Confederate Flags hanging proudly on side of some Atlanta metro homes (Decatur: construction, live)

[ReluctantGardenStater]

Originally Posted by MAniacTHW

The confederate flag, on it's BEST day, represents a terrorist group.

No, it represents (on the battlefield) a sovereign nation that waged war against a tyrant. History is written by the victors. You are only saying what you are saying because of the outcome. An 18th century Briton would have said that Samuel Adams and the colonists opposed to British rule were terrorists. In fact, they did. No difference whatsoever between what the British said and what you are saying here.

No other group has such a following for waging war on the united states so they could own themselves some slaves.

Typical historically inaccurate nonsense. The slave trade began and was perpetuated by all types, from New England merchants to Jewish bankers, from the Portuguese to some Southern aristocrats, and yes to blacks themselves selling off others from rival tribes.

In actuality, very few Southerners owned slaves and most blacks couldn't find any better lifestyle out of working as wage slaves in some factory in New York or Pennsylvania, getting their hands cut off by machinery and working around rats and spoiled animal fat.

Of course, the North was oh so enlightened, so things like wage slavery and racial prejudice didn't exist

I doubt any "supporter" of the flag can tell you what the war was based on to begin with.

Actually, many supporters of the flag have made the argument and tried to explain/educate many times over, but there is a certain faction of the "The flag offends me, the war was about slavery, and Lincoln freed blacks!!" types that won't have it.

But hey, while we're at it, I'm going to sport a swastika to show my German heritage. The only difference being the swastika existed hundred of years before Nazis, and stood for peace,

Go right ahead. It wouldn't offend me, but it is silly to compare the two symbols. One is an ancient Vedic/Hindu symbol used in the East Asian religions, which was much later in history used as a symbol for a party of Germanic origin espousing ideals derived from Italian Fascism and based in racialism. The other is the symbol, very much in the American tradition, of a proud and independent region, and said region's historical resistance to tyranny and oppression. If you want to compare the two, you might as well compare kiwis and computer software while you're at it.

while the confederate flag's ONLY purpose is to "honor" the south.

Does it need another?

But I'm sure racists will be happy to come up with more excuses to use it for "southern" (white) pride.

Southern pride has nothing to do with white pride. I've seen numerous black men proud to display their Confederate flags on their homes and cars, in places such as Mississippi. Are they just racist whiteys?

[DeaconJ]

There ya go...you got one. Enjoy!

[MAniacTHW]

I'm not even going to touch that one. I might have responded until you bluntly assumed that I ignored racial prejudice when discussing owning slaves. You also assumed the flag offends me. It doesn't. It does provide me with hours of entertainment when imagining what high class citizen is flying their flag on their house/car. I can imagine walking into the trailor park, grabbing a Natural Ice, and watching NASCAR for starters.

[ReluctantGardenStater]

Originally Posted by MAniacTHW

I'm not even going to touch that one. I might have responded until you bluntly assumed that I ignored racial prejudice when discussing owning slaves. You also assumed the flag offends me. It doesn't. It does provide me with hours of entertainment when imagining what high class citizen is flying their flag on their house/car. I can imagine walking into the trailor park, grabbing a Natural Ice, and watching NASCAR for starters.

Do you ever imagine any upstanding family men, community leaders, or black Southerners, or does this not fit into the silly stereotype you just laid out?

[MAniacTHW]

Originally Posted by ReluctantGardenStater

Do you ever imagine any upstanding family men, community leaders, or black Southerners, or does this not fit into the silly stereotype you just laid out?

They don't fit into the very accurate image of everyone I've ever met who flies a confederate flag, no. But if you find an upstanding citizen who is so misguided that they honestly believe that flying a confederate flag is in someway making a statement, let me know. I'd love to meet them for myself.

[ReluctantGardenStater]

Originally Posted by MAniacTHW

They don't fit into the very accurate image of everyone I've ever met who flies a confederate flag, no. But if you find an upstanding citizen who is so misguided that they honestly believe that flying a confederate flag is in someway making a statement, let me know. I'd love to meet them for myself.

I don't understand your comment. It's no more or less of a "statement" than flying the stars and stripes, but of course that has popular approval...for now.

[TakeAhike]

sigh--

<ReluctantGardenStarter said:>

"I hope it is a long time before this comes to be an issue in states like Mississippi or Alabama.

Amazing that in this day in age, Americans talk about stopping global killings and apprehending war criminals, when the biggest war criminal of all (Lincoln) is honored in a holiday.

[WilliamM]

Originally Posted by MAniacTHW

The confederate flag, on it's BEST day, represents a terrorist group. No other group has such a following for waging war on the united states so they could own themselves some slaves. I doubt any "supporter" of the flag can tell you what the war was based on to begin with. But hey, while we're at it, I'm going to sport a swastika to show my German heritage. The only difference being the swastika existed hundred of years before Nazis, and stood for peace, while the confederate flag's ONLY purpose is to "honor" the south. But I'm sure racists will be happy to come up with more excuses to use it for "southern" (white) pride.

I almost spit out my morning coffee laughing with joy at the truth of this.
Thank you, thank you for nailing it so totally.

[ReluctantGardenStater]

I find the notion ridiculous.

The rebellious colonists of the Americas were just as much "terrorists" if not more so, than any Confederate (if that is how you wish to classify justified resistance).

[AcidSnake]

Were you bored or something? This topic was buried with the last poster back in June 2008!

Originally Posted by ReluctantGardenStater

Yet it is acceptable for people to use terms like "cracker", "redneck", "trailer trash", etc.? Usually the same people throwing these words around are the same people who jump down your throat if you use the terms colored or Negro.

I've read through this thread in its entirety and I'm happy to see there's still a sense of pride in Georgia. People have only started walking over proud Georgians and arguing against the recognition of a proud and legitimate history because of the influx of transplants in the Atlanta metro.

I hope it is a long time before this comes to be an issue in states like Mississippi or Alabama.

Amazing that in this day in age, Americans talk about stopping global killings and apprehending war criminals, when the biggest war criminal of all (Lincoln) is honored in a holiday.