Confederate flag Racist or Not?
Ironfeet
516 Posts
What's yall take on this? I was reading a Nascar Article and it made me think about it... I'm from Cali so I don't notice much racism around here but how about yall from in other places??? http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=dw-confederateflag100906&prov=yhoo&type=lgns 
Comments
Yeah what the fuck. I live in NC and I've probably witnessed more open racism from Northerners than from anybody raised here. And I know at least a few Californians who have thrown out the "n" word with no problem.
But back to the subject. Confederate flag. Pretty much racist. I'd like to give a pass to non-racists who dig it for southern pride or just rock'n'roll reasons, but it's hard. I don't hate on people for wanting to fly it, but displaying that flag is insensitive at best, IMO. I don't buy the "pride not prejudice" tag 100% either.
the meaning of a symbol is it's response. walk into any black area waving that flag and see what happens.
also, that flag is anti-American. secession! duh.
lastly, it's pretty embarrassing IMO. kind of like putting a paper where you got an "F" on your fridge. proud. oof.
Just what I was going to say. This is the flag of a nation that tried to destroy the United States Of America.
Apparently "Cali" isn't short for California, cause I've lived here my whole life and there are HELLA racist people here.
How can i fit this into a location ?
comedy
I've tried to get Ironmango stoned many-a-time and he always turns me down
Cali. In the South, it's a little different which I can illustrate with this little anecdote: I remember sitting down at a chicken joint in Oxford, Mississippi and looking at the decor, noting one large picture of helluv fools flying the confederate flag at a sporting event. "Huh", I thought to myself, "they got some old photos up in this joint..."
..Then I looked at the date printed below the picture: 1997. Ole Miss football game. Holy shit.
Check this for Ole Miss
There is a "interpretative" middle ground though rather than the knee-jerk, "that's racist" graemlin: The South is a really different place. They got their own language and state of mind. Some of that includes being totally desensitized to the meaning that the flag conjures up for many people in the North. That's not to say that some people don't fly it with racist intention. Obviously some people do. Nor am I justifying it. I'm just playing devil's advocate: Some people mean for it to represent southern pride. Some people are still pissed at the North and feel like the South is still economically underserved by the governement and would prefer to secede. New Orleans might be an example of that. And shit, the Duke's of Hazzard was a hit TV show and movie. Nobody blinked twice @ general lee so long as they were looking at Jessica.
- Carlin
Maybe the guy is an ignorant ass for displaying a symbol like that without thinking of what it represents, but I also agree that the paper was definitely involved in blatent muckrakery, and was obviously overjoyed with the mere existance of conflict. That, to me, smells like bullshit.
didn't we have a thread on this once before?
"YOU MAD SLOW, SON."
Another misguided attempt to use what was once used against us to our advantage.
When will we learn that this technique is just a waste of time and energy?
Fuck them. The South has the most bustling economy job-market wise in the US, barring Las Vegas. Here's a fact some might enjoy:
The US takes $21 BILLION in taxes from New York State, which as of early 2000s, as a state was the 8th largest economy in the world[/b] (US, China, India, UK, etc... NY State). How much of that tax money reaches back to NY State? About $3 billion (probably more since 9/11, but NY is getting bent over the woodshed on that one too). Where does it all go? The South. Where have all US businesses fled to run away from Northern taxes? The South. If they're crying about the economy, people can go fuck themselves. People are struggling hawrd up here. Job market in the South, decent. Job market in the North,
*Disclaimer: Not hating on the South, hating on people saying they have it bad when they don't.
well obviously if you're a history buff or doing a Civil War re-enactment or something, using a confederate flag is appropriate. That's entirely different than painting it on the roof of your barn (which exists in Ohio, which was a northern fucking state!) or putting a "the south will rise again" bumper sticker on your F-150. i don't think it should be wiped out of history books or we should pretend it never existed, but to fly it in 2006 as some sort of "southern pride" bullshit is fucking racist.
why are nusouth shirts weaksauce? This company was established in Charleston, SC. The cradle of the Confederacy. The hub of all North American African slave trade. For a minute (~1999?) every black person in the area had a nusouth front plate or sticker on their car. And I'll tell you, it drove the rebel flag people fucking nuts. It was genius IMO taking that symbol and changing it slightly to create new meaning. I'm not sure where this company is now. Heard they moved to ATL and went under.
I do agree with your assertion that the South is comprised of welfare states. These overwhelmingly conservative "red states" are constantly harping on how "them worthless feds up in DC" are taking all their money. Please. SC receives more in federal subsidies then they contribute in federal taxes. Every time I'm down there, and someone brings up that topic, they shut the fuck up fast when I share that basic data with them.
Dude, this is silly. There are a lot of places in the south where the job market is total shit and even when it is good the pay is really really low (which is why companies move to the south). The corporations might be doing well in the south but it doesn't mean they are spreading the wealth.
As far as the flag, that shit is stupid. I drive behind this big truck on my way to work in the morning as it has a huge confederate flag pasted on it. The dude that drives it looks like he would need a cheat sheet to mold playdoe.
On a side note in Richmond we have so many confederate monuments, but a couple of blocks from my old apartment there is an Arthur Ashe monument. The daughters of the confederacy put up a huge fight to try and block it. I am really glad they failed because its the only monument in Richmond that doesn't suck ass.
The inanimate object of a symbol or flag can not be "racist" although it can certainly be used as a tool of racism....
Sometimes the same symbol can mean different things to different people.....when I was a kid(and I believe even today) there was a popular symbol worn by many young people called the "Surfer's Cross".
As far as I was concerned it was a harmless symbol that surfer's wore.
So you can imagine my surprise when a jewish friends parent got very upset with me at 13 years old for wearing one of these Surfer's Cross in their home.....because to them, it represented this.....
And while the Confederate Flag can certainly represent racism to both racists and their victims.....I am sure there is an entire generation that views it as nothing more than the design that was on Bo & Luke's car.
Dude. Don't front on Mr. B.
"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that."
Slavery was an incidental matter to both parties as proved by lincolns pre war offer to protect the institution of slavery where it was currently legal and the confederate cabinets later promise to abolish slavery in return of recognition from britain and france. If the unionists were willing to accept the practice of slavery to preserve the union and the confederates were willing to abolish slavery in order to attain independance then how can it realistically be claimed that slavery was the pivotal issue? The true principal cause of the secession was the belief of the southern states that import tarrifs were in effect a means to support northern business interests at their expense since the south imported far more produce than the north and much of the revenue raised was ploughed into northern states. The emancipation proclaimation came about as the result of trying to curry the favour of britain and france during the civil war(as the confederates had belatedly tried to do with their promise to abolish slavery) not because it was considered any great objective by lincoln or the vast majority of unionists.