The TV series which some have deemed as "the beginning of the era of anti-intellectualism" might soon die a final death. Though the series ended in 1985, The Dukes of Hazzard has prolonged its existence through a dastardly unnecessary big-screen adaptation and the usual plight of reruns. Following national attention on the baffling presence of the Confederate flag in modern America in the wake of the Charleston Church Massacre, TV Land has announced its decision to pull Dukes reruns from its programming schedule.
The network didn't issue a detailed statement or directly mention the show's fondness for the Confederacy, according to Entertainment Weekly. TV Land's Dukes breakup comes on the heels of increasing controversy surrounding the series — specifically its reliance on Confederate flag imagery, largely associated with the infamous automobile star of the series bizarrely named after confirmed racist Robert E. Lee.
Dukes cast member Ben Jones (Cooter) recently responded to the controversy, referring specifically to Warner's decision to cease distribution of all Dukes merchandise. Jones claims that he and all Dukes fans know that the Confederate flag simply "represents values of the rural South including courage, family and good times." Meanwhile, the thinking portion of the population is quite aware that it represents something much worse.
