Soap Box: The Confederate Battle Flag
April 23, 2001
The Confederate battle flag seems to stir up a lot of controversy and emotional passion. There are several flags that represented the Confederacy, but the one pictured above is the most well known. If you are to believe the news reports, the Confederate flag is a racist symbol and offensive to most black Americans. South Carolina use to fly the flag above their capital until protests and boycotts, led by the NAACP, got the state to lower it and place it in a less prominent location. There have also been some states in the news that have changed or have considered changing their state flags because they contain a portion of the Confederate flag. Mississippi just voted 2 to 1 to actually keep their state flag as it is, with a Confederate flag in the corner.
So, is the Confederate flag evil and racist? Is it flown as a sign of white supremacy? Well, to let the cat out of the bag so you can determine whether or not to hate me, I'll say that the Confederate flag is not a racist symbol and anyone should have the right to fly it, southern states included.
The Confederate battle flag represents southern culture and pride to me. It was originally flown to represent the Confederate States of America, not to send a statement about blacks. And just in case you think the civil was about slavery, I need to remind you that northerners also owned slaves and still didn't treat blacks with equality. When I fly the Confederate flag, I'm saying that I'm a southerner and I'm proud of that fact. I like the culture of the south.
So why is the Confederate flag seen as such as negative symbol? It is true that it represented the Confederacy and the Confederacy was pro-slavery. But that has been the case since the flag was created. We've only seen protests and very vocal opponents in recent years. Remember the television show called the Dukes of Hazard? They had a car named General Lee and it had a big Confederate flag painted on it. No one seemed to complain then. When I worked at Microsoft, I had a United States flag and a Confederate flag on my office wall. No one complained about it at all. It was seen as part of my southern background and culture, just like the other objects that people put on their walls and desks. So what's different now?
I see it mainly as people trying to a) stir up trouble and grab the limelight, b) major knee-jerk reaction, and c) political correctness run amok.
Let's discuss the first point. Some people and groups need attention and controversy. They thrive on it. It gives them power and gives them a "cause" to fight. Such is the case with the NAACP and its boycott of South Carolina. I've heard quit a few famous black people speak out against South Carolina. But they weren't speaking out until the NAACP got involved. Why weren't they "offended" years ago? It's like someone had to inform them that they were being "offended" before they realized it. Protesting the Confederate flag is now seen as a noble gesture within the black community. They are fighting to stamp out this "evil" symbol of past oppression. I see it as an attempt for fame and power. And some people need the attention. If it wasn't for the flag, they wouldn't be noticed. I will state that I think that the NAACP does have some worthy ideas and goals, but I don't think their stand against the Confederate battle flag is one of them.
The second point has been caused by genuine hate groups. Unfortunately, groups such as the KKK, Neo-Nazis, and others have adopted the Confederate flag as their symbol. When they fly it, it gets associated with the crap and hatred they spew forth. And when we see and hear about racial discrimination and violence, we immediately react to it, whether or not the reaction is valid or needed. The illogical assumption is to assume the Confederate flag is bad because a bad group uses it.
The third point is seen day in and day out, and not necessary with just the Confederate flag. Zero drug policies are suspending kids because they brought Tic-Tacs to school. Fingernail clippers are seen as dangerous weapons. We see people getting sued left and right over trivial stuff. Society as a whole seems to go out of it's way to make sure no one is ever offended by anything. So if the Confederate flag offends someone, they take it down. They seem to forget that the first amendment gives you freedom of expression, but doesn't guarantee that you will not be offended by something at some point.
Again, I personally fly the Confederate flag because to me it represents southern culture and pride. Where do I fly it? From the stern of my boat. I want to display it at work and I want to display it on the front of my house, but because I fear what negative response I may get, I let my first amendment right be trampled upon. There's no reason why the Confederate flag cannot represent to everyone what it represents to me. Currently the swastika is a banned symbol in Germany and generally seen anti-Semitic. Yet before the Nazis came along, it was a good symbol. If this good symbol can now be "bad", there's no reason why the Confederate flag can go from a supposedly "bad" symbol to a good symbol.
Jeff Polston