Do you people view the confederate flag as primarily a symbol of racism?

Question

Carpanone and Top-down:
http://www.confederateflags.org/

Answer 1

yes because the only reason that people these days use it is to be racist..or at least where im from

Answer 2

It's not the flag, it's what it stands for. The Confederacy was against the United States, or the Union as it was referred to in this matter, and for the enslaving of the Africans, as many other countries were. The flag afterwards was used to recognize the Ku Klux Klan, which acted as the ghosts of the Rebel South. They intimidated the enemies of the original Confederation, including Jews, Blacks, and pre-Conservative Republicans. Yes, the worst organization to come out of the United States was formed by Democrats. In fact, Wilson was a supporter of the Klan. However, things have changed since then, with the new Conservatives being the idolatry of the Klan (Nixon earned their votes by ignoring the plea of African Americans in the South) and the Liberals are the new enemy of the original Southern Democrats, now Right Wing Conservatives. The flag remains a symbol of racist hatred and intolerance, as the bearers of the flag have barely changed, including the Klan itself.

BTW, the Swastika was also originally a religious symbol. The taboo that Nazi Germany has given the Swastika also remains. For more information behind this symbol and origin, take a look at this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika. Learn a little, teach a little. I like that method.

Answer 3

Very few Americans would recognize the flag of the Confederate States of America. The flag to which you refer is the Confederate War Flag and not the 'national' Confederate flag. Is it a symbol of racism? No. It's simply a piece of nylon with a design printed on it. Now, if you are asking if people display it for the purpose of expressing racism, that's an entirely other question.

Answer 4

Absolutely not.
The Confederate flag is more a symbol of heritage of a region than a symbol of racism. Unfortunately, groups like the KKK have used it to symoblize racism in the past, and that shines bad light on the flag. The Civil war was fought for many reasons. The least of these was slavery. The primary reasons were economic, and slavery had nothing to do with it. The Confederate flag stands to remind us what happened in our past, not to be racist. If a few individuals choose to be racist with the flag, they are sorely mistaken. The flag symbolizes the road travelled by those living in the South. It shows where they came from to remind them of their roots and the history of a certain state.

Answer 5

Most people do. What is important is what it means to the people that fly it, or display it. Some people do it in homage of their family members that fought in the civil war. There is nothing wrong with that. Some people do it because it represents the South. Some people do it an use it as a racial symbol of hate...now that's a problem. It is VERY disrespectful to those who carried it representing their country, not necessarily racism.


So it depends on what it means to the person with the flag and how the other person views it!

Answer 6

The Flags of the Confederate States of America represent Americans living under the government of their choice and the soldiers that fought to preserve that right.

BTW, the official flag of the KKK is the Stars and Stripes, the flag of the United States of America.

The Confederate Flags are no more flags of treason than the Stars and Stripes were flags of treason in 1776 and the War for Independence

Answer 7

You know, I don't. It was a symbol of a movement for the rights of states as opposed to central government. A symbol of contradictory lifestyles, a symbol of people dissapointed in the system. It can even be a symbol of American hipocrisy: "Its okay to fight for independance, as long as it isn't against us or our friends."
I'm Canadian. I don't necessarily support the Union, butI don't condone the Confederacy. I think that the Stars and Bars can be whatever one wants it to symbolize. Slavery is a stain on the history of the Confederate flag that must not be forgotten or washed off though. It should remain to teach future generations about how poorly men can treat fellow men.

Answer 8

The confederate flag is a symbol of treason. The confederate states suceeded from the union and adopted this symbol as their flag. It doesn't bother me that people still fly the flag, I just think they should research the symbol they bear.

Answer 9

Who is you people? I can see both sides of this issue. I am a Southerner - born & raised - the flag was a symbol of our fight for freedom to suceed not a racist flag. The other side is now it is hurtful to African Americans of slavery.
I have never owned one & do not see a way around offending African Americans with it since the KKK used it as their symbol.
I do not think it should be used by anyone except in a history exhibit. Our flag is Old Glory - the famous Stars & Stripes, there is no need to have another flag.

Answer 10

Wasn't it the flag that the Southern States fought under? And they were fighting to keep slavery? Well if that's correct, therefore it's a symbol of racism to me.

Answer 11

I don't. It's simply a symbol of southern culture. And no I'm not white. But I am from the south. As long as people treat it as asybol of racisim, it will be. Hopefully one day people will educate themselves enough to embrace symbols of a culture and change a former "evil" associated with it in a dark past and use it for good.