Why are some people offended by my avatar?

Question

It is heritage and I am proud of my heritage.I would not look down on you if you were german and proud of the swastika flag.I say if you are proud of something DON'T HIDE IT!!!!!!!!!Why be scared somebody ain't gonna like it?It don't make sence to me everybody is hiding behind race.Yes the south did lose the war but we fought for what we believe.Would you not fight for something you believe in just because somebody don't like it.If not why is there fighting in the world today.It's all because of a diffrence in believes.

Hey Chris L
What gives you the right to call me racist?You don't know anything about me.And I bet you would be real shocked when I tell you my wife is black!

some of the answers I have got are good answers.But then there are some that don't make sence.Yes it was a battle flag,nobody is saying anything about the american flag.Are ya'll saying if the south would have won the american flag would be diffrent?

Answer 1

I'll try to answer this from an objective point of view (meaning I'm not taking sides in the argument). Some of the stuff I say won't be easy to read, but you have to accept it in order to understand what I'm talking about. If you only listen to one side of the argument, then you'll only get a biased picture, and will make you seem like an ignorant fool to others.

This is a long read, but I want to make it clear why I feel the Confederate Flag is offensive (at least to me).

The reason why the Confederate flag is offensive to some people is because of the stuff that it represents. Whether you like it or not, the South was very racist (to be fair, much of the North was as well, but it wasn't as bad as the South, due to what I'm about to explain).

Their economy was largely based on agriculture (while the North was largely industrial, i.e. factories), and because tractors and other farming machines weren't available yet back then, the land owners used human laborers to tend to their fields. And because of the hard work of these farm hands, many white land owners became very rich, and powerful as well. And if you didn't already realize it, these farm hands were the black slaves, and their masters the white land owner, or a guy he hired to oversee the slaves.

Slavery in America is one of our darkest chapters in history (yes, even worse than the stuff going on right now), because it was rooted in racism, and was probably the worst form of slavery ever in history. In other cultures and societies, such as the Romans, slaves could obtain freedom after x number of years, provided they weren't rebellious or anything like that. Some could even be openly accepted in the society after a while with assimiliation. But in the US in the mid-1800's and earlier, blacks were considered "property", the way one considers a cow or a sheep the "property" of a farmer (seriously, this is what happened. Read documents from that time if you don't believe me). Blacks were considered less than human, since they didn't look like European Americans (aka "white" people), and many of them even argued that the Bible supported blacks being slaves (I think the story of Noah getting drunk and one of his sons seeing him naked while he was drunk, but I forget the name). I believe this was largely to make them seem less human, and therefore easier to control, and when you had to "punish" them, or if you wanted to sell them off, it was easier as well. A black man, woman, or child could be sold off like one can sell a couch or tv, and this had severe implications on blacks for a long time (I think this problem is still prevalent today, what with many black fathers absent from a family), and they weren't allowed to "marry" either. Any children they produces were also born into slavery, and they remained slaves their entire lives, unless they escaped to the North, managed to buy their freedom, or were released by their master (for example, Thomas Jefferson never released his slaves like George Washington had done, since he needed the income they provided his entire life, till his dying day). But if not, they were slaves from the day they were born till the day they died.

As a result of stuff like this, as well as increased immigration and most of the immigrants settling in the North (along with the industrial economy I mentioned earlier), many Northerners weren't exposed to the "peculiar institution" (aka slavery), and therefore couldn't understand why the South even had slavery in the first place (stuff such as abolitionism and "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe also influenced the North's opinion of slavery).

Things like this would be the "hot topics" in the political field. The South initially held a majority in the government, since they had a bigger population due to counting each of their slaves as "3/5th's of a person" (yes, this really happened). However, as immigration increased, again, most went to the North, and the South gradually lost their population advantage, and therefore their standing in the government as more states were being considered for joining the US, most of them being pro-North/anti-slavery (cause if the North held 2/3rd's of the government, they could simply override any southern state's objections to any laws being considered, such as abolishing slavery).

The South increasingly saw this as the Federal Government being a bully, and interfering with their rights to do what they should be able to do within their own borders. And since they were unable to win the 1860 election (Abe Lincoln winning that), many Southern states decided that instead of being bullied around by the North any longer, they would simply secede and do what they wished within their own states. This would then lead to the American Civil War.

The Civil War was fought initially to preserve the Union, but as the war dragged on, Lincoln added the "free the slaves" thing onto part of why they were fighting the war, which helped weaken the South's stance in Europe (who abhorred slavery, at least in the form that it had taken in the US), and help win support for the war to continue on.

As a result of many things, the Confederate States of America was forced to surrender. Lincoln gave General Robert E. Lee, the Supreme Commander of the Confederate States (and a really great commander, since he almost single-handedly managed to keep the Civil War going on for as long as it did), some pretty lenient terms to sign (such as feeding/caring for his troops, they'd be allowed to keep their weapons, and no one would be prosecuted as a traitor to the US), which largely helped avoid a long guerilla war when the North occupied the South during Reconstruction.

Because the North was racist as well (for a variety of reasons), they didn't really care what the South did as far as their treatment of blacks, so the South passed a lot of laws which inhibited the blacks from being able to excercise the rights they were given in the 14th and 15th amendments. A lot of Southerners continued to use that flag as a symbol of the things going on during that time.

A lot of racism would still occur in the South until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's (which hopefully you learned about in history class).

Sorry about this being so long. I suppose I could've summed it up, but by doing this, you can see "the other side of the argument" as to why the Confederate Flag is such an offensive symbol to many Americans today. It's a lot deeper than just "OMG You guyz LosT The CiviL WAr LOlz!" The Confederate Flag has roots in racism, as well as rebellion, which I suppose some people wouldn't mind, but others hate.

Answer 2

The people that are offended are usually racist. The Civil War was not about slavery, but the industrialized Northern States were taking undo advantage of the rural south. They were controlling the market and not giving a fair price for the raw materials. This was the heart of the Civil War. Some people have a concept that the Civil War started because of slavery. Abe Lincoln did sign the 'Emancipation Proclamation' to free the slaves in the Confederate States, not to free the slaves in the Northern states. It was a military tactic to try to get the slaves to join the Union army and fight against the south. Sure, slavery was wrong, but that was not the reason for abolishing slavery during the civil war. It wasn't until the Constitution was amended that all slaves were free. Ignorance and bias are the major reasons for being offended by the avatar.

Answer 3

It is a gorgeous flag. The colors stand for bravery and honesty.
It is sad that the flag is associated with the slavery issue. Some folks think it is a symbol of the desire to reinstate slavery. You must understand that before you can comprehend why it upsets people.
Unfortunately, the slavery issue was the spark plug that got the war dialogue started. The war was actually fought over the right to leave the union. That is the misunderstanding that arises over this flag.

Answer 4

I am from the South. I understand what the flag means but I think it has become a symbol of racism. It does not mean you are a racist but a lot of people who display the flag are racist so it stereotypes people. Also, people don't understand that the civil war had many issues not just slavery. Yes slavery was a bad thing and it's good that it was abolished. It seems that racism is a bigger problem today than in the past. Just look at Yahoo questions and answers.

Answer 5

do you really want an answer, or are you just attempting to oppress dissenting viewpoints? More than likely you already know why people find it offensive. And more than likely you come from a position of privilege that has encouraged you to assert your dominance regardless of the experiences of others. The confederate flag is symbolic, just as the flag of the united states is symbolic. Many people find the US flag to represent the evils of capitalism, egocentrism and oppression. Many also find the Union Jack (United Kingdom) to also be oppressive. You may argue that people make things mean what they want, and that those who created the flag may not have had the intent of being racist; you may argue that you have your 1st amendment rights to be as openly racist and bigoted as you want; and you may argue that if people don't like what you have to say, they should just ignore you completely until you have to move onto something even more incendiary to get people riled up... and maybe you're right about all three, but sometimes it doesn't hurt to consider whether asserting your rights causes more harm than good. That's what self monitoring is for...

OH, and by the way... using the justification that your wife is black, therefore that gives you leave to do and say whatever you want is just childish... Quit playing the race card and own up to your own beliefs without dragging your wife into this. You can be a complete racist and still marry someone outside your race-- treating her as an item in your defense hardly makes you sound like you respect her dignity as a human being.

Answer 6

Well, it's not just heritage it's also just a battle flag for more than just the south of the American Civil War - and the Civil War had little to do with slavery until President Lincoln realized it would be the only way to stop the war and there be any south left at all - the war was fought over state rights - and that each state had the right to form their own laws and constitution that would not defy the federal constitution - and we have more rights now to be in a civil war for states rights than they had then - and still has nothing to do with slavery. Ponder that.

Answer 7

Let's talk about your confederate flag.

This was a flag from a confederate war ship. It served in the civil war for only a very short time before it was sank by enemy fire, ie. the union navy.

The confederate army had many different flags during the civil war.

A movie was made about the civil war. Before the movies had sound. There was ONE scene where a soldier is riding a horse very fast and carrying this flag in his hands. From that ONE SCENE this flag became THE! flag of the confederate army in the civil war.

No one has been able to determine exactly why this naval ship flag became so popular with everyone today. It is everywhere.

PS if you display this flag in the back of your pickup truck, the USA flag goes on the left, i,e, the driver's side. The confederate flag goes on the right.

We do not display the swastika flag because of what Mel Gibson said. Our government backs certain people, and punishes everyone else. Call it a double-standard, but this is the world we live in today.

Answer 8

Because the confederate flag is a symbol of racism. The south was fighting to keep blacks enslaved. And slavery was one of the greatest tragedies in American history.
Nobody has said that you can't display your rebel flag, but they have every right to be offended by it and to tell you so. If your so proud of your heritage and your flag then display it proudly on your car and drive through the Bronx, Harlem, South Central Los Angeles, or Compton, Ca. Don't be ashamed of what you are and hide in your little small minded southern town that is full of rednecks like yourself. Go out and fight for, and defend, what you truly believe in!

Answer 9

I am going to be honest with you and let you know where I stand. Your avatar is offensive, racist, and anti-American. The South broke away from the USA so that they could have the right to own slaves(yes there was a fight for states rights, but one of the rights the Confederates wanted was the right to hold slaves). I fly the USA flag. The Confederacy does not even exist anymore.

Answer 10

For some, the Stars and Bars represent a slave culture that flourished before the war, a badge of dishonor.

Although the South did lose, they fought bravely for a cause that they felt was just, and that should be respected.

However, I would never try to equate that flag with that of the Nazis. That is like using Charles Manson as a character reference, and what the Nazis did was far more offensive.

Answer 11

You a proud redneck! Boy! Yeeeeee--haaaawwww!!!

I'm German, but not proud of the swastika, why would I be? That was a kinda stoopid comment to make actually.

If you think that it's honourable for people to fight for what they believe then does that mean that you would support the Taliban and the Hezbollah? After all, when you get down to it, they are just freedom fighters in their eyes anyways.

Does your black wife know that you are using the confederate flag to identify yourself?