone with pride in the Confederacy or the Confederate Flag is a racist or supports slavery, lynching, and segregation, but many do.

    Confederate Flag – Founded on Racism:

    “Many governments have been founded upon the principle of the subordination and serfdom of certain classes of the same race; such were and are in violation of the laws of nature. Our system commits no such violation of nature’s laws. With us, all of the white race, however high or low, rich or poor, are equal in the eye of the law. Not so with the negro. Subordination is his place. He, by nature, or by the curse against Canaan, is fitted for that condition which he occupies in our system. The architect, in the construction of buildings, lays the foundation with the proper material — the granite; then comes the brick or the marble. The substratum of our society is made of the material fitted by nature for it, and by experience we know that it is best, not only for the superior, but for the inferior race, that it should be so. It is, indeed, in conformity with the ordinance of the Creator. It is not for us to inquire into the wisdom of His ordinances, or to question them. For His own purposes, He has made one race to differ from another, as He has made “one star to differ from another star in glory. The great objects of humanity are best attained when there is conformity to His laws and decrees, in the formation of governments as well as in all things else. Our confederacy is founded upon principles in strict conformity with these laws.”

    Alexander Stephens,
    Vice President of the Confederacy

    Confederate Flags are a part of history, and belong in a museum, lest we forget the racism that once allowed slavery to exist in America, and later was expressed in lynching, segregation and institutional racism.

    The flag represents not only racism and slavery and segregation, but also a failed revolution by rebels who did not want to uphold the principles of the founding fathers of the USA.

    The Confederate flag should not be flown over government buildings or printed on consumer items or displayed in public spaces.

    It should not even be allowed for use by private businesses or individuals, although that would be hard to enforce.

    South Carolina removed the Confederate Flag from it’s buildings after the war. They were never flown again until the mid 1900’s, when segregationists decided to use it as a symbol of the fight against integration. In other words, the flag never would have flown over the SC State House again unless racists who didn’t want their children to go to school with black kids hadn’t resurrected it. Now tell me again how it does not represent hate.

    Once a symbol (no matter how innocent a symbol may originally have been) is used to represent racism by the majority using it, it must never be used as a symbol again.

    The Swastika, for example, once represented “eternal life”, or “universalism”, the never-ending “wheel of life”, by a variety of cultures and religions. Now it will forever symbolize Nazism. Much as you would never name your child “Adolf” today, even though there is nothing inherently evil about the name Adolf.

    Too much innocent blood was shed under that flag in the name of racism, it’s time for it to be relegated to the museums.

    The Confederate Flag was adopted from the Scottish national flag of a similar design, a blue cross “X” on a white background. It was native Scots-Americans who designed it in defiance of British rule.

    It had nothing in particular to do with slavery or racism. However, due to its gross misuse, it’s just best not to fly it anymore. Besides, to represent our nation as one nation, we already have a national flag.

  2. If Ted Bundy were alive, he would be out there clubbing protesters, and as for the sheila who scaled the flagpole and took the flag down, he would forget himself in his rage and make her his next victim. He really only ever, under normal circumstances, clubbed and raped white girls, preferably rich.

  3. Wow, Pamela, it’s amazing how you can comment and not only is your comment completely irrelevant, it’s incredibly stupid to boot. Why even bother? Get off the internet and go get yourself an education.

  4. First and foremost I agree the Confederate flag should not fly over any government building that said the 1st amendment gives the citizens the right to fly it if they so choose. Saying everyone that supports the Confederate flag is racist is like saying everyone that likes rap music is a thug. It just is not true.
    The fact that these two were born and raised in Michigan means absolutely zero. For the writer of this article I’d like to teach you a definition. HERITAGE: heritage has nothing to do with where you were born but where your ancestors where born. I do not know the family tree of these to guys but if anyone in their tree is from the south then they indeed do have southern heritage.
    Banning this flag will fix things as well as strict gun laws have reduced gun crimes in Chicago or Washington D.C. it hasn’t and will not.
    Personal responsibility is were we need to direct our focus. Racists,crimminals, bigots need to be held accountable for there actions and labeled the “bad guys” not inatimite objects..

  5. Still white trash, even after making millions. Just goes to show you can take the trash outta the trailer but you can’t take the trailer outta the trash.

  6. Why doesn’t the dipshit that wrote this explain to Kid’s half-back son how his dad is a racist.

  7. @ Mark Baland, You said many southerners do still support slavery, lynching, and segregation. I’ve lived here all my life as have my father and so on, and that statement could not be farther from the truth. The south is a lot more interracially webbed now than it has ever been. It’s the media that blows things out of proportion and fabricates opinions and even goes so far as to say someone said this or that so as to make a better story. It seems as though the left is trying oh so hard to start a race war. But only people who know nothing of the south will believe your statements. And furthermore the Confederate flag wasn’t founded on racism it was independence. It was the American flag that was flying on the ships going to Africa to get the Africans, who were being sold by their own people way before the Americans started participating. As a writer you should know to do research from unbiased sources, obviously you did not.

  8. I just want to know, What is Southern Pride and how does the confederate flag represent it? Having been born in the South, I could never figure it out. Please explain.

  9. For Gods sake Dont confuse these idiots with FACTS Anonymous! These poor people are way to busy being confused by the media to actually research the issue.

  10. I was born in Georgia I am 51 years old and the confederate flag represents history and heritage and it has nothing to do with racism because blacks and whites fought side by side in the war and people don’t have enough since to know today they take your flag and tomarrow it will be something else. You see first they take the symbol that represents freedom or a right then they take the right, so what is next the constitution . Oh im sorry they are already working on that. People quit wining about every little thing. So my question is where has America gone because I haven’t seen her shine in years

  11. Pamela. You force me to remind people that I don’t care for republican women. You women are not only stupid, but you lack clarity and depth. Please sit your ignorant ass down somewhere…anywhere and drink a mint julep.

  12. He didn’t say there were many, but there are some. I’ve lived in the South all my life, I’ve seen it and heard, even this month. You say the rebel flag stands for independence but that means you didn’t read his long quote of “the cornerstone speech” that says in no uncertain terms that slavery was the cornerstone of the confederate states of America. Your ignorance of this fact needs to be rectified.

  13. …”It seems as though the left is trying oh so hard to start a race war.””

    … it wasn’t the left that murdered 9 people, dude … it was a scrawny white guy that proudly wrapped himself in this flag that you so diligently defend …how’s about you forget your little bit of righteously indignant butthurt and remember THAT before you go spouting off about ‘starting a race war’… seriously, how many people have to die before you snap out of it… so much blahblahblah words ‘this flag isn’t…” “the flag was founded…” tell that to those dead people’s families… smh

  14. simple! he just says ‘kid…your dad doesn’t mind screwin’ a black chick but don’t expect him to actually be enlightened by your presence or heritage or actually care about how you or your mother may feel … he is all about his image… he has an audience to consider…”

    …and then the author will remind him that tommy lee kicked KR’s ass when he was being less than a ‘southern gentleman’ toward tommy’s wife … ’cause ?middlefinger kid rock… 8)

  15. Perhaps if you had done more than just be born in the south you would understand how to have pride in the fact that the south is a wonderful place. When you see a confederate flag do you think about 2 guys from southern California? No. You immediately associate the flag with the south. Southerners see the flag and know it represents the region where they live and love. Its not that complicated or hard to understand unless you are a dumbass in some other part of the country living a lie thinking your crap doesnt stink and that racism is only in the south.

  16. so many low info fools ! stud history, slavery was not only in the south, the war started before slavery was made an issue. you can not force or legislate hate or tolerance ,you can cause racism with legislation as well as hate and intolerance ! pick up a book and read before you people troll with your anti flag garbage.

  17. Nugent is a pedophile and a Vietnam draft dodger….I’m disappointed in you Kid Rock. One thing you will NEVER see: Germans protesting shouting ‘it’s our heritage!!’ as they defend the nazi flag….they at least have a conscience.

  18. DAMN RIGHT! But they don’t want to hear the truth. There were Portuguese, Spanish, & British. The british wanted the sugar, along with the Spanish.

  19. How many blacks have been killed by blacks since the tragedy? Hell,Chicago had 7 in one night but I guess that doesn’t feed the “Flag Bandwagon!” The opinions of the “Bandwagon” seem very one sided and racist towards Southern people in general. Sounds alot like racial profiling! Wait, did we have to ban that term ,too! I surely don’t want to offend someone!

  20. Should we demand that Haynes be stopped if he was wearing their undergarments when he chose to murder those folks? What about if he was drinking a coke product?

  21. She didn’t, but the anonymous person above you admitted to be a liberal that guesses what someone’s political affiliation is and passes it off as fact.

  22. Rudy… you nailed it… the key word is conscience–and compassion… it’s that flat out simple… and all it takes is an open mind to grasp it…

  23. I was born and raised in the Detroit area. However my mother is from Harlan,ky. I may be a Yankee but have southern heritage. Maybe Uncle Ted and Kid Rock are the same. To say they dont have southern heritage and they are posers is wrong unless you know their family tree. So sick of whites being the only ones who can be considered racist. Al Sharpton is the biggest racist of them all.

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