Bubba Watson Bought a New Car

[RFKFREAK]

Why is it when someone famous does something people don't like and view it as being done because it's PC, they think said famous person did it because their advisors told them to do so rather than because he or she wanted to do it? Maybe due to the current environment Bubba gave some thought about what the flag on his roof represents to some people in a way he never did before and it has led him to take the course of action he has chosen to take.

[boogielicious]

I think Bubba made a mistake. He should paint the green Masters Flag on the car in honor of his two wins!:-)

[BugDude]

"Intact" in this case means rusty and beaten and broken. He found it in a field or a junk yard or something like that. It was basically completely restored.

So, if someone wanted it, they could just RE-PAINT the flag on top, JUST AS BUBBA DID when he bought it.

Why aren't people understanding that?

This particular car was an original car from the TV show and was previously owned by John Schneider, who played Bo Duke on the show.  Bubba paid $110,000 for it at auction and it was in mint condition when he bought it.  He also had it autographed by Schneider.  The fact that it was one of the actual TV star's person car and was used on the TV show gives it increased collector value and provenance due to the documented history.  And people do occasionally drive collector's items, because they are cars.  They are meant to be driven.  The worst thing on a car is to sit and never be driven.

The flag is most likely an automotive wrap grade vinyl application.  Yes, it can be easily removed, replaced, etc. so no permanent disfigurement impacting relative value.

The issue is he bought the car because of what it is, what it was on the show, and his affinity for it and how he feels compelled to change that.  Well, that's his car and he is free to do with it what he wants but it's no longer what it was on the show.  Is he going to change the name of the car too?  I mean, to have "General Lee" on the top is also offensive to some.  Even if you change the flag and the name everyone still knows what it was.  So why not change the numbers on the side and paint the car black?  But everyone associates 69 Dodge Chargers with The General Lee, so perhaps he should turn it into a pickup truck.

If to a southern person the flag means "I'm from the south, we say yall and ma'am, drink sweet tea, and speak with a slow draw."  Who is to say that someone else's assigned meaning is more important than the other person's?  Inanimate objects aren't the cause of the real problems, and assigning various meanings to them or yanking them out of existence won't solve the real problems.  Why people chose to put so much blame on an inanimate object rather than the crazed individual that committed the crime is beyond me.

[BugDude]

He bought the car because of what it is and was.  If he no longer has the same regard for it then why not just sell the car?  He can change the flag on top but that's like putting a bandaid over a skin cancer.  It still bears the name of the confederate general Robert E. Lee.

[Lihu]

He bought the car because of what it is and was.  If he no longer has the same regard for it then why not just sell the car?  He can change the flag on top but that's like putting a bandaid over a skin cancer.  It still bears the name of the confederate general Robert E. Lee.

Idk if it was true or not, but history books state that Robert E. Lee was the first choice for the Union Army. On top of that both generals of their respective armies were very good friends? I don't really see why the general's name is offensive?

[GaijinGolfer]

Idk if it was true or not, but history books state that Robert E. Lee was the first choice for the Union Army. On top of that both generals of their respective armies were very good friends?

I don't really see why the general's name is offensive?

Thats whats taught in schools, so Id assume its true.  Lee was asked to command the Union army and he said said something like how hed turn his back on the Union before hed turn his back on Virginia.

Its offensive for the same reason the flag is offensive: he was a traitor.  To be fair though, he was kind of between a rock and a hard place.  Do you turn your back on your country or turn your back on your home state and all of your friends and family?  Tough call and I cant say that I wouldnt do the same thing he did.  Even still, he was a traitor.

[Mac62]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BugDude

He bought the car because of what it is and was.  If he no longer has the same regard for it then why not just sell the car?  He can change the flag on top but that's like putting a bandaid over a skin cancer.  It still bears the name of the confederate general Robert E. Lee.

Idk if it was true or not, but history books state that Robert E. Lee was the first choice for the Union Army. On top of that both generals of their respective armies were very good friends?

I don't really see why the general's name is offensive?

Because some people look real hard to find things that "offend" them.

[BugDude]

Idk if it was true or not, but history books state that Robert E. Lee was the first choice for the Union Army. On top of that both generals of their respective armies were very good friends?

I don't really see why the general's name is offensive?

To me it's not, and neither is the confederate flag.  But for whatever the reason it is that people find one offensive I would think that same reason would apply to the other.  Why remove part of the confederate symbolism and not the other?  To me, leave the car alone.  If he no longer thinks it represents his values he should sell it.

[Rick Martin]

To me it's not, and neither is the confederate flag.  But for whatever the reason it is that people find one offensive I would think that same reason would apply to the other.  Why remove part of the confederate symbolism and not the other?  To me, leave the car alone.  If he no longer thinks it represents his values he should sell it.

Probably has to do with hate groups using it as a symbol to promote racism

[Ernest Jones]

I think Bubba made a mistake. He should paint the green Masters Flag on the car in honor of his two wins!:-)

That would be pretty cool. Horrid looking to be sure, but still cool.

[Shenanigunz]

The rebel flag means different things to different people. I'm from Michigan and have no attachment to the flag, for the Dukes of Hazard for that matter. I, like many other people, see it as a symbol of oppression, as it was heavily used in the Jim Crow south as a symbol of white supremacy. Others see it as a symbol of pro slavery, some as a symbol of their southern heritage, where their family fought and died in what they viewed as northern aggression by a tyrannical centralized federal government. To some, it stands for sovereign states rights (I would disagree as you couldn't belong to the Confederacy unless slavery was legal in your state). tens of thousands of soldiers that never owned slaves gave their life under that flag standing up for their state.

I understand how the flag by itself can be offensive, especially if it were flown on a capitol building or other government or municipal buildings.

however

I am long past the point where we should deface a piece of history because someone is offended. The flag was JUST removed at Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War began. I don't like the move to erase history because history happens to be offensive.

Bubba owns the car, he can do with it what he wishes. But if he is afraid of offending someone, perhaps the better move would be to sell it to an enthusiast or a collector or something.

[jamo]

I think Bubba made a mistake. He should paint the green Masters Flag on the car in honor of his two wins!:-)

That would be a pretty funny taste of irony.

[Lihu]

So, according to even a Bay Area newspaper. . . I guess Bubba wants to make a statement. I feel a little bad for DoH fans, but good that Bubba is showing he cares. :-)

[iacas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BugDude

This particular car was an original car from the TV show and was previously owned by John Schneider, who played Bo Duke on the show.  Bubba paid $110,000 for it at auction and it was in mint condition when he bought it.

It was restored after sitting in a junk yard for quite awhile. Here's a quote from one article:

Quote:

The busted up car was discovered over a decade ago in the junkyard it had been abandoned in, but fully restored before it crossed the auction block.

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/01/23/first-general-lee-sells-for-110000/

Quote:

“Lee 1” spent most of its life in a junkyard after being wrecked filming its famous flight through the Georgia sky. It still had a trunk full of cement ballast when it was purchased by the president of the North American General Lee fan club for less than $1,000 about a decade ago. Since then it has been fully restored to the original, imperfect condition the 1969 Dodge Charger was in when it was brought to Oxford College on Veteran’s Day in 1978 to film the iconic scene.

So… the flag was re-painted on recently. It wasn't original. If Bubba ever wanted to re-paint the confederate flag on, he could do so and the value shouldn't be affected at all because it's already not the original confederate flag.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BugDude

The fact that it was one of the actual TV star's person car and was used on the TV show gives it increased collector value and provenance due to the documented history.

I don't think it was the guy's personal car. As articles say, it was wrecked in that first jump and sat in a junkyard for a long time. It was purchased for under $1000, as noted above, and restored by a fan.

[Golfingdad]

It was restored after sitting in a junk yard for quite awhile. Here's a quote from one article:

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/01/23/first-general-lee-sells-for-110000/

So… the flag was re-painted on recently. It wasn't original. If Bubba ever wanted to re-paint the confederate flag on, he could do so and the value shouldn't be affected at all because it's already not the original confederate flag.

I don't think it was the guy's personal car. As articles say, it was wrecked in that first jump and sat in a junkyard for a long time. It was purchased for under $1000, as noted above, and restored by a fan.

Also, for the sake of value, people should be reminded that there were anywhere between 255 and 320 General Lee's driven and crashed over the course of the shows 6 or so seasons.

[BugDude]

It was restored after sitting in a junk yard for quite awhile. Here's a quote from one article:

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/01/23/first-general-lee-sells-for-110000/

So… the flag was re-painted on recently. It wasn't original. If Bubba ever wanted to re-paint the confederate flag on, he could do so and the value shouldn't be affected at all because it's already not the original confederate flag.

I don't think it was the guy's personal car. As articles say, it was wrecked in that first jump and sat in a junkyard for a long time. It was purchased for under $1000, as noted above, and restored by a fan.

You are correct, John Schneider's personal car was a replica that was built for him later (and much upgraded mechanically) and sold in 2008 for $450,000.  Bubba's car was Lee1 which was in the original TV show, so it has historical provenance.  It's surprising that an original TV car fully restored sold for so much less than the star's replica, but the amount of mechanical upgrades could account for a portion of the difference.

[k-troop]

Thats whats taught in schools, so Id assume its true.  Lee was asked to command the Union army and he said said something like how hed turn his back on the Union before hed turn his back on Virginia. Its offensive for the same reason the flag is offensive: he was a traitor.  To be fair though, he was kind of between a rock and a hard place.  Do you turn your back on your country or turn your back on your home state and all of your friends and family?  Tough call and I cant say that I wouldnt do the same thing he did.  Even still, he was a traitor.

A traitor who fought honorably and was forgiven after the surrender at Appomattox. There is still a cadet barracks named for Lee at West Point. He's hardly considered a "traitor" in the ordinary sense that word is used.

[Valleygolfer]

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