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So does the Stars and Stripes. Slave ships bound for America proudly flew the American flag, and a good chunk of the United States supported slavery for centuries - does that make the American flag a symbol of racism?
But the US managed to improve itself in that regard. Slowly and fitfully, but it happened. The US managed to look at, say, slavery and collectively decide "This is wrong", then set out to correct it.
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The same goes for the Confederate flag, which is today used and seen as a symbol of the South, Southern heritage, and Southern culture, in the same fashion that the American flag is used for the nation as a whole.
And so I ask again: Why, out of centuries of Southern culture and Southern accomplishments, do you pick the symbol flown during the half-decade when the South fought for less-than-wholesome ideals? Is the Civil-war Era South really that emblematic of Southern Culture?
Of course it's racist. It represents the side of a war that refused to give up slavery. Sure the war had many more details to it, but it did in fact happen because many in the North started challenging slavery and the South wouldn't give it up.
In defense of the South their entire economic power was based on slavery, so at that time and place the idea of abolishing slavery meant to most southern planters (the ones with money, position, and power) meant abolishing their entire means for wealth power and prosperity. Of course we know that all this mean is they needed paid workers (and many freed slaves stayed on workers with little pay) instead of slaves and they still could have farms that had major outputs, but cut down profits etc... in reality it meant a major and distinct adjustment to their life style but definitely not abolishing it completely. But perception and reality are very different things.
Now how can someone look back at what that flag means, the side that refused to give up slavery and not accept it represents some level of racism, that's denial. The person flying it may not intend any of those racist intents of course (though I imagine many more are than are willing to admit it).
This is just like the term caucasian is in fact a racist term. It was originally used to refer to "white" people (remember Caucasus is West Asia not Europe) by racist people with racist intent. Many people use it without meaning any bit of racism, it's taken on a new meaning, basically a more technical sounding term than "white." That doesn't mean the term itself isn't in fact racist.
I was born and raised in the US West, though many if not most of my ancestors come from the southern states. Many were slave holders and plenty fought in the civil war. Though I simply cannot agree and support their usage of slavery I can in fact understand why they went to war, to keep their way of life that they felt was threatened. Though that's the justification for everything good and bad done by mankind. I cannot see a confederate flag and not see the racist deeper meaning of what it represents and I find it extremely inconsiderate of people to not at least recognize that it can deeply offend some people and it's not unreasonable to be offended by it I think. With that said freedom of speech means the right to offend people, but it means I and others can voice being offended.
I see it as more a symbol of treason than racism. It represented those (including many of my own ancestors) who rebelled and fought against the constitutionally established government.
I've never seen neo Nazi's in South Carolina. The most racist parts of the country that I've been to were the Pacific Northwest region an surprisingly Hawaii. No neo Nazi's in the latter but a lot of the native Hawaiians hate white people.
However in both places racists were the minority.
Umm.. Hawaii isn't the most racist state. Hawaii leads the country in interracial marriage.
Its funny when your the minority and you experience racism, then its real racism. When on the mainland, your the majority, you don't see the racism, but others do and it must be fake racism.
C'mon man think about it.
My point is:
The little bit of racism you experience on Hawaii is horrible, but imagine how minorities feel on the mainland where it is instutionalized. Its still bad but your kids won't have to worry about it from what I hear.
Only people I know who own confederate flags are white and racist. A couple of them put that flag across their front windows and another one built a flag post into his front yard so it could be flown. None of them have ties to the South. They just hate blacks (well, not to their faces, only behind their backs - like cowards do).
I don't get how some southerners think of the confederate flag as a source of pride. But then again, being that I'm from the North, maybe I'm in a different mindset. Went on vacation through Georgia recently and was shocked to find billboards along the highway advertising plantations. When I think of a plantation, it brings up images of slavery and that angers me. But for southerns, I guess it represents history and pride?
I've never seen neo Nazi's in South Carolina. The most racist parts of the country that I've been to were the Pacific Northwest region an surprisingly Hawaii. No neo Nazi's in the latter but a lot of the native Hawaiians hate white people.
However in both places racists were the minority.
Really? So the two most diverse and least racist places I've lived were Oregon and the San Francisco area in California. I highly doubt the pacific northwest being the most racist of areas. Maybe in some extremely small towns hidden in the hills I guess.
It's very hard to quantify which states are the most racist, but this is an interesting perspective:
OK.. Now to comment on the flag. (The flag doesn't bother me and I'm Black. Yes, it is racist, but I have a white friends who use it. One is a cow farmer and he just uses it because he grew up using it. That doesn't make it right, but he doesn't know any better.)
Before I start talking race, let's make one thing clear. This flag represents a treasonous group of rebels who lost a war. The only people who i know who currently fly around flags of lost wars are neo-Nazi's. These rebels were treasonous and murderers.
2nd, there is no reason to fly the flag. People say it emodies southern heritage and culture. It embodies nothing about southern culture. I would know. I'm a southern boy. What about cul
Third, the flag is flown by racist. It was used in the 1960s to show support for desegregation.
So does the Stars and Stripes. Slave ships bound for America proudly flew the American flag, and a good chunk of the United States supported slavery for centuries - does that make the American flag a symbol of racism?
True, but the sole reason for the Confederacy to exist was to preserve the right of white people to own black people.
The british union jack and all its iterations throughout the english speaking world is also a symbol of slavery
good luck to team PC in getting that removed.
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