Actor urges 'Cold Mountain' boycott, claims slavery ignored

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 1.27.04 | Bob Longino

[Redcloak]

Now that I know I can offend a liberal, I have the sudden desire to see this movie.

But seriously...

There were Blacks at the Battle of Petersburg, but they were, of course, on the Union side. They were also left out of the assault by the Federals; A change to the battle plan that doomed the Federals. Thus it doesn't make any more literary sense to try to include them in the story than it would to include Pashtun tribesmen.

Miserable failure

[Ditto]

I know all the history you needed, you learned in Public School.

That's surely not true, especially in history. But I did learn to read in Grade School (not public) and I can tell the difference between the words Import Tax which the the 1828 Tariff surely was, and the words Export tax which the United States has never in history had and what the other poster claims was the cause of the Civil War.

So the next time you're feeling all superior while trotting to the library, check out Hooked on Phonics.

BTW. My history education in both Catholic grade school and public high school taught me the BS that tariffs were a cause of the war. It was only after much self education, reading original sources including the secessionist leaders, that I learned the truth of the matter --- tariffs were at best a secondary issue and not even all secessionists were opposed to protective tariffs. The standard history nearly all school children have been feed for the last century was invented to reduce the sting on southern pride and enhance national unity by pretending that slavery was not the primary cause and relegating the main issue, the expansion of slavery, to a secondary position. I'd also love to see what happened if you were to tell Lee, or Jackson or Forrest that they risked all, went to war and fought so hard and sacrificed so much over a tax that made so little difference to them. (Average was about $2 per person per year) If they didn't deck you, they would have at least laughed at you. They did not risk so much over such a trivial difference in revenue policy.

[stand watie]

figures!

free dixie,sw

[stand watie]

dellums should stick to acting & otherwise remain silent.

political rants like this make him look STUPID!

in point of fact, so should all the other hollywierd lefties.

just my .02.

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

"This has less to do with 'Cold Mountain' per se than Hollywood missing another prime opportunity to tell some truth," Dellums said recently by phone from Birmingham, where he's making the indie horror film "Camp D.O.A."

Mr. Dellums, taking a break from the shooting of a horror film, criticizes others for their failure to make movies addressing slavery.

C'mon, put your money and your time where your mouth is.

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

"Certainly we need more films about the African-American experience during the Civil War and about slavery in general," he says, speaking in response to Miramax's request to address the issue. "And I have to confess, it is remarkably difficult for me as an African-American to sympathize with a Confederate soldier. However, it strikes me that 'Cold Mountain' is essentially a love story between two white people who live in a rural area where slavery was not a fundamental aspect of the economy. It's a mistake to think that most white people in the South had slaves. They didn't. So while I understand the criticism, I think we should be directing our efforts toward having films made where slavery was more essential a part of that story."

Quite so, Prof. Gates. Well said.

[xp38]

Ah semiotics. Semiotician is someone who is involved in semiotics. It's one of them high falutin college words and I always thought it had to do with finding the underlying meaning in things at least that is what I thought from my university days. I did a little bit of googling and there are pages you can begin to read but I found this line in an intro that basically says it all. "Modern semiotic theory is also sometimes allied with a Marxist approach which stresses the role of ideology."

In other words this guy looks at a film through a Marxist lens and picks out things and signs and fits them into his Marxist template to find the underlying meaning of it all. It's a way of analysing stuff. Cold Mountain isn't a film set in the Civil War era about a love story but a sign of the ongoing oppression of blacks in todays modern world.

[Prodigal Son]

"...Hollywood missing another prime opportunity to tell some truth,"

It is, to me, a sad statement about our times when people look to a Hollywood film based on a fiction novel for the truth about history or the world.

This is how our view of reality gradually gets perverted. We don't live in reality anymore, it seems. We live in a fiction world that has no proper past and no clear direction of travel.

[John H K]

What you're seeing with the people who run around throwing a gigantic fit whenever anyone even hints that slavery had ANYTHING to do with the Civil War is something that is unfortunately pretty common on FR; namely, the desire to be gigantic illogical morons in the opposite direction to the gigantic illogical morons of the Left (such as Dellums) in the hope it evens out in the end.

[KneelBeforeZod]

When Oscar nominations are announced this morning, the popular Civil War romance-drama "Cold Mountain" is expected to be competing for multiple awards.

HAHA not so fast!!! maybe "the academy" is trying to send a message...if you want a golden globe take it, just dont expect an 'oscar.'

We'll have to wait til next year to see....I would find a little squabble between the 2 to be funny though. its all pointless these days

[Free ThinkerNY]

"He is the son of former Rep. Ronald V. Dellums, D-Oakland, and attorney Roscoe Dellums.

If he's Ron Dellums son, it all becomes clear. This isn't about black and white, it's about RED."

The rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

[Dionysius]

Thanks for the analysis. In other words, he's a bigotted ideologue with tunnel vision.

[oyez]

My ancestors probably fought the war because the Yankees were comin'. Being from the hills of Alabama and Carolina they probably seldom saw slaves much less own any.

[T Lady]

My question to Erik Todd Dellums: What's the big deal?

...Clearly, from the reviews and ads that are out on 'Cold Mountain,' it is a love story with the Civil War as a backdrop. Just another Leftie making a mountain out of a molehill.

...As for Blacks' contribution to World War II, does Dellums remember the critically acclaimed HBO Drama, 'The Tuskegee Airmen'?

Don't like the movie, don't go see it! It's that simple. Or in this case, find another profession.

-Regards, T.

[RunningJoke]

Yes, you are correct about import and export, I blame my poor memory. Also, I would like to correct the fact I called it the "Civil War" and not the "War of Northern Aggression."

I don't know why I bother, but did you know what one of major points of the Republican Party Plank in 1860? Please tell me oh wise, googlemeister? You won't know and I doubt very much you can get that information from google.

I believe the Catholic education, although superior to Public School, is not what I would call noteworthy.

So genius, you never did answer why the emancipation proclamation did not include the Border States that stayed loyal to the Union or why the North was prepared to leave slavery as is, if the South would only re-join the Union?

It was about taxes and rights of the states. Lee and Jackson, fought in the war because they were foremost Virginias not Americans. In those times, there were very few who thought of themselves as Americans. Also, if you really think the Tariff of 1828 was so little, then why did America revolt from England, clearly that tax was much less than the 1821 Tariff. The South was paying through taxes to support the entire Union why Northerners paid nothing. This would be worse than "taxation without representation" it would be "Taxation with little Representation (Southerners) and "no taxation with too much representation" (Northerners). In the parlance of our time, this would be equivalent to "The Rich Pay Taxes." The "Top 50% of Wage Earners Pay 96.03% of Income Taxes." (This is taken from Rush Limbaugh's site.) But it was actually worse, since the Southerners were greatly outnumbered by the Northerners.

It is evident to me, that your head is so full of rubbish nothing else can get in. And before you start in about my poor Southern education, I was not raised in the South, just an avid reader. Again shut-off the History channel and pick up a book. Everything you are exposed to has been filtered.

[GreatOne]

I agree with you about his acting abilities as Luther Mahoney - one of the greatest t.v. villains (on one of the greatest t.v. shows) of all time.

And I also agree with you that he should stick to acting.

[DoctorMichael]

Erik Todd Dellums, an African-American actor from Washington = Son of former Rep. Ronald V. Dellums, D-Oakland = Communist

[Rummyfan]

What character did he play on HOMICIDE?

[KC_Conspirator]

This is "Red" Dellums son? Sheesh, this guy is pure hate-America. I remember in the 80's where Dellums and his entourage went on a "fact finding" mission to Grenada in order to create a report on whether Cuba was building a military airstrip and about the stability of the country. Dellums created the report before he even arrived in the country, basically reporting pro-communist lies.

[EllaMinnow]

Luther Mahoney, one of the coolest villians ever on TV.

This is right before Kellerman blows him away.