Confederate Battle Flag

[jsteele]

In the thread about the murders in Charleston, discussion veered off on a tangent about the Confederate Battle Flag which still flies over South Carolina's Statehouse. While other flags were lowered to half staff today, that one remained at full staff. Rather than continue to divert that thread, I thought I would start a new one on the topic of the flag. There is even a political hook because today the Supreme Court ruled that the State of Texas could constitutionally reject specialty license plates featuring the Confederate flag. Clarence Thomas joined the liberals in this decision:

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2015/06/clarence-thomas-supreme-court-confederate-flag-texas-license-plates

So, what are your opinions about the Confederate Battle Flag?

[Anonymous]

It is weird that it is flown anywhere outside of private residences. It was the flag of a rebellious treason in the USA. It represents an oppressive regime that sold and purchased black bodies.

[Anonymous]

I really think it's appalling that SC is flying it over their State House. I think a civic South Carolinian should go respectfully take it down. If I were closer, I would do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is weird that it is flown anywhere outside of private residences. It was the flag of a rebellious treason in the USA. It represents an oppressive regime that sold and purchased black bodies.

What is "rebellious treason" to you can be considered "a quest for independence" by others.

A flag is nothing but a symbol, and of course different people can perceive the same flag in different ways. The Confederate Battle Flag is no exception.

[Anonymous]

The flag is a symbol, and as such, has different meanings to different people.

I get the same feeling when I see the Confederate flag as I have when I see someone burning the flag of the US - I think it is sad. But, I believe that people have the right to fly the Confederate flag just as people have the right to burn the US flag. I would never do either.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:In the thread about the murders in Charleston, discussion veered off on a tangent about the Confederate Battle Flag which still flies over South Carolina's Statehouse. While other flags were lowered to half staff today, that one remained at full staff. Rather than continue to divert that thread, I thought I would start a new one on the topic of the flag. There is even a political hook because today the Supreme Court ruled that the State of Texas could constitutionally reject specialty license plates featuring the Confederate flag. Clarence Thomas joined the liberals in this decision:

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2015/06/clarence-thomas-supreme-court-confederate-flag-texas-license-plates

So, what are your opinions about the Confederate Battle Flag?

I think it is unsurprising that a conquered and subjugated people still venerate their old symbols. That would be true irrespective of the rightness of their cause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The flag is a symbol, and as such, has different meanings to different people.

I get the same feeling when I see the Confederate flag as I have when I see someone burning the flag of the US - I think it is sad. But, I believe that people have the right to fly the Confederate flag just as people have the right to burn the US flag. I would never do either.

As an AA woman, I agree that people should be able to fly whatever flag they wish. However, I feel differently about the State of South Carolina.

[Anonymous]

How about we burn some confederate flags? That would be cathartic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The flag is a symbol, and as such, has different meanings to different people.

I get the same feeling when I see the Confederate flag as I have when I see someone burning the flag of the US - I think it is sad. But, I believe that people have the right to fly the Confederate flag just as people have the right to burn the US flag. I would never do either.

As an AA woman, I agree that people should be able to fly whatever flag they wish. However, I feel differently about the State of South Carolina.

Well, that State doesn't represent you or me, but the citizens actually living and voting there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is weird that it is flown anywhere outside of private residences. It was the flag of a rebellious treason in the USA. It represents an oppressive regime that sold and purchased black bodies.

What is "rebellious treason" to you can be considered "a quest for independence" by others.

A flag is nothing but a symbol, and of course different people can perceive the same flag in different ways. The Confederate Battle Flag is no exception.

Yes it is funny that you call it "a quest for independence" by states wanting to own others as property>

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The flag is a symbol, and as such, has different meanings to different people.

I get the same feeling when I see the Confederate flag as I have when I see someone burning the flag of the US - I think it is sad. But, I believe that people have the right to fly the Confederate flag just as people have the right to burn the US flag. I would never do either.

As an AA woman, I agree that people should be able to fly whatever flag they wish. However, I feel differently about the State of South Carolina.

Well, that State doesn't represent you or me, but the citizens actually living and voting there.

Not all of them because SC has a large AA population who have been fighting to have it removed for a long time.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The flag is a symbol, and as such, has different meanings to different people.

I get the same feeling when I see the Confederate flag as I have when I see someone burning the flag of the US - I think it is sad. But, I believe that people have the right to fly the Confederate flag just as people have the right to burn the US flag. I would never do either.

As an AA woman, I agree that people should be able to fly whatever flag they wish. However, I feel differently about the State of South Carolina.

Well, that State doesn't represent you or me, but the citizens actually living and voting there.

That's the thing. I was castigated in the other thread because a poster claimed that I had inferred that all South Carolinians were racist. I actually had inferred no such thing, but it is true that the State's choice to fly a flag that is widely consider a symbol of racism reflects on all the state's citizens. If South Carolinians don't want to be associated with the flag, they should act to get it removed. If they do want to be associated with the flag, they should accept that racial implications of that association.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is weird that it is flown anywhere outside of private residences. It was the flag of a rebellious treason in the USA. It represents an oppressive regime that sold and purchased black bodies.

What is "rebellious treason" to you can be considered "a quest for independence" by others.

A flag is nothing but a symbol, and of course different people can perceive the same flag in different ways. The Confederate Battle Flag is no exception.

how else could you perceive it but as the flag of the states leaving the union to own slaves? That is in the constitution of those states. How about we not add our ideas to what happened then and listen to and read their own words of why they did what they did?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The flag is a symbol, and as such, has different meanings to different people.

I get the same feeling when I see the Confederate flag as I have when I see someone burning the flag of the US - I think it is sad. But, I believe that people have the right to fly the Confederate flag just as people have the right to burn the US flag. I would never do either.

As an AA woman, I agree that people should be able to fly whatever flag they wish. However, I feel differently about the State of South Carolina.

Well, that State doesn't represent you or me, but the citizens actually living and voting there.

Not all of them because SC has a large AA population who have been fighting to have it removed for a long time.

Well, follow that same logic and then you'll have to say that President Obama doesn't represent Americans because many Republicans have been fighting to have Obamacare removed for a long time. By definition, no government can meet all the demands of all its citizens.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The flag is a symbol, and as such, has different meanings to different people.

I get the same feeling when I see the Confederate flag as I have when I see someone burning the flag of the US - I think it is sad. But, I believe that people have the right to fly the Confederate flag just as people have the right to burn the US flag. I would never do either.

As an AA woman, I agree that people should be able to fly whatever flag they wish. However, I feel differently about the State of South Carolina.

Well, that State doesn't represent you or me, but the citizens actually living and voting there.

That's the thing. I was castigated in the other thread because a poster claimed that I had inferred that all South Carolinians were racist. I actually had inferred no such thing, but it is true that the State's choice to fly a flag that is widely consider a symbol of racism reflects on all the state's citizens. If South Carolinians don't want to be associated with the flag, they should act to get it removed. If they do want to be associated with the flag, they should accept that racial implications of that association.

That would be very true if the majority of South Carolinians themselves viewed the flag as you do. I don't know if that's the case.