Fri., Feb. 24, 2006 12:00 AM PST
Hank Williams Jr. once opined "If the South woulda won, we'd have had it made." But University of Kansas film professor Kevin Wilmott expresses a different opinion in his mockumentary about the history of a 20th-century America where the South
did win. Casually dismissing the notion that "States' rights" meant anything other than "pro-slavery," Wilmott depicts a Confederate State that conquers the North and much of South America, signs a peace treaty with Hitler, sneak-attacks Japan during World War II and initiates a Cold War with Canada, all while clinging to slavery despite its increasing inefficiency.
Interspersed with the narrative are commercial breaks featuring promos for a COPS-like show about runaway slaves, products like "Niggerhair tobacco" and "Sambo motor oil," which actually existed at one time. It's hard to decipher exactly what Wilmott's point is. If it's to enlighten us about racism, he certainly doesn't elevate the debate by equating Southerners with Hitler. Funny, imaginative but ultimately not very civil.
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