Race in Cyberspace- I’ll take My Stand in Dixie-Net (McPherson)

The reading from “Race in Cyberspace” written by Tara McPherson talks about southern history and the motives of most white males in the south that she sees through internet websites. People in the south want to keep the region as a confederacy. McPherson goes on to introduce such websites as “cyber-south” websites. “Cyber-south” websites discriminate mainly against blacks and women. These websites were mainly established by white men of a wide range of ages. Southern history fills the pages of these sites. Plantation life is an example of some of the information that is mentioned within these sites. Also, women are displayed as they were many years ago doing activities such as sewing. McPherson makes clear that there is not one specific website that portrays each aspect of what she considers “cyber-Confederacy” to be. However, many of the websites do display Southern separatism of nationalism along with some type of a mission statement that shares the group’s aims (121). She also makes the point that “Such narratives highlight that, much like webpages, the South is sill undergoing ‘reconstruction’” (123). Sites also mention “the cultural genocide of the Confederacy” (125). The “virtual battle” that is being fought is to defend Southern heritage that is white. The white men who develop the websites define the term “whiteness” through images of “blackness” (126). There are several symbols such as the Southern flag that represent the meaning of “whiteness” (127). McPherson ends this chapter talking about the “neo-confederates” as the conservative group. Also, how when they are creating websites about the south, they only talk about the ways southern white males see southern heritage instead of including things such as slavery.

I thought that this section was difficult to understand at first and I did not grasp her point. I had never heard of some of the concepts before reading McPherson’s chapter. While I am such her findings on this topic are correct, I have personally never some across one of the websites she is talking about and if I have, I did not realize it. I will make such to pay attention to such things from now on. How does racism still occur after all or country has been through? People have heard of the racism that went on back then and now it finally needs to come to an end. I think it is sad that racism still exists within out society.