I found the lynching photographs extremely disturbing. I can't believe that such a large part of our society was in a mind set that this was acceptable. Unfortunatly, I am not sure that we are completely out of this mind set. What do you think? Do you think we've come as far as we say?

I also found it very interesting the number of blacks present in some of these pictures. I wonder if they were family and friends paying their last respects?!?

As bad as it sounds, I don't feel as though America in general has evolved thus far as to be incapable of actions such as the lynchings. Some of those were only 40 years ago. I think that more people would speak out against such actions now, but that mob sentiments like those have not been erased. After all, aren't there still "hate" groups that would love the opportunity to return to the "good ole days" when justice was taken into the hands of the populace?

We were talking about lynching in class and the mindset of the people who lived at that time. There is a song by Billie Holiday called "Strange Fruit" its about the lynching of blacks. Its a very powerful song and at the time was considered a protest song. I wanna put the lyrics in here, just thought that it was an interesting song.

"Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter cry. "

Kari, that is a really powerful song. I had heard that before, but forgotten about it. I believe in some ways our society has moved beyond the lynchings (anything like that would merit a huge public outcry). However, we do see quite a bit of violence on TV and we think nothing of it.

I think that our society has distanced itself from violence - they see so much murder and violence in TV and movies that's not real and treated as trivial; then they hear about it on the news and it's still somehow not real - it has to be in their life or community or environment before it hits them that it is a reality. I think that the reaction to the lynchings is "that couldn't happen now," but yet things like that still do unforunately.

I think that our society is running from the concept of death in general - there is such a push to be young, beautiful, flawless, anti-aging products, etc. I mean look at TV stars, singers, musicians, etc.: most are young and beautiful or airbrushed until they are beautiful and young looking. Isn't that a little ridiculous?