Poll: Confederate Flag: Hate symbol, symbol of pride, heritage, historical meaning, or other?

[RooftopAssassin]

I was wondering my fellow Escapists thoughts on the Confederate flag. Not in past terms, but in today's world, what does it mean to you?

For me, the flag has some mixed purpose. Part hate symbol, part heritage, and the minority being pride (if you don't think they're the same thing.)

Please be mature and respect others thoughts and views; and if you must argue, please have a valid point.

 

[Lust]

It's historic.........................somewhat. A time when opposition ended in bloodshed.

 

[Dxz5roxg]

I'd say that thanks to racists that use it nowadays the only thing it can be used for is racism.

 

[blalien]

I think the flag itself it racist, but I don't think everybody who uses it is racist. I think a lot of people put up the flag thinking "Woo, Southern heritage! Fried chicken football shotguns Jeff Foxworthy!!!" without even thinking about the racist connotations. And I'm sure a lot of them want to enslave black people.

So I vote half racism, half ignorance.

 

[GammaZord]

Personally, I don't get it and I can't really see how others do either. Usually with Southern or Conservative things(not being negative), I can at least see where they're coming from even if I respectfully disagree. This I can't. Isn't there another way to show your Southern Pride (whatever that even means) than flying the flag of a region whose political climate was at one point openly racist.

Edit: lemme qualify that last sentence: pretty much every flag represents a country that was at one point racist. But the confederate flag--whether jusifiably or not--is commonly associated with racism.

 

[Doctor VonSexMachine]

When I see it in Canada, I associate it with racism. Traveling in the south and talking to my step mother who is from the south, I have learned to see it as a symbol of pride about the differences between the south and the north, as well as it's historical significance.

Some people do use it as a symbol of racism, but I think that if you associate it only with that you write off a large part of American history. The south includes people from all sorts of heritage, not just racist white folk.

 

[Cody211282]

It's historical, the meaning behind it differs with each individual that uses it.

 

[TheTim]

well its more historic than anything. but there is also some racism in it.

but its just a beautiful flag in general.

 

[RooftopAssassin]

Personally, I don't get it and I can't really see how others do either. Usually with Southern or Conservative things(not being negative), I can at least see where they're coming from even if I respectfully disagree. This I can't. Isn't there another way to show your Southern Pride (whatever that even means) than flying the flag of a region whose political climate was at one point openly racist.

The easiest thing to do for most is to refer back to my country of origin. For me, mostly German blood flows through my veins. So instead of flying a Confederate flag, I fly a German flag (The German flag has also scored me some unwanted controversy).

 

[Nautical Honors Society]

I thought it was a symbol of a specific way to run a government.

I think you are confusing it with a Confederacy in general.

The OP means the flag of the Confederate States of America, when the southern half of America succeeded from the union and formed their own nation because of disagreement regarding many things...slavery was a big one. This led into civil war.

OT: I put historical, since I can see no other reason to honor a flag of a country that doesn't exist anymore.

 

[enzilewulf]

Where is the all option? Now if its in the back of a Ford F150 your a hillbilly, or a skin head or both. Pride if you had some one who fought in the civil war. I guess heritage would follow what I just said in the sentence above^. Historical if you keep a collection.

It was really hard not to go rant on this

EDIT: also it shouldn't be shown in public for one reason. That was a period of hate and bloodshed for the fellow American. For me it would just bring up bad thoughts. I don't mind it in any other place such as a museum or a private collection or just old things you have from the past generations is fine by me. just don't use it publicly, because no matter what you mean by it, it only brings hate and bad times.

 

[ScarletRider]

It's not really so cut and dried, or black and white like that. Symbols, by their very nature, can be interpreted different ways. A swastika is also a symbol used in a variety of cultures, just to name an example (forget you, Godwin!). As there were many causes of the Civil War, there are also a variety of ways to interpret the Confederate flag, and not always as a symbol of racism or hatred. Duty is the sublimest of words.

 

[skitzo van]

Well I see a flag, just like when a swastika pops up I think "Buddhism"

 

[MoganFreeman]

Other. It is a symbol of stubborn refusal to let go of some idealized, non-existant past.

 

[Wintermoot]

historical and something you put on the roof of a orange Doge Charger
EDIT: and a symbol of Rednecks

 

[goldenheart323]

I'm tired & clicked "pride" when I should've clicked "heritage".

I'm a thoroughly white honkey, (if I'm even using the word "honkey" correctly,) who lives in the north. I don't give it much thought, but when I do, I think of the Confederate flag as heritage of the South. The Civil War being all about slavery was just propaganda that came into the picture after the war had started. Yes, it did end slavery, but that wasn't the core cause. Back then, the South was all about agriculture, and the North was all about manufacturing. There were many other differences I can't remember. The North & South were very different from each other, so it's wasn't hard to see why the South wanted to secede. I could go on, but entire books have been written about this, so I'll just stop here.

 

[Ham_authority95]

Every person with Confederate memorabilia that I know is viciously patriotic to the U.S.

Ironic much?

That, or they're trying be "rebellious and cool" without committing arson on police stations.

 

[Acid Armageddon]

It's a mostly historical symbol and not very racist in its origins...it was originally a battle flag that was going to be used for a smaller group of soldiers, but others liked the design and it spread. It's only been used for racism later on, but for me anyway, it stands as mostly historic, which is why I have a shirt with it on it, and feel fine wearing it in public.