Professor Hubbs' Lecture on the Greensboro Guard
The thing in Professor Hubbs’ lecture today that struck me as being most related to our class readings was this: in embracing the concept of “loyalty,” white southerners in places like Greensboro created something admirable and created something terrible. Loyalty required an institutionalized inclusion and exclusion of individuals. In other words, if an individual agreed with the values set forward by the community, he or she was welcomed. But it an individual held different values—in particular, if an individual did not support the Confederate war effort—he or she was expelled from the community, sometimes violently. It goes without saying that dark-skinned people were not welcome in the white community. Loyalty to one’s community, therefore, means to discriminate against outsiders and to exclude them. The more close-knit the community, the more exclusive it must be.
I am curious to hear how this concept of loyalty, as Professor Hubbs described it, appears in different forms in the communities you have grown up in, and how you feel about it. How, for example, does it relate to what we often call “school spirit”? Does loyalty to Auburn mean that one has to disrespect, or disagree with, Alabama fans? Do fans of different teams have to sit on opposite sides of the field or court, and if so, why? In Greek organizations on campus, does loyalty to your fraternity or sorority require you to exclude non-members from activities? What activities? And what about loyalty to your church, your faith, your religion? Does any exclusiveness go on there? Is everybody welcome to worship with you? If so, then what makes your faith distinctive? Are all religions equal, or is there only one way to God? Will Heaven be an exclusive community? What about the neighborhood you grew up in? Was it exclusive? Does the “nosey neighbor” policy have a policy of discrimination and exclusion embedded in it? What sort of people does the “nosey neighbor” report to the police if he or she sees them walking down the sidewalk?
I invite you to respond to any of these comments and questions, whether or not you had the luxury of being able to hear Professor Hubbs without the aid of a microphone. You may also write about something else in Professor Hubbs' lecture that you found significant, and explain why you did. Expect to write for a half hour or so. You are welcome to respond to each other’s statements, but I require you to be polite and respectful whether or not you agree with the other writer.