You can't always judge on first appearances......

.......and sometimes you really wish you didn't.

I got this lighter the other day when I was out and found that fire was the only element standing between relative calm and a 4-alarm Nic-fit (Dang Zippos..... they'll never be perfect until they come out with a model that's got a gas guage).

Long story short...... this particular one is apparently some kind of undercover redneck.
Or at least that was my first impression.

Perhaps it's my Northern side speaking here, but isn't that the wrong thing to be proud of?
Yeah sure, I like Gone With The Wind and all, but hasn't just about everything worth mentioning to be proud of happened AFTER the Civil war?

I don't know about you, but I think it's time that Southerners come up with a new symbol to represent the region and the progress it's made since antibellum times. Something that brings about thoughts of stuff like:
The literary contributions of Southern writers.
The battles won in the fight against racism and bigetry, and those who fought them.
Industrialization (heck, Mercedes Benz's are made in Alabama!)
The space program. (You don't see 'em landing, launching or building any rockets in North Dakota!)
Scientists and scientific discoveries (who'da thunk that there would have been so many uses for the lowly peanut?)
...............just to name a few things.

Nope, nothing wrong with a little Southern Pride........ I just wish that saying so didn't cause people to wonder just what you mean by that, and that it could be symbolized by something other than the battle flag of the old south.