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The objection to the confederate flag is that it has been commandeered by white supremacist hate groups...
I keep reading and hearing this argument and I have to ask, why does it matter that the confederate battle flag has been commandeered from one white supremacist group, the Confederate States of America, by another white supremacist hate group?
I don't doubt that he had a very unstable mindset. There is nothing logical about hate. However, he had to learn his racial bigotry and hatred from somewhere. This is why I don't blame mental illness for what he did. He was the one who thought about shooting up a church. He is the one who picked that church. There were other churches in Charleston. That city is known as "City of Churches". He picked his choices.
But even without the existence of the Confederate flag, he still would have done what he did. And without a gun, he could have still built a pipe bomb or committed arson. Removing the Confederate flag from the public view and taking away all guns will not solve future acts of racial hatred.
The dude sounded pretty f***d up to me! People of sound mind and logic don't go on a shooting rampage, and callously murder people in cold blood! Was he a racist? Absolutely! No question! Was he mentally disturbed! I'd say so! See, here is the reality, being racist or a bigot is not against the law. Is it small minded? Sure. Could it be based on fear, or some feelings that one race is superior to another? Sure. Again, small minded and pretty asinine if you ask me. Still not illegal though. Now, if one's racism and bigotry causes them to act out and cause harm or the death of others, then that is where he crossed the line! Personally, I think once convicted, this idiot should swing from a rope for what he did! Given that he admited to it, justice needs to be swift. Screw the damn appeals, because now it's just wasting everyone's time!
Sounds like that a case could be made for any first degree murderer to be mentally ill, esp mass/chain murderers.
You should be also wary of implying mental illness leads to murderers.
Most mentally ill people don't go and commit murder.
Being a bigot is a choice, it requires thought. It is illogical thought, but thought nonetheless. He might have been mentally ill, but even that can't explain why someone chooses to be a bigot.
You can be a racist and not commit murder too. In fact, racism is pervasive through out our society, regardless of skin color, and yet very few people commit race-motivated murders.
So a person can be a racist. A person can be mentally ill. And a person can be a killer. Also, correlation is not causation, so I think that some of you are jumping the gun in saying that his racism is the sole reason why he murdered these people.
Of course he is a racist and he did claim that as his motivation, but is it possible that he is ALSO mentally ill, and this confluence of factors, together with perhaps certain environmental factors all contributed together to bring him to this point? We just don't know yet, and in fact, we may never know. In any case, it is very likely more complicated than saying he is a racist, so he killed these people.
With regards to your assertion that being a bigot requires thought, I would make the exact opposite case. It requires a willfully ignorant lack of thought that is usually nurtured by a herd mentality.
But even without the existence of the Confederate flag, he still would have done what he did. And without a gun, he could have still built a pipe bomb or committed arson. Removing the Confederate flag from the public view and taking away all guns will not solve future acts of racial hatred.
I wasn't even talking about the Confederate flag in this instance. I was talking about Dylann Roof and this fallacy of "mental illness made him do it".
You can be a racist and not commit murder too. In fact, racism is pervasive through out our society, regardless of skin color, and yet very few people commit race-motivated murders.
So a person can be a racist. A person can be mentally ill. And a person can be a killer. Also, correlation is not causation, so I think that some of you are jumping the gun in saying that his racism is the sole reason why he murdered these people.
Of course he is a racist and he did claim that as his motivation, but is it possible that he is ALSO mentally ill, and this confluence of factors, together with perhaps certain environmental factors all contributed together to bring him to this point? We just don't know yet, and in fact, we may never know. In any case, it is very likely more complicated than saying he is a racist, so he killed these people.
With regards to your assertion that being a bigot requires thought, I would make the exact opposite case. It requires a willfully ignorant lack of thought that is usually nurtured by a herd mentality.
If we were to define racism as a mental illness, sure.
Sounds like that a case could be made for any first degree murderer to be mentally ill, esp mass/chain murderers.
You should be also wary of implying mental illness leads to murderers.
Let me just say this, I'm from the school of thought that if you take the life of another person that it better be a DAMNED good reason for doing so! Such as defense of yourself, or your family, or in war. This guy Roof had a screw loose somewhere.
For Pete's sake, what is the deal with the confederate flag?
I'm a lifelong Southerner with relatives who fought in the Civil war but this is just ridiculous. Whatever other meanings the flag may have, it has clearly come a symbol of racial hatred and white supremacy. I don't need something like that to honor my ancestors.
I keep reading and hearing this argument and I have to ask, why does it matter that the confederate battle flag has been commandeered from one white supremacist group, the Confederate States of America, by another white supremacist hate group?
That is not the objection. This flag has become a banner for the broader white supremacist hate movement and for this horrible murder committed by Dylann Roof. This incident has put the issue over the top. This is the stigma that this flag now carries with it. As a result, in my opinion, these states are right to remove this flag from their legislatures and capitols. These governments should want to distance themselves in an official capacity from embracing or endorsing this symbol.
The confederate flag has had its time, it has served its purpose, it has run its course. Now it is time to put it away, except in the context of a historical remembrance, in museums and history books.
I keep reading and hearing this argument and I have to ask, why does it matter that the confederate battle flag has been commandeered from one white supremacist group, the Confederate States of America, by another white supremacist hate group?
If the Confederate States of America was one big white supremacist group, maybe someone should have mentioned that to the black confederate soldiers who fought for the south. Maybe someone should have also mentioned to those black masters that it wasn't very politically correct to own slaves. And maybe those northern territories, such as Boston and New York, should have been wiser not to have bought and sold slaves in the back of coffee houses and bars.
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