Taking offense at flags

[LDB]

It's interesting that suddenly the Northern Virginia battle flag is overwhelmingly upsetting and offensive. So much so it must be eliminated from the planet. And yet, the rainbow flag, also offensive and upsetting to many people are perfectly fine and must be approved and appreciated. And desecration of the U.S. flag, very offensive and very upsetting, is allowed and tolerated. Why is it the left gets variances and special privileges and consideration and that's great but anyone and everyone else must tow the line.

 

[Turtle]

The Confederate Flag is coming off Bo and Luke's General Lee, as well.

But the problem of the Confederate flag isn't that it's an historical flag that unites the South or shows pride in the South in any way. After the Civil War that flag all but disappeared. General Lee didn't even want it at his funeral. The flag was put away in the 1870s and was only dragged out at various events to honor fallen soldiers.

It was brought back out into the forefront in the mid-20th century by white southerns in a direct response to the Civil Rights Movement. What really solidified it's meaning, then as well as now, what when, in 1948, Strom Thurmond of South Carolina ran for president under the newly founded States Rights Democratic Party (the Dixiecrats). The party's platform flaty stated that they stood, proudly, for the segregation of the races, that whites were naturally superior to blacks, and that slavery was a natural condition that should be reintroduced by they states if they so choose. The Confederate Battle Flag became Thurmond's symbol, and supports began waving it in droves. As integration progressed, the flag became less of a symbol of Thurmond and more of a symbol of anti-civil rights, which was cemented with the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling which integrated the schools.

As the Civil Rights movement gained ground in the late 50s and early 60s, so did the resolve of many of the southern states to use the flag as a symbol in opposition of integration and Civil Rights. In 1961 South Carolina raised the flag above the State House, on the anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War.

This isn't about comparing a rainbow flag to the Confederate flag. The rainbow flag just doesn't have quite the same type of historical significance as the Confederate flag. The Confederate flag is about 99.99% pure racism and has been since it was brought back to life primarily by Strom Thurmond.

 

[LDB]

Cooter may disagree.

http://conservativetribune.com/coot...m_medium=RightWingNews&utm_content=2015-06-24

 

[asjssl]

It's interesting that suddenly the Northern Virginia battle flag is overwhelmingly upsetting and offensive. So much so it must be eliminated from the planet. And yet, the rainbow flag, also offensive and upsetting to many people are perfectly fine and must be approved and appreciated. And desecration of the U.S. flag, very offensive and very upsetting, is allowed and tolerated. Why is it the left gets variances and special privileges and consideration and that's great but anyone and everyone else must tow the line.

Well that whole stupid comparison shows exactly how much you know of the history of the flag....

 

[asjssl]

Cooter may disagree.

http://conservativetribune.com/coot...m_medium=RightWingNews&utm_content=2015-06-24

Of course he Will disagree he is a conservative ...they pretty much started all of this....

 

[Turtle]

Of course he Will disagree he is a conservative ...they pretty much started all of this....

Actually, Ben Jones is a liberal Democrat.

 

[Turtle]

Cooter may disagree.

http://conservativetribune.com/coot...m_medium=RightWingNews&utm_content=2015-06-24

He's an actor, right?

He claims the flag represents the indomitable spirit of independence, as well as the values of the rural South, including courage, family and good times. He just didn't include all of the values of the rural South, like slavery and racism, and he didn't mention that the "good times" were pretty much any time before 1960 when blacks knew their place and stayed there.

To some people in the South, likely many of them younger than 50 or 60, who are oblivious to why the flag was resurrected in the midst of the fight against integration and Civil Rights, they may very well believe the flag represents exactly what ol' Cooter says it does, and for many of them it actually does. But Cooter is a former Congressman from Georgia, and he knows exactly what was stated in the Georgia Articles of Succession as to why Georgia was succeeding from the Union, and it mentions slavery as the primary reason for wanting to keep their State's Rights, and he knows the Confederate Battle Flag was the symbol of that fight. He wants to the flag to represent one thing, and while it does genuinely represent that, he wants to pretend it doesn't also represent the racism.

That's like flying a flag with a swastika, claiming it doesn't mean support of Nazism and the Holocaust, because it really means something sacred in Navajo healing rituals, or "peace" to the Sioux, or a "good harvest" to the Cherokee.

 

[Ragman]

It's interesting that suddenly the Northern Virginia battle flag is overwhelmingly upsetting and offensive. So much so it must be eliminated from the planet. And yet, the rainbow flag, also offensive and upsetting to many people are perfectly fine and must be approved and appreciated. And desecration of the U.S. flag, very offensive and very upsetting, is allowed and tolerated. Why is it the left gets variances and special privileges and consideration and that's great but anyone and everyone else must tow the line.

For real! You are going to compare the stars and bars to the colorful rainbow? Amazing! A new low!

 

[paullud]

For real! You are going to compare the stars and bars to the colorful rainbow? Amazing! A new low!

He's not comparing the flags as much as he is comparing circumstances that the flags could be viewed in.

 

[asjssl]

..................

 

[ysracer]

http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/4yoaqb/flagdance

 

[LDB]

I am not comparing the flags. I am comparing the treatment of the flags and the people who find them offensive.

 

[aristotle]

There is now a national discussion as to whether monuments, memorials, buildings, schools, city names, county names.... indeed, anything associated with the Antebellum South and the Confederacy should be removed or renamed. That's somewhat similar to what ISIS does. Destroy cultural and historical sites and artifacts. Call it cultural ethnic cleansing if you will. Might be a good idea to slow down and think it through. The next ox to be gored could be yours.

 

[Pilgrim]

..................

After checking the source of this picture, there appears to be nothing to confirm that it was taken in Germany.

https://www.facebook.com/commonculturemidwest?_rdr=p

 

[paullud]

..................

So if the white supremacists decided to use the rainbow flag to represent themselves would you want that flag removed? Some people use the battle flag for different things but we should consider the intent instead of just demonizing it. It is just a flag after all and it can't hurt anyone. If someone wants to use it to show they are a redneck, proud of southern culture, a white supremacist, or anything else then let them. The actions of the person are what matters in the end.

 

[muttly]

It seems to be a mixed bag with other countries. Some view it as a racist symbol, others as a rebellious symbol without a racist context, and others as just a piece of Americana without a political context.

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-is-the-confederate-flag-flown-outside-the-us-2015-6

 

[TNJenn]

He's an actor, right?

He claims the flag represents the indomitable spirit of independence, as well as the values of the rural South, including courage, family and good times. He just didn't include all of the values of the rural South, like slavery and racism, and he didn't mention that the "good times" were pretty much any time before 1960 when blacks knew their place and stayed there.

To some people in the South, likely many of them younger than 50 or 60, who are oblivious to why the flag was resurrected in the midst of the fight against integration and Civil Rights, they may very well believe the flag represents exactly what ol' Cooter says it does, and for many of them it actually does. But Cooter is a former Congressman from Georgia, and he knows exactly what was stated in the Georgia Articles of Succession as to why Georgia was succeeding from the Union, and it mentions slavery as the primary reason for wanting to keep their State's Rights, and he knows the Confederate Battle Flag was the symbol of that fight. He wants to the flag to represent one thing, and while it does genuinely represent that, he wants to pretend it doesn't also represent the racism.

That's like flying a flag with a swastika, claiming it doesn't mean support of Nazism and the Holocaust, because it really means something sacred in Navajo healing rituals, or "peace" to the Sioux, or a "good harvest" to the Cherokee.

First of all I am a proud southerner, i am not racist, and mostly conservative I don't vote party I vote person, values, and platform. I'm also a huge history buff and the civil war is one of my favorite eras to read and research. The civil war was caused by the very thing that fueled the birth of our nation. Taxation without representation, the north was industrial and the South was agricultural all of the taxes were on agricultural products yet the north wanted to run the nation with no regards for the south. Slavery was introduced towards the end of the civil war when the north began to fear an influx of freed slaves taking their jobs. Slavery happened, do I agree with it; no, I think it was an abomination; however I do understand why the south wanted to secede from the union. The Confederate Battle Flag was and is a symbol of people who fought for their livelihood just as our founding fathers did.. Times were tough and times were hard and not every southern family had slaves. That flag is a symbol sacred just like the flag of our nation with thirteen stars. The rainbow being used for gay rights greatly offends me, that is a symbol of a promise that God gave after the great flood not a symbol of trying to make yourself feel special and entitled to certain rights just because you choose to be different. Just because a person is gay doesn't mean they are suddenly elevated to a new level in society they are still just people. They just want benefits that's the reason for their fight I don't see anything wrong with wanting benefits I say give them benefits, but find another symbol other than the rainbow to represent your plight. My offense to the rainbow being used for gay rights doesn't seem to matter to anyone; but look at all the people and politicians that climbed on the band wagon to do away with it. Doing away with the Confederate Battle Flag will not bring anyone back to life nor will it prevent future murders. Parents taking an active roll in parenting and teaching their kids that life is valuable along with respect for self and others, that will be a good beginning. Forgive me for going off on a tangent but I'm passionate about my rights disappearing and no one seems to be noticing or caring.

 

[davekc]

With all the problems that exist today, I can't believe we are wasting time on flags. Too many other problems to focus on.

 

[Turtle]

Symbols covey an unambiguous message to anyone who knows the symbol, regardless of intent. That's why people use symbols. The action of a state to incorporate the Confederate battle flag into their own State Flag, or to raise that battle flag above the State House and other state buildings, as a direct response to the abolition of Jim Crow laws, integration, and the Civil Rights movement, is certainly an intent, and an action, that matters.

 

[Turtle]

Too many other problems to focus on.

You mean like someone believing the Civil War was fought over "taxation without representation" despite the fact the South was fully represented in Congress?