It’s a good thing that good ole boys Bo and Luke Duke know how to use Autotrader, because it looks like they’ll be in the market for a new car.
SCRAPPING THE GENERAL LEE
The Duke cousins routinely evaded corrupt public officials on the 1980s television show The Dukes of Hazzard thanks to their 1969 Dodge Charger. This iconic orange hotrod was named The General Lee, its horn played “Dixie,” and it sported the Confederate battle flag on its roof.
Debate over the display of the battle flag of the Confederate army has always existed. But the controversy surrounding this flag flared up after the deadly, racially motivated church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina. Following the public outcry, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley called for the flag’s removal from the capitol grounds.
In light of the controversy, Warner Bros. Consumer Products says it will no longer license toys of The General Lee that bear the flag.
CONFEDERATE FLAG CONTROVERSY RETAIL FALLOUT
Since the moves by Governor Haley and other politicians to remove the Confederate flag from public grounds, retailers including Amazon, Wal-Mart, Sears, Etsy, and eBay publicly announced plans to discontinue selling merchandise bearing the Confederate flag in a move to prevent offending customers.
Other brands like Michelin, BMW and Boeing voiced support for Governor Haley’s efforts.
THE FLAG AT NASCAR
Confederate flags are a staple at NASCAR races.
NASCAR already has a policy that forbids the use of the Confederate flag in any official NASCAR capacity. But the racing body publicly supports Governor Haley’s push to take down the flag as well.
The General Lee was scheduled to make an appearance at a NASCAR race in 2012. But officials scrapped the plans over concerns that some would be offended by the image of the Confederate flag. Former Georgia Congressman Ben Jones, who played Cooter on The Dukes of Hazzard, publicly condemned NASCAR’s decision at the time, calling it an unnecessary overreaction. He defended the car and its flag, explaining that the show’s fictional Hazzard County was a place “where racism was not tolerated.”
Jones has also voiced his outrage over the recent decision to scrap The General Lee toys.
