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All the confederate flag means to ME is I'm proud to be Southern. I think it is a beautiful flag and I use it as a backdrop for my homebrew logo. I do not think about slavery, hatred or really anything about anyone except being southern. Then again, I'm not black. I have not/would not display just a flag in public. Even though I have no harmful intent, I do not want anyone thinking I do. Unfortunately, too many people do use it as a representation of hate and those people are despicable. If you hate someone because the color of their skin, you are an idiot. Period. We are ALL part of the HUMAN RACE. Embrace the similarities, don't hate the differences.
Anyway, it kinda angered me the last time we talked about flag removal but as I have come to realize that some people don't see it the same way I do, I now say take it down. My biggest concern with this is that I fear that EVERY redneck in the south will display their own flag and there will be more flags displayed across the south than anyone even thought possible. That will then bring a movement to make flag display illegal and there goes my logo....
I also feel that making our government take the flag down is like making a child apologize for something...it doesn't really mean anything. But hey, if people think taking the flag down will make them happy, take it down.
Whether you realize it or not, using the confederate flag (even on your beer label) is like giving the middle finger to any black person that sees it.
It's THE symbol of the Confederacy, a union formed with one purpose: to retain the right to own black people as slaves.
Period.
End of story.
Sorry, but your beer label is offensive. The confederate flag is offensive. Ignorance is no excuse. And out of common Southern courtesy, it should not be flown or used in any way, except to remember a mistake not to be repeated. The Civil War ended so long ago, and that sad chapter should not be something Southerners should be "proud" of.
Plus, with Wal-mart refusing to sell it anymore, not sure where all these folks will get their flags and other flag-related crap/merchandise?
Of course, good to note that the confederate flag is not the state flag. As a black person, I say take it down / don't take it down -- honestly I don't think it matters to the real issues. I drive by it all the time and it hasn't affected my experience here. I do tend to make mental notes and judgements about individuals displaying the flag, but as long as it's not causing me or others personal harm, have at it.
My problem with this whole flag drive currently is that it is just a symbolic response to a tragic event. That flag did not cause that man to shoot those people and taking it down won't prevent other occurrences. The root cause of the racial and social problems in this country won't be addressed by flag removal. If the flag is taken down, everyone will celebrate a victory, yet still the wound will keep festering. This type of violence and racism and classism and all the other -isms is a symptom of deeper issues. The pressure we are under in this country just trying to survive is what makes people so desperate and causes them to think that others different from them are taking things away from them. Our representatives could change this by bringing back industry and production to our country, but they choose not to and, rather, encourage us to continue to divide and fight amongst ourselves. Symbolically, yes, I suppose taking the flag down will make some feel better (it won't make me feel differently one way or the other). But I am more in favor of all of this energy being spent on more practical solutions that actually get at the source of the problem.
Because the media loves to focus on this vs the real problem (mental health, broken families, etc) then let's remove it. I love flags of all kinds. I love the look and history behind them but I'm not going to fly them and cause a stumbling block for those that can't see beyond it.
Time to put it in a museum and talk about it from a history perspective.
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