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Whatever. I find your whole line of thought bizarre.
I grew up in the south. I have ancestors who owned slaves and ancestors who didn't. No different than people who have ancestors in northern states who also owned slaves btw and purchased/kept those slaves under an American flag. The slaves my family owned were purchased under the American flag. So again lots of atrocities committed under that flag and supported by everyone who lived under that flag at that time.
Using your logic when I moved to New York, I shouldn't have bought any house on Long Island unless it was in a predominately black neighborhood of which there are very few because the unreasonable real estate taxes are primarily the result of the natives desires to keep their schools and neighborhoods segregated. It worked and was actually quite an ingenious way to escape forced busing that many other cities north and south were subjected to. And, in fact I met far more closet racists on Long Island than I ever met closet or open racists in Atlanta. There were no cross burnings on peoples lawns when I lived there. There were quite a few on Long Island when I lived there.
I have small flags of every state I ever lived in, several versions of the American flag, as well as flags of other countries my ancestors descend from. I have pictures of great grandfathers in Confederate uniforms. Some were defending their way of life including slavery. Some weren't slave owners and were simply saw themselves as defending their homes from an intruding army. The Confederate flag represents what was whether you like it or not an actual country for a period of time.
But, my collection of miniature flags and the pictures of my ancestors does not tell you in and of itself anything about me. I will never deny my own family's history to appease people like you. But, I am also not a racist and in fact I have lifted more African Americans out of near poverty to a middle class salary or better by virtue of my ability to do so than my ancestors ever owned as slaves. I would and did remove most personal items to sell my last house, but if I hadn't and you judged me buy what was out, you would be entirely wrong.
I suggest rather than looking to make useless points that live in political correctness, that if you really want to contribute to solving the racial divide that still exists in this country you do something that actually makes a difference vs just making yourself feel good about standing on some kind of principle that accomplishes nothing.
Silly is easy. People, history and reality are usually complex and messy. Dwell in silliness and you become silly yourself.
I couldn't have said this any better. Those that are offended by the Gadsden flag (Don't Tread on Me) should have stayed awake during their history lessons. The flag dates back to the Revolutionary War, when Europe was exporting their convicted felons to the New Colonies. Benjamin Franklin wrote one of the first editorials (and first political cartoon) suggesting the Colonies send rattle snakes back to Europe. At one time the snake was cut up into pieces, representing each colony. I find it very sad that we can't see before 2009 (when Tea Party adopted the flag), where this flag has a deep history in the founding of our country. Or do we want to sanitize that part of our history, too?
Sure I would buy a home with a Confederate (Rebel) flag. Who cares? What if the person has family history with the Confederates and some died in the war? The whole flag thing is one big JOKE!
Despite what the Confederate flag represents for most Americans, there are still some, mostly young kids or even foreigners, for whom that flag is simply "the rebel flag". It does not represent oppression or a reminder of the days of slavery. It represents a free spirit, a going against the norm (or assumed parental values). If anything it is signifying that the owner is feeling oppressed or put upon. So just because a house has one of these in the kids bedroom, or even in any room where the owner may not be very well educated, it does not mean the neigborhood is racist or reactionary. So it is really unimportant to me as it would be gone when the house sold.
Adding: Having one does not mean you are poorly educated, it might mean the opposite, that you are a collector of flag memorabilia.
A new listing came up on the mls for the area I am looking at. One of the bedrooms has a very prominent confederate flag. I am curious what other's reactions would be to it.
Is this a REAL post or just someone trying to stir the pot??????
There is also considerable difference between displaying a Confederate flag inside, and flying it outside of a house. The latter seems far more like a statement to me, whereas the first seems more personal, and could be due to a variety of reasons, including an interest in history, family heritage, flag collecting, a contemporary political statement, thinking the design looks cool, teenage desire to be viewed as a "rebel", and so on. I would add that original Confederate flags belong in museums where they can be preserved, something not easily done in a typical house, where light, humidity, and heat controls are far from ideal.
Also, the described display - large flag hung over a bed, possibly by a teenaged boy - is quite different from what another poster described as part of her own collection of flags of various places associated with her family, and accompanying family photographs and other memorabilia. I don't own any Confederate flags, but like many Southerners from old Southern families, I have some Confederate items which came down through my family from the Confederate officer who was my g-g-grandfather. They have a fair amount of value as genuine historic artifacts. I do not celebrate my ancestor's choices, but I do recognize his ability as a leader and his courage, and his willingness to move on from that tragic era after the war and become a community (and state) leader. My ancestor's picture hangs on my wall, along with pictures of other ancestors and relatives. His sword, which was with him during Pickett's Charge, does not hang on my wall, but is cared for (physically) as it should be and shared with others when appropriate, as is his personally autographed copy of "Pickett and His Men", written by Pickett's widow, LaSalle Corbell Pickett.
Owning items such as these does not mean I am racist, want to see the restoration of the Confederacy, or want my state to secede. Instead, it means that I know my family's history, chequered as it is, and keep these items as a remembrance of those caught up in terrible, tragic times, whose decisions were not always what would be viewed as wise by present-day eyes, but who did the best they could afterwards to transcend poor decisions made previously, under other circumstances. That's a valuable reminder for me, and I expect, would be a valuable lesson for others as well.
As for buying a house in which a Confederate flag is displayed, if the house is otherwise suitable, ask a few questions of the seller about the flag. If you really can't swallow the notion of purchasing a house from someone whose views you find appalling, then by all means, don't buy the house. But if the flag is there for some other reason, go for it.
I have a small collection of Rock City Gardens vintage souvenirs and postcards in my own house - many, if not most, people would find many of these little doodads extremely tacky. So do I - but I find them amusing and am reminded of my childhood visits to dearly loved Rock City (which really is a beautiful place) whenever I see them. If I were selling my house, they'd come down - but I would be taken aback by someone's unwillingness to consider my house, should I choose to leave up the shadowbox where they are presently displayed.
So - follow your own impulses on this one, but make sure you're adequately informed about just why that flag is there, and what it means to the present owners. Good luck finding your house.
A new listing came up on the mls for the area I am looking at. One of the bedrooms has a very prominent confederate flag. I am curious what other's reactions would be to it.
By "up on the mls" I assume you mean on the computer listings. In that case, I wouldn't even look at the house because I wouldn't do business with the owner any more than I would do business with somebody displaying a Nazi flag. Moreover, I wouldn't deal with that realtor, either, because he/she is either clueless or incompetent or in sympathy.
If I was viewing a house in person and came upon it, I would leave ... and I would tell the realtor exactly why.
A new listing came up on the mls for the area I am looking at. One of the bedrooms has a very prominent confederate flag. I am curious what other's reactions would be to it.
If it represents the present owner's sentiments it is a matter of no importance. But if it fits in with views of many people in the neighborhood some people would not want to live there.
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