Saw 4 large Confederate flags flying at a house today,

[Missy1961]

Another 3 hours, tops.

That seems about right.

 

[bookgirl]

I went to Georgia last month to watch my nephews team compete at the Under Armour Nationals (we made it to the top 4). 3/4 of the team are young men of African American heritage not unusual and something we don't even think about after 10 years of team sports. While standing outside of our hotel with about 5/6 of the boys (standing with adults both white and black not being loud or disruptive or anything) we hear a bunch of hooting and honking and not so nice things yelled out by a truckful of not so young white males (mid 20s) who displayed two six foot 1950s era Georgia State Flags (the one with part of the confederate flag in it) on poles in the back.

Now forgive for not giving a flip about their dedication to "history" or their first amendment rights, but those arguments are often used as justification for what was hateful behavior. So yeah I'll say it.

The were a bunch of ignorant racist TRASH.

Luckily they drove on and didn't stop. The boys laughed it off with typical 15 year old bravado, but everyone was a little put off by it.

We also had a dozen or so flag wavers stopped on an overpass as we drove through Alabama (it might have been Mississippi but I'm pretty sure it was before we stopped in Tupelo).

After the Georgia incident I was unimpressed by their dedication to preserve that part of American 'heritage'




I've known some of those players since they were little boys, I'm still PO'd a month later.

FTR. I'm a middle aged white woman who has a whole slew of 'redneck' cousins as well as 6 biracial cousins. I know that my family runs both ends of the argument, but last month pretty much reminded me why I de friended a whole branch of my family from my social media.

 

[morgan98]

My hubby does Civil War living history re-enactment. They got a LOT of grief for having the flag up. Explain how they are supposed to re-enact without using the proper props?

This is how I view it too. I live in the South, but am a Northerner. However, my house backs up to a National Park that is a Civil War Battlefield. There are re-enactments all the time. That war happened, many people died, and the Confederate Flag was the flag of the Confederacy. I don't think it can or should be completely removed from everywhere. I cannot imagine approaching the park and not seeing the flag in some form.

The issue is that the flag overt he years took on a whole new meaning. However. I think that you can tell the difference between a racist use of the flag and a historical one. And yes, I believe that the guy I saw flying two Confederate flags off the side of his Jeep on Monday was ignorant. His display was just an in your face thing done for attention.

 

[usd2bmd]

It is the flag of traitors who lost a war they fought to maintain their desired right to own other human beings. Why anybody wants to associate with defeated traitors makes no sense to me, and while those who do so have the right to make a statement, so do others have the right to denounce that statement with statements of their own.

As to getting over it, one could say the same thing for those still flying the Confederate battle flag more than 150 years after the Confederacy was defeated and surrendered. The admonition to get over it rings a little hollow in that light, in my opinion.

I agree.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Target
I live in Brooklyn, NY. There aren't any Walmarts here. The closest one is in Long Island.

I love going to Walmart when I'm in VA,NC or SC. The entertainment there is just priceless. A few times I had to stop laughing look around for the hidden camera.

We must live close to the boring Walmarts because I've never seen anything strange or amusing at any of ours.

 

[luvsJack]

If everyone would let it go and stop having a fit everytime they see it, most would quit flying it.

Down here in southern MS, home of the rednecks (which by the way, is not a term we have a problem with), you rarely see it. Why? Because no one really spends their time arguing about it or worrying about who flys it.

What I do take issue with is my ancestors being called traitors. Those "traitors" picked up those same weapons and fought again after the civil war under the US flag. The great-great grandchildren and on down of those men have fought in every war since. In fact many of them are the first ones called up in recent wars.

We have well gotten over the civil war, its rarely a southerner who brings it up at every opportunity possible. This thread being a perfect example. So, it seems to me that it is another region that seriously needs to get over it.

 

[Kellykins1218]

You saw 4 Confederate flags flying. So?

 

[declansdad]

Looks like the OPs work here is done.

 

[Southernmiss]

If everyone would let it go and stop having a fit everytime they see it, most would quit flying it.

Down here in southern MS, home of the rednecks (which by the way, is not a term we have a problem with), you rarely see it. Why? Because no one really spends their time arguing about it or worrying about who flys it.

What I do take issue with is my ancestors being called traitors. Those "traitors" picked up those same weapons and fought again after the civil war under the US flag. The great-great grandchildren and on down of those men have fought in every war since. In fact many of them are the first ones called up in recent wars.

We have well gotten over the civil war, its rarely a southerner who brings it up at every opportunity possible. This thread being a perfect example. So, it seems to me that it is another region that seriously needs to get over it.

Amen. Sister! Well said.

 

[rajak73]

Saw 4 large Confederate flags flying at a house today

OMG!!! Were they trying to shoot somebody or what? Did they try to attack you? I say we get a party together and burn the house down! How dare they fly something ON THEIR OWN PROPERTY! Now where's that rolling eyes smiley!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I'll be the first to admit I snicker anytime I see anyone waving the rebel flag and I am all too quick to make a less than complimentary judgement about said waver.

I do however take exception to the idea of the Confederate states being "traitors". Those states joined the union on the condition of being able to be slave states. Lincoln vowed to (and eventually did) break that promise. And even though it was obviously the right thing to do, it still represents a broken contract as far as the governments of the Confederate states were concerned.

 

[kamik86]

HOnestly I have no problem with the confederate flag... I do have to say that if your best thing to be proud of the area you live in is that you lost a war that was either about slavery or your ability to quit a nation you seem to no longer want to quit then that is pretty sad but you can have your flag.

I think the rules of the United States flag that it must be displayed higher then any other flag you choose to display if both are displayed and other rules like that should still apply... but if you are meeting those I dont' care.

My husband thinks that government offices shouldn't display the confederate flag either... I'm not sure how I feel about that one... but I live up north so I guess I don't really have to care.


What I think is most stupid are the people that want to ban them from movies. I mean really you want someone to make a movie set during the civil war and not put a confederate flag in it? That would be like a WWII movie without swastikas. Both would be very stupid.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

I've seen it on the back of peoples trucks and cars a lot lately. None of this would be happening had some people decided to make a huge deal out of nothing. If all you see is racist slave owning traitors when you look at that flag then I feel sorry for you and your lack of education. I could think of another flag that you should be offended by as well, it is currently standing on every courthouse and gov't building in America. Slave owners lived under this flag as well but hey this is America where we don't hold everyone and everything to the same accountability.

 

[Kalliope]

I don't. When I think of someone flying that flag, I'll admit that the words that come to mind are white trash, redneck, hillbilly, ignorant. I am sorry if that upsets people but it's what it brings up for me.

Do you apply those same adjectives to Canadians who have a different viewpoint than you?

 

[Disneychick75]

Art, IIRC, you're not from the South. White trash does not apply to a particular socio-economic class, rather, it's the way people act. You might call their behavior trashy in your area which, by the way, is the way this type of behavior is referred to more and more. It is not delineated by color. Trashy is trashy. Look at the Yahoo homepage and a large percentage of the articles deal with trashy behavior by people with money.

 

[Rhombus]

Does anyone else have a problem with the OP' s use of the words "white trash " to describe the neighborhood where he/ she saw the flags? I find all racial/ ethnic pejoratives offensive, but maybe I'm too sensitive.

Nope, no problem with the OP describing the neighborhood as white trash. After all, in what other type neighborhood would you see that flag?

 

[asta]

I don't. When I think of someone flying that flag, I'll admit that the words that come to mind are white trash, redneck, hillbilly, ignorant. I am sorry if that upsets people but it's what it brings up for me.

When I read a post as offensive as yours it is very clear who is truly ignorant. If those words come to your mind you are much more racist as those you are trying to disparage.

 

[kimblebee]

Do you apply those same adjectives to Canadians who have a different viewpoint than you?

Yes. It's not an American thing at all. Trash is trash.

 

[kimblebee]

When I read a post as offensive as yours it is very clear who is truly ignorant. If those words come to your mind you are much more racist as those you are trying to disparage.

I'm not even going to bother with this garbage.

ETA- Nine people liked my first post, why aren't you posting the same thing for all of them?

 

[Colleen27]

The issue is that the flag overt he years took on a whole new meaning. However. I think that you can tell the difference between a racist use of the flag and a historical one. And yes, I believe that the guy I saw flying two Confederate flags off the side of his Jeep on Monday was ignorant. His display was just an in your face thing done for attention.

And that seems to get overlooked in this debate. The meaning of a symbol can and does evolve over time. I can assure you that the meaning the young black man on my son's football team assigns to the Confederate flag sticker on his pickup truck isn't one of slavery and racial oppression; maybe it is because we're in the north but as I said before the association is more Dukes of Hazzard/Lynyrd Skynyrd/Kid Rock "rebellion" than Civil War rebellion among the young men around here who think it is cool.