I think Kid Rock might be an idiot. He displays a Confederate Flag at his concerts. This became a contentious issue when the Detroit chapter of the NAACP decided to give the Kid an award for his work in support of the city. With demonstators outside burning a Confederate Flag in protest, he explained that the flag is flown in honor of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s song Sweet Home Alabama. Apparently, Kid Rock samples that song in one of his own.

“I’ve never flown that flag with any hate in my heart,” he said at the ceremony. “Not one ounce.”

Now, I have no real reason to think that Kid Rock is lying. But he really ought to understand something. Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote Sweet Home Alabama as a response to a song by Neil Young called Southern Man. Neil Young’s song is about the injustice of slavery and Jim Crow. Here’s just two verses from the song:

I saw cotton
and I saw black
Tall white mansions
and little shacks.
Southern man
when will you
pay them back?
I heard screamin’
and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?

…

Lily Belle,
your hair is golden brown
I’ve seen your black man
comin’ round
Swear by God
I’m gonna cut him down!
I heard screamin’
and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?

Now, maybe that’s offensive to a white southerner. All I know is that the following lyrics are in the song Sweet Home Alabama.

Big wheels keep on turning
Carry me home to see my kin
Singing songs about the Southland
I miss Alabamy once again
And I think its a sin, yes

Well I heard mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ole Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don’t need him around anyhow

…

In Birmingham they love the governor
Now we all did what we could do
Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you?
Tell the truth

Don’t get me wrong; it’s a catchy tune. And I don’t begrudge someone singing about the love they have for their home state. But singing about how you love the vicious segregationist George Wallace is a bit much. I won’t even get into that bit about not giving a shit about Watergate.

If it’s not clear enough from the context of the lyrics that this is not exactly a black-friendly song, Kid Rock has a Confederate Flag to fly to make sure the message comes through.

And, yet, maybe he really is so dense that he hasn’t got a clue what kind of message he’s sending.

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