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michael holt's avatar

I had the same reaction to "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" by the The Band. I was a child of the 60s, and there was nothing cool about the Confederacy, yet here was a song that actually humanized a Southern man, Virgil Cain, for his private travails. The song did nothing to change my political opinion of the Civil War itself or the fact that the Southern cause was wrong, but for me it was the still small voice warning against being judgmental and reminding me that all humans are "my species." That song had a permanent effect on me for which I'm thankful.

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Rachel Wildavsky's avatar

I must have read that book 20 times when I was a kid. I haven't thought about it in many years. Thanks for another interesting post.

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