Bentonville schools? (Little Rock, Fayetteville, Huntsville: house, private schools, gated communities)

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by sickofsnow67

Was it a German flag or a nazi flag? What is the message that people waving the confederate flag are sending? What is my take away? What should I tell me kids when they ask?

That people fly flags for all sorts of reasons. Symbols are abstract, and can mean different things to different people. That the Confederate flag is associated with the Civil War, and that there are many people that associate it with slavery, others that associate it with history, others that associate it with defiance. In a country such as ours, with freedom of speech, symbols are an example of freedom of speech, but without actually talking with the person using that symbol, it's difficult to know what they mean.

[sickofsnow67]

Originally Posted by DC at the Ridge

That people fly flags for all sorts of reasons. Symbols are abstract, and can mean different things to different people. That the Confederate flag is associated with the Civil War, and that there are many people that associate it with slavery, others that associate it with history, others that associate it with defiance. In a country such as ours, with freedom of speech, symbols are an example of freedom of speech, but without actually talking with the person using that symbol, it's difficult to know what they mean.

BS. There is no ambiguity. Is it difficulty to know what the white hood and burning cross mean?

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by sickofsnow67

BS. There is no ambiguity. Is it difficulty to know what the white hood and burning cross mean?

The flag is a symbol. It can mean different things to different people. Just like the American flag can mean different things to different people. When the Iranian people are burning the American flag, it means something very different to them, than it does to those of us who put the American flag out this recent Labor Day.

Symbols are inherently ambiguous.

And I suspect that many of the people who've been flying them around from their pick-ups are really about defiance. In the same way that they will fly "Don't Tread On Me" flags, which I've also seen in the area. I associate that flag with New Hampshire, but there are many tea party supporters in Northwest Arkansas and they seem to have an affinity with that flag.

[Rock Climber]

Originally Posted by sickofsnow67

Was it a German flag or a nazi flag? What is the message that people waving the confederate flag are sending? What is my take away? What should I tell me kids when they ask?

It was a German flag.

Who knows exactly what the few people waving confederate flags are trying to convey? It probably differs for every bonehead who chooses to do that.

FYI, the "enlightened North" is more segregated, on average than the south.

What do you tell your kids when they ask why you chose to live in a suburb rather than urban Chicago? Or do you only stress about potential racism in others when it allows you the chance to signal your morality without actually doing anything that might inconvenience you?

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by sickofsnow67

Is Californiamomabc even a real person? She starts these threads and we never hear from her again. I've given her several thoughtful responses to her posts and nary a word.

She is real; she has PMed me a few times. Right now, it appears the move may be on hold. there are times when OPs are not for real. Many of us have seen a few of these here in the past 6 months, or they appear to be "none real" but she appears to be legit.

[sickofsnow67]

Originally Posted by Rock Climber

It was a German flag.

Who knows exactly what the few people waving confederate flags are trying to convey? It probably differs for every bonehead who chooses to do that.

FYI, the "enlightened North" is more segregated, on average than the south.

What do you tell your kids when they ask why you chose to live in a suburb rather than urban Chicago? Or do you only stress about potential racism in others when it allows you the chance to signal your morality without actually doing anything that might inconvenience you?

I disapprove of the confederate flag -- it sounds like you do as well.

What do you tell your kids when they ask why you chose to live in a suburb rather than urban Chicago? Or do you only stress about potential racism in others when it allows you the chance to signal your morality without actually doing anything that might inconvenience you?

I tell them the schools aren't very good in the city and we can't afford private school. Potential racism? The confederate flag? That is a pretty flagrant symbol of racism. The South wanted slavery and wanted to secede from the Union. If the South had won, everyone in the South would be flying the confederate flag. They did not, so the flag everyone should be waving is the American flag. I don't mind being inconvenienced -- what should I be doing to further express my disdain for the waving of the confederate flag? Is my action called for here? Instead of being rude to me, you could be working towards an "enlightened South".

[Rock Climber]

Originally Posted by sickofsnow67

I tell them the schools aren't very good in the city and we can't afford private school. Potential racism? The confederate flag? That is a pretty flagrant symbol of racism.

So its only flagrant racism (or your interpretation of a flag as a symbol of flagrant racism) that you're concerned about. So it actually is morality signalling.

Thanks for clarifying.

There have been various "support the flag" rallies around the south since SJWs delcared "war" on the symbol. One in Arkansas that I saw on the news was actually organized by an African-American man. I don't think it is a stretch to say that your personal interpretation of what the flag means (or should mean to everyone) isn't the same for everyone.

For an answer to why Confederate history is dear to some native southerners, recognize that just within this area, we have two battlefields where there were THOUSANDS of casualties. You can drive by on your way to soccer practice and be driving past the place where a huge number of people died one afternoon.

It is history here and so it is more real, everywhere you go in the south.

I don't own anything with a Confederate flag on it, and I don't trace any of my family history to the "Rebels". The symbols themselves are problematic to many, mainly because they have been adopted by hate groups.

I agree that the symbol has no place on public property or public buildings. It isn't on any public buildings here and to my knowledge, it never was.

I am not so torn up about it being in a Confederate cemetery, or memorial or something like that. The U.S. flag itself represents a government that actively participated in genocide, right around the time the "evil" Confederate battle flag was being created.

Finally, its a flag. If a person wants to fly it on their car, I don't particularly care. Some people get ear gauges and neck tattoos, too. Not my bag, but also not my place to speculate as to their motivation.

The idea that everyone who likes the flag is a cross-burning KKK member is absurd. I don't believe the guy flying the German national flag is building a gas-chamber in his garage, either. He's flying a flag, for whatever reason. I don't personally care, and I am not personally prone to public displays of my political beliefs, heritage, or opinions.

You could extrapolate Irish flags, or German flags as being expressions of "white pride" and exclusionary. Maybe someday we'll get to that point, outlawing German heritage parades or celebrations. The difference for most Southerners is that they don't trace their European heritage to their great-grandmother who was born in Munich or their great-grandfather who was born in Dublin. They have deeper American roots than that, and part of their family heritage is Confederate history.

[sickofsnow67]

Originally Posted by Rock Climber

So its only flagrant racism (or your interpretation of a flag as a symbol of flagrant racism) that you're concerned about. So it actually is morality signalling.

Thanks for clarifying.

There have been various "support the flag" rallies around the south since SJWs delcared "war" on the symbol. One in Arkansas that I saw on the news was actually organized by an African-American man. I don't think it is a stretch to say that your personal interpretation of what the flag means (or should mean to everyone) isn't the same for everyone.

For an answer to why Confederate history is dear to some native southerners, recognize that just within this area, we have two battlefields where there were THOUSANDS of casualties. You can drive by on your way to soccer practice and be driving past the place where a huge number of people died one afternoon.

It is history here and so it is more real, everywhere you go in the south.

I don't own anything with a Confederate flag on it, and I don't trace any of my family history to the "Rebels". The symbols themselves are problematic to many, mainly because they have been adopted by hate groups.

I agree that the symbol has no place on public property or public buildings. It isn't on any public buildings here and to my knowledge, it never was.

I am not so torn up about it being in a Confederate cemetery, or memorial or something like that. The U.S. flag itself represents a government that actively participated in genocide, right around the time the "evil" Confederate battle flag was being created.

Finally, its a flag. If a person wants to fly it on their car, I don't particularly care. Some people get ear gauges and neck tattoos, too. Not my bag, but also not my place to speculate as to their motivation.

The idea that everyone who likes the flag is a cross-burning KKK member is absurd. I don't believe the guy flying the German national flag is building a gas-chamber in his garage, either. He's flying a flag, for whatever reason. I don't personally care, and I am not personally prone to public displays of my political beliefs, heritage, or opinions.

You could extrapolate Irish flags, or German flags as being expressions of "white pride" and exclusionary. Maybe someday we'll get to that point, outlawing German heritage parades or celebrations. The difference for most Southerners is that they don't trace their European heritage to their great-grandmother who was born in Munich or their great-grandfather who was born in Dublin. They have deeper American roots than that, and part of their family heritage is Confederate history.

The confederate flag represents a war that was in support of slavery. A poll that we found stated that 75% of whites in the south felt that it was a symbol of pride, while 75% of blacks in the south felt it symbolized racism. We celebrate cultural differences and celebrations -- Kwanzaa, St. Patricks Day, Hanukkah, and Dia de Los Muertos, et al -- it's absurd to compare that with the confederate flag.

[thegreenflute334]

Originally Posted by sickofsnow67

Is Californiamomabc even a real person? She starts these threads and we never hear from her again. I've given her several thoughtful responses to her posts and nary a word.

Really? That's identical to your 47 posts in 3 years. You gave this poster one "insightful" paragraph. .. let's be fair.

[Californiamomabc]

Our first choice is to stay in California. My husband has had recruiters approach him about coming to Bentonville a few times so I have been researching things just in case. It is tempting because of the houses! What I am seeing in Bentonville between $400,000 - 500,000 would be $2,000,000+ in California so that will never happen unless we win the lottery! There are $1,200,000 fixer uppers where we live that get multiple offers which goes into a bidding war which is crazy!! Right now, my husband has a company talking to him in California too. I have lived in California, in the same area, for most of my life and am surrounded by family in friends so picking up and moving would be hard! Our kids do not want to move even though we can easily have a house more than twice the size of what we have here, we can get a dog because we would have a big yard, etc. I have messaged privately with a few people after responses to my questions got off topic. As nmnita said, things are on hold right now but if the current job prospect does not work out, I might be back to researching Bentonville.