The nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism, spurred by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, have renewed the debate about the place Confederate symbols and history have in American public life. From the removal of statues of slave owners and Confederate military leaders to the banning of the stars and bars flag at NASCAR events (the latter at the urging of the sport's sole black full-time driver), it's almost like Americans are finally admitting that honoring people who literally fought for the right to own other human beings is a bit fucked up.
"NASCAR is getting more progressive? I guess I shouldn't be surprised," joked Stephen Colbert on Thursday night. "All they do is turn left."
The latest facet of this conversation is the prospect of rechristening military bases named after Confederate Generals, like Fort Bragg and Fort Hood.
"Well, that's reasonable, considering those men waged war on the U.S. military," noted Colbert. "It's one of the reasons the Navy renamed the USS Saddam Hussein.
"These bases weren't named right after the Civil War," he went on. "Back then people knew these men were traitors to the Union. The bases got their names after all the Civil War veterans were dead, at the height of Jim Crow. So this sounds like a slam dunk. I mean, only someone completely tone deaf to the continuing pain of black Americans who make up 20 percent of the U.S. army would disagree."
Cue the latest Trump policy-by-tweet, complete with more unnecessary initial capitals than your boomer aunt's Facebook posts: "My Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations." (A Senate committee begs to differ.)
"I guess it's not surprising that Trump's OK with naming things after old racist guys," mused Colbert. "He did name his own son Donald Trump."
