The Confederate Flag

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

It also seems to be acceptable to emblazon images of Chairman Mao on t-shirts in a kitsch way, who is probably as bad as Stalin if not worse

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Ohh, as a southerner, this is the debate you do not like to get into. It is heritage.

I suppose there was nothing hateful about wanting to make sure black people stayed on the plantation and didn't learn to read and write

Heritage, yeah right.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Ohh, as a southerner, this is the debate you do not like to get into. It is heritage.

I suppose there was nothing hateful about wanting to make sure black people stayed on the plantation and didn't learn to read and write

Heritage, yeah right.

The swastika had an entirely peaceful meaning till Hitler et al adopted it, after its meaning was entirely hijacked and became synonymous with genocide and repression. Even if the Confed flag stands for things other than slavery - its is predominantly defined by slavery.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The swastika had an entirely peaceful meaning till Hitler et al adopted it, after its meaning was entirely hijacked and became synonymous with genocide and repression. Even if the Confed flag stands for things other than slavery - its is predominantly defined by slavery.

Even today, Hindus use the swastika in temples and even on clothing and homes. It's supposed to be auspicious, a sign of good luck and peace.

My FIL is visiting us and one day was going to go out in a shirt with swastikas imprinted all over it. I was like no... that is not going to be seen leaving my house. Go change

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The swastika had an entirely peaceful meaning till Hitler et al adopted it, after its meaning was entirely hijacked and became synonymous with genocide and repression. Even if the Confed flag stands for things other than slavery - its is predominantly defined by slavery.

Even today, Hindus use the swastika in temples and even on clothing and homes. It's supposed to be auspicious, a sign of good luck and peace.

My FIL is visiting us and one day was going to go out in a shirt with swastikas imprinted all over it. I was like no... that is not going to be seen leaving my house. Go change

Especially if he was about to board a train for NYC

Edited August 30, 2006 by erekose

[VetsWife328 7]

Heritage and (heck) NO

Now who started this weird poll???

Come on ppl please!

Yeah yeah go and call me a racist again,just waiting for it........

Nat

[PlatyPius 5]

I had a nice long post here about how the Civil War was NOT fought for or against slavery. It was fought for state rights. The end result of the north winning was the government being able to institute things like income tax, highway money tied to states doing what the gov wants, etc. Hell, Lincoln freed the slaves as an afterthought.

And no....I'm not southern. Just a history major who is tired of all of the uneducated ####### being spewed about the civil war and the confederacy.

[chri'stina 190]

Ohh, as a southerner, this is the debate you do not like to get into. It is heritage.

I suppose there was nothing hateful about wanting to make sure black people stayed on the plantation and didn't learn to read and write

Heritage, yeah right.

But you don't get it. The war wasn't about slavery, it was about southern states' rights. So the flag is about heritage!! (sarcasm!)

Or at least that's what people say to pretend like it had nothing to do with slavery. Even though one important state right they were fighting for was the owning of slaves and the tax issues along with owning slaves. Not that the north was totally innocent about the slave issue, it's just they gave it up sooner than the south did.

Anyway, I voted "both" and "no".

[cindi&richard 0]

It is a symbol of our heritage. Our history is something we inherited - the bad with the good.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Actually, the rebel flag was a symbol of two kinds of oppression:

• that of southern slaveowners for their slaves
  
• that of the US federal government against specific states (it was set as a symbol of rebellion against this)
  

On displaying it: I've become jaded to seeing it on car bumpers in Atlanta, so no difference for displays on VJ.

[keltic 1]

I had a nice long post here about how the Civil War was NOT fought for or against slavery. It was fought for state rights. The end result of the north winning was the government being able to institute things like income tax, highway money tied to states doing what the gov wants, etc. Hell, Lincoln freed the slaves as an afterthought.

And no....I'm not southern. Just a history major who is tired of all of the uneducated ####### being spewed about the civil war and the confederacy.

thank you for trying... but ppl already think they KNOW all they need to know about the civil war... and altho you are definitely correct, those that believe otherwise wont change their minds (i see it as kinda like ppl believing that we went to war in iraq because of WMDs and terrorism - its what will be written in history books)

unfortunately, because ppl dont want to actually bother learning the truth, a symbol of heritage is being forced into a symbol of hate... there will always be someone who uses symbols for something other than they are meant for... like the KKK using the cross or fundamentalist muslim terrorists using allah... it doesnt mean all christians believe what the KKK does, nor that all muslims believe what fundamental terrorists do... a bad apple spoils the whole bushel, as they say...

[KarenCee 3]

IMHO the Confederate Flag is simply that...a flag. It was flown in battle during the American Civil War. More of a rallying icon than anything. But, at some point it became synonymous with feelings of hatred between the whites and the freed blacks. Again, this is just my take on this whole flag issue ok? It has since become an icon of hate from the blacks because of the slavery issue. Those whites who subscribe to the racism issue use it constantly to "remind" themselves of the Civil War and its supposed causes. At one time Georgia's state flag had the "rebel" flag emblem as part of its construction. Thankfully we now have a fairly nice compromise.

I voted heritage and no. I am not racist by any means so this kind of thing has never bothered me.

[Addie_Goodvibes 0]

Ohh, as a southerner, this is the debate you do not like to get into. It is heritage.

disagreement over exactly what it symbolizes[/color]. To many in the US South it is simply a symbol of their heritage and pride in their ancestors who held out during years of war under terrible odds and sacrifice. Others see it as a symbol of the institution of slavery, or of the Jim Crow laws established by the many Southern states enforcing racial segregation within their borders for almost a century later. The Confederate battle flag is a controversial symbol in contemporary American politics. Because of its link to slavery and because Southern opponents of the Civil Rights Movement, the Ku Klux Klan, American neo-Nazis, and other white supremacists have used the flag as a symbol for their causes, many Americans, particularly African Americans, consider it a racist symbol akin to the Nazi swastika. As a result, there have been numerous political fights over the use of the Confederate battle flag in Southern state flags, at sporting events at Southern universities, and on public buildings. According to Civil War historian and southerner Shelby Foote, the flag traditionally represented the south's resistance to northern political dominance generally; it became racially charged during the Civil Rights Movement, when protecting segregation suddenly became the focal point of that resistance.

Confederate Flag Controversy

I am not offened by a flag anymore than i am offened by the middle finger, Depending on the purpose of how it is flown and the intentions of who displays it.

Edited August 30, 2006 by Addie_Goodvibes

[Fuzzness 2]

heritage, and no. the confederate flag does not bother me. however not flying it also does not bother me in the least bit. I rather like the Georgia flag we have now, but a lot of people are pissed because they removed the old one showing the confederate flag

[Artegal 1]

The Civil War was a battle over states rights--to have and own slaves.

The war had everything to do for and about slavery. It was not a war just about states rights. The loss of slavery meant the loss of an economic advantage for the southern states. The southern states were rich, very rich in comparison to the northern states. But the loss of slavery meant a loss of cheap labor and the economic power they held. That is why the southern states were put under a boycot and embargo by the north. Then to settle the issue Lincoln emancipated the slaves.

If this was a war about states rights then the states any state would have gone to war before or after over other issues. It was the states right to own slaves that was being removed--and therefore the war was about slavery.

As far as the confederate flag--its a symbol of treason. It is the rebel flag against the United States of America. It should be banned in all settings accept in historical educational purposes.

The rise of the Rebel flag after the end of the civil war began in the 1950s as the southern states resented Federal mandates and oversight in the matter of voting rights and segregation of schools and society. This is why the Conferedate flag and symbol is so divisive and why it was rightfully removed from the flag of the state of Georgia. The use of this flag to represent superiority over blacks and other minorities.

Lets put the flag in its historical perspective and then move on.