Meaning
What does Way Down South In The Land Of Traitors mean?
Way down south in the land of traitors (or away down south in the land of traitors) is the first line of the popular civil war marching-song “Union Dixie”. Online, the catchphrase refers to the series of memes surrounding the American Civil War and its historic events.
These memes usually feature wojak figures dressed in Union and Confederate uniforms, and are often showcasing Confederate soldiers as inferior or beta compared to the Union Troopers.
Origin
What's the origin of Way Down South In The Land Of Traitors?
The original Dixie was written by an author called Daniel Decatur Emmett in 1859, a marching song that has formed into the unofficial anthem for the Confederates during the Civil War.
Union Dixie was the mock Union version of the anthem, with the first line “away down south in the land of traitors” referring to the treasonous acts of the Confederates.
Spread & Usage
How did Way Down South In The Land Of Traitors spread?
In 2019, a comparison meme was posted in /r/HistoryMemes, that illustrated the two oppositions as “the virgin rebel” and “the chad yankee”and was titled “away down south in the land of traitors”. The post was submitted by a user called PotroastXII and generated 69 upvotes in 3 years.
Another meme that featured a Supa Hot Fire image macro relating to Unionists reworking the Dixie song was posted on Me.me in 2020.
External resources
- Wikipedia – Dixie (song)
- Genius – Union Dixie
- Reddit – r/HistoryMemes