Anonymous wrote:
Foreigner here. Why is this automatically offensive?
Isn't there a historical angle to this, and not a racist one?

Yup, makes no sense. It's not a rational thing.

Anonymous wrote:I work in a federal cube farm. One guy recently put up a confederate flag in his cube, not huge but noticable when you walk by. Can I get him to take it down? Do I go to HR, his boss, or him directly?

Do you have any problem with free speech?

Foreigner here. Why is this automatically offensive?
Isn't there a historical angle to this, and not a racist one?

Hr -hostile workplace.

Anonymous wrote:A flag is symbolic and can stir up all kinds of feelings. If a Confederate flag is understandably offensive to people in an office and shouldn't be displayed in a cubicle, why can the American flag be burned as freedom of speech? Both are often described as "just symbols."

Try burning an American flag in your work cubicle and see how far that comparison gets you.

hmm- werent the confederates committing treason against the 'United' States of America, i though the United States won, the Union is just an old fashioned word to say United isn't it? Why would the United States Government allow someone to work for them who supported a treasonous band of mercenaries/militiamen who killed the soldiers of its government ?

I am actually asking- I'm a second gen. immigrant, I understand that we have free speech and so i can wave around an ISIS flag if i want to, privately- but as an employee of the government? Ive never understood this, why aren't the confederates considered enemies of the United States anymore? History buffs- please fill me in. i know that during Reconstruction the South was occupied and stuff but then what happened? how did it become ok for Virginia to name roads after people who would've been at least imprisoned today if they did what they did (generals in the army defecting to another nation and actively killing United States Soldiers) which is what Robert E. Lee did/Jackson did. Is this an extension of free speech protections?

I'm a Fed manager, and I would ask the employee to take it so as part of our "zero tolerance" policy on harassment. S/he could take it up with EEO if they declined, but they would lose.

Come into work really early one day, take down his flag, and replace it with an American one. Say nothing to anyone ever about this brave act.

I'm a fed manager and in our most recent ethics training class (a few weeks ago), they specifically mentioned display of the confederate flag as a symbol of hate speech that was not allowed in the federal workplace. Send a message to HR.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A flag is symbolic and can stir up all kinds of feelings. If a Confederate flag is understandably offensive to people in an office and shouldn't be displayed in a cubicle, why can the American flag be burned as freedom of speech? Both are often described as "just symbols."

Not enough eye rolls in the world. Plenty of behaviors are both legal and not allowed in an office environment. I don't think you'll find employers particularly amenable to allowing employees to burn flags in their cubes either.

Freedom of speech doesn't apply to employee/employer relationships. It applies to the government restricting the speech of its citizens. This guy is allowed to display his ode to hatred and treason at home when he's just a citizen. He doesn't get to do it at work.

PP here. I certainly am not in favor of displaying a Confederate flag at work or burning a flag in a cubicle. Perhaps I should have given a better example. Just trying to point out that, just a people are offended by the display of a Confederate flag, others are also offended by someone burning the American flag or showing disrespect for it in some other way.

Your example still doesn't work. There are things that are allowed as private citizens that you can't do at work. If you are creating a hostile work environment, it doesn't matter if your behavior would be protected as free speech as a citizen, it will still get you disciplined or fired as an employee. You asked why burning the flag is allowed as free speech if having a confederate flag in your work cube is not. The two have absolutely nothing to do with one another.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A flag is symbolic and can stir up all kinds of feelings. If a Confederate flag is understandably offensive to people in an office and shouldn't be displayed in a cubicle, why can the American flag be burned as freedom of speech? Both are often described as "just symbols."

Not enough eye rolls in the world. Plenty of behaviors are both legal and not allowed in an office environment. I don't think you'll find employers particularly amenable to allowing employees to burn flags in their cubes either.

Freedom of speech doesn't apply to employee/employer relationships. It applies to the government restricting the speech of its citizens. This guy is allowed to display his ode to hatred and treason at home when he's just a citizen. He doesn't get to do it at work.

PP here. I certainly am not in favor of displaying a Confederate flag at work or burning a flag in a cubicle. Perhaps I should have given a better example. Just trying to point out that, just a people are offended by the display of a Confederate flag, others are also offended by someone burning the American flag or showing disrespect for it in some other way.

Pretty sure an employee couldn't get away with setting things ablaze in their cubicle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A flag is symbolic and can stir up all kinds of feelings. If a Confederate flag is understandably offensive to people in an office and shouldn't be displayed in a cubicle, why can the American flag be burned as freedom of speech? Both are often described as "just symbols."

Not enough eye rolls in the world. Plenty of behaviors are both legal and not allowed in an office environment. I don't think you'll find employers particularly amenable to allowing employees to burn flags in their cubes either.

Freedom of speech doesn't apply to employee/employer relationships. It applies to the government restricting the speech of its citizens. This guy is allowed to display his ode to hatred and treason at home when he's just a citizen. He doesn't get to do it at work.

PP here. I certainly am not in favor of displaying a Confederate flag at work or burning a flag in a cubicle. Perhaps I should have given a better example. Just trying to point out that, just a people are offended by the display of a Confederate flag, others are also offended by someone burning the American flag or showing disrespect for it in some other way.

Anonymous wrote:A flag is symbolic and can stir up all kinds of feelings. If a Confederate flag is understandably offensive to people in an office and shouldn't be displayed in a cubicle, why can the American flag be burned as freedom of speech? Both are often described as "just symbols."

Not enough eye rolls in the world. Plenty of behaviors are both legal and not allowed in an office environment. I don't think you'll find employers particularly amenable to allowing employees to burn flags in their cubes either.

Freedom of speech doesn't apply to employee/employer relationships. It applies to the government restricting the speech of its citizens. This guy is allowed to display his ode to hatred and treason at home when he's just a citizen. He doesn't get to do it at work.

Leave an anonymous note. Cut out letters from a magazine

Agree with going to HR. The guy is looking for a confrontation. HR will be know if it's allowed or not and can take it from there. Nothing worse than confronting someone over crappy behavior like this and finding out they're technically allowed to do it. Just makes the jerks bolder.