"Heritage Not Hate" issue?

Question

I keep hearing this worn out expression of "It's about heritage, not hate" when it comes to love of the confederate flag.

Given that the heritage of the south at least partially represented by the flag is one of slavery and oppression and one of the reasons for the civil war was the intense desire to keep that way of life going (and it wasn't all "gone with the wind"y - it was vicious and cruel) - can anyone, using critical thinking skills, explain to me how the heritage is NOT hate (or some form of it, like racism)?

OK, so the only thing I've gotten on the "pro-flag" site is someone just rehashing what caused the war (pretty familiar with it) and someone claiming it wasn't *really* about slavery.

Well, I clarified that in my original when I said that it was *part* of the reason.

And by that poster's "logic," people who display the flag and claim it's "heritage not hate" are actually flying it because they identify with people who wanted to NOT be part of the U.S? Aren't these largely red states who now support a grossly bloated military complex that sticks its nose in *everyone's* business (from foreign countries internal affairs to American citizens phone lines)?

Sounds to me like it's a "have it both ways" kinda situation, which doesn't adhere to the "critical thinking" requirement of the question.

Oh, PS - I'm from Florida. When people asked where I was from, I'd say, "L.A." They'd say, "Oh! You're from California!" I'd say, "No, Lower Alabama."

You see, I was from Panama City, Florida ;)

OK, inside joke you'll get if you've ever spent more than a vacation in the panhandle!

Oh, and while the Germans are busy "digesting" their lessons from WWII, are they flying the swastika to remind them. Er, no.

Answer 1

All I know is that as a Southerner, I think there are many other reasons to feel proud of my heritage. (Rita Mae Brown, Mark Twain, NASCAR, country music, jazz, pecan pie, cathead biscuits, our accents...) The flags represent a part that I am not at all proud of. The "Gone With the Wind" lifestyle was built on the backs of many black people who were forced to be there, as beautiful as the book, the movie, and those antebellum mansions are. We must never forget or fool ourselves.

Answer 2

The Union Jack was the South's Flag in the American Civil war. Becuas they lost the war is no reason to forget twhat they fought for. The war had precious little to do with slavery or racism. It was about a State's right against the will of the Union and despite the failure those who opposed the Union that flag is why we have State and Federal Governments with their own juristiction. That war was a critical step in defining our responsibility to our nation versus our right to freedom. It is an important artifact in our collective history and shouldn't be dismissed.
It's unfortunate that many of those who flew the Southern Cross didn't grasp equality to men and many still don't, it's much more a shame that so many Americans lost their lives on battlefieds with that flag flying over it in the darkest chapter in our history but you wouldn't ask Germany to dismiss the lessons they learned under the Swastika just because some people assosiate it with the attrocities committed during a war?
Those who reject history will become victims of it.

Answer 3

My great, great, great grandfather died under that Confederate flag in the Civil War. He did not own slaves nor did anyone in my family. The slave issue wasn't the only issue in that war.
The confederate flag is a part of my heritage and I don't hate anyone.
I am sending a link, a US Government link. You can read all about the war, but here is the first paragraph.

There were many reasons for a Civil War to happen in America, and political issues and disagreements began soon after the American Revolution ended in 1782. Between the years 1800 and 1860, arguments between the North and South grew more intense. One of the main quarrels was about taxes paid on goods brought into this country from foreign countries. This tax was called a tariff. Southerners felt these tariffs were unfair and aimed toward them because they imported a wider variety of goods than most Northern people. Taxes were also placed on many Southern goods that were shipped to foreign countries, an expense that was not always applied to Northern goods of equal value. An awkward economic structure allowed states and private transportation companies to do this, which also affected Southern banks that found themselves paying higher interest rates on loans made with banks in the North. The situation grew worse after several "panics", including one in 1857 that affected more Northern banks than Southern. Southern financiers found themselves burdened with high payments just to save Northern banks that had suffered financial losses through poor investment.

Answer 4

I can't explain it to you really but I will try to relate what I know and so please try to give peace a chance.....


Slavery was allowed under the American flag and was brought over under Ol Glory also. We built the country on cheap labor, still do really under the guise of minimum wage, but for years the Union as a whole allowed it because it benifeted everyone.

The Northern States made money of selling slaves, the South made money off the same and also the work of the slave, which in turn products were sold, money in turn for all and so on.

The North was springing forth into the industrial age. The South, did what it had done for generations, agriculture.

Power shifted in government to the North, the South became less of a power and was subjected to a growing rule of Northern government.

The shift of power also came with a shift of moral judgement. other countries looked down on slavery and Americia was getting the stink eye. Well since Northern interests didn't outright rely on the institution of slavery, it was easy to start looking to the future.

Generations of a free work force suddenly became a bad idea, after the founding fathers let it root for so long. This effected the rich Southerners which owned slaves and there was this idea of switching an economy out without an easy answer.

The rich Southerners get fired up, and start preaching the oncoming rule of the North.

Well, not everyone in the South owned slaves, here in lies the regular joes.

Word spreads of this propaganda and people take notice. Before the first shot fires, Lincoln calls for a massive army. Regular joes take notice again, and now the states start to begin talking.

War erupts and armies march all over the South. People who tried to stay out of it now had it in thier back yard, so here brings the regular joes into the mix.

Boys, not even of age joined. This was an army like any other because any two men were present for any number of reasons.

Yes the flag was about slavery, so was the Union Jack. Lincoln kept slaves as a bargaining chip until he knew for certain the North was going to win.

What was so great about the freedom they were given, now that they were left abandoned in a war battered country?

You can;t say as to the future of the Confederacy, because it wasn't so. You can't say every man under the battleflag fought for slavery because blacks fought for the flag, as did Jews, Indians, even women. Men who barely had a home fought for thier homeland because the North were the ones who came marching in.

Every war we fought before the Civil War we fought with the thought of ownership of slavery, but not every man who fought under those early flags wanted a slave. You cannot group people by a banner, sometimes you fight because you have to, because if you don't, you fear your family might starve, or your house might get caught in the crossfire. War disolves all morals, it brings a thousand issues down to two choices, and that is our side or thiers.

Show me a flag that didn't have hate woven into the fabric at any point in it's history. Look at what we did as a nation, the Indians, Irish, Jews, ect.

People still fought for the flag.,.but they were each different people.

Answer 5

Heritage not Hate is just an excuse that many persons give to hide their closet racism. Mnay persons who wear the Confederate flag often get offended when someone calls them out on it and they try to defend themselves and justify it by saying "It is heritage, not hate". That is the oldest excuse in the book. I went to high school in a small rural town outside of Atlanta and there were so many peope who wore the Confederate flag t-shirts and I called some people out on it ststing it was offensive. They would often respond with the excuse "heritage". That is so old and worn out it is ridiculous.

Answer 6

Ever hear the song by Hank Williams Jr:
If the south had of one we'd of had it made?

Answer 7

Thats a real good question.Got me. I'll be waiting for these answers w/u.

Answer 8

It isn't... that is just the expression they use to coverup how they really feel.