Why do southerners fly the confederate flag and say it's about "southern pride" when they lost the war?

Question

i mean seriously.. what is their to be proud of? you lost, you were racist a55holes, and your proud of it? the flag only reminds me of losing a war and being racist not of anything to be proud of. Don't get me wrong i am from the south but i think all the rebel flags is a bit ridiculous.

Answer 1

I'm from the South, am proud to be from the South, and think flying the Rebel flag is a symbol of racism. Come on, we all know what that war was about!

We have our accents, NASCAR, jazz, country music, OutKast, Missy Elliott, cathead biscuits, peach cobbler...we don't need that to be proud of. We have plenty of truly good things.

I used to sell a bumper sticker saying "There's more to Southern heritage than hate."

Answer 2

I appreciate your desire to vilify the opposition, but I will assume since this question has been posted on a Q&A board, and not a rhetoric board, that you actually seek and answer.
First, we must break apart the three elements to your question. We have southerns flying the confederate flag, southern pride, and losing the civil war.
The first point is invalid, since you are a southerner and by the phrasing of your question we can assume that you do not fly the 'confederate' flag, we can conclude that all southerners do not fly this flag.
But before we continue it would be advantageous, simply as a point of being aware of history, that the flag to which you refer is not the confederate flag exacty. The flag most often flown is the original confederate battle flag or the subsequent 'Navy Jack'. The original confederate flag looked strikingly similar to the Union Flag of the day. Two subsequent flags were adopted, however, that included, but were not composed entirely of the confederate battle flag with which we are all so familiar.
To continue, while we know that not all southerners fly the 'confederate' flag, I will assume that you meant to question why some southerners fly the 'confederate' flag. To answer this question, must first question the purpose of flags in both battle and in peacetime.
Flags were initially intended to allow both generals and soldiers to see where each army's soldiers were. This was also a time when lining up large numbers of men facing each other on a battlefield and shooting each other over an open field was common practice for a battle. Generals could easily survey the battle and coordiate everything and weren't shot out of 'courtesy'.
Flags became a rallying point when hand to hand combat ensued, and eventually a source of battlefield pride, which eventually translated into national pride.
As we see in America today, flag waving is a way of declaring a belief in the superiority of the ideal for which the flag stands. In the case of our country, most people feel the flag stands for Democracy, freedom, and perhaps a host of others irrelavent to this conversation.
In the case of the 'confederate' flag, the question becomes a bit more difficult to answer. This is partly a result of the aforementioned vilification of the opposition. By doing this, the opposition (the flag wavers) become less likely to give answers to what they believe the flag stands for. 'Pride' becomes a common, non explanatory response.
In the end, in order to know an individual's particular reason for waving a 'confederate' flag, you would have to ask them. For the purposes of this discussion, however, 'national pride' should be a sufficient response.
The last part of the equation, you suggest, is that the Confederacy lost the war. I'm not sure why this would be relavent, but I will assume that you are suggesting that once a nation has lost a war, its nationals will no longer have national pride. Perhaps, then, a few examples on the opposite would help to dispell this myth.
The United States has lost wars against Vietnam (a third world country) and Canada, who sacked our capital. But this has not decreased American nationalism.
Additionally, nations that are not allowed self rule such as Basques in northern Spain and southern France, Kurds in eastern Turkey and northern Iraq, and the Tibetans in the Chinese Himalayas do not lose a sense of nationalism simply because they have been conquered. In fact, one might argue that nationalism grows stronger when faced with adversity. Such was the case in the US after the attacks of September 11 and after the bombing of pearl harbor, as well as the sinking of the Lusitania.
Perhaps in this case, Sherman's march was the catalyzing event that caused the Confederacy to develop a national pride that remains to present day.
As far as racism is concerned, I would concede that many of the things our flags represent to others are not the things they represent to us.
For example, the US flag has obvious positive associations for the majority of Americans. Consider however, that the United States has participated in attempted genocide of the native peoples of this continent, failed to support democracy abroad (Guatemala, Honduras, Chile, etc), used chemical weapons (Vietnam), supported some of the worst human rights abusers on the planet (Saudi Arabia), and those are just some of the more well known immoral acts that, according to your suggestion, would have caused Americans to lose pride.
But by and large it hasn't. Morality is usually as flexible as people need it to be.

Answer 3

One important thing you need to understand that the Civil War was NOT about slavery. Actually, your average Confederate soldier wasn't fighting for slavery. Leaders like Robert E. Lee freed all of his slaves.

The Civil War was mostly an economic war. Southerners were standing up for the same reasons our Founding Fathers fought the Revelutionary War: Freedoms and Rights.

The North was trying to put a monopoly on trade with foreign nations by forcing the Southern farmers to pay to have their goods shipped north instead of sending them straight across the Atlantic to Europe.

The British had done the same thing to the colonies by forcing them to ship all their goods to Britian before they were sent to other countries in Europe.

Those that see the Confederate flag as racist are nothing more than racists themselves. You are too busy seeing the Civil War as a war against slavery when it was more an economic war.

Pride is something that a person feels for a certain idea or lifestyle. If the Mexicans are allowed to fly their Mexican flag for "Mexican pride," then Southerns have every last right to fly the Confederate flag.

And, on a personal note, it's racist people like you that protested the Robert E. Lee banner on the Canal Wall on the James River, Richmond, Virginia, claiming it was racist.

So go back and research your history.

Answer 4

it is much less concerning the Civil conflict and extra approximately our history. i replaced into born and raised in the South, and that i'm somewhat proud and grateful to have been. there are a number of accomplice flags, and the only maximum represented is the two the conflict Flag or the Naval Jack... the genuine flag of the Confederacy is the celebs and bars which maximum northerners in all possibility does not even word. I additionally think of that using fact the KKK has desperate to apply it, it provides the flag an exceedingly undesirable rap (as that ought to). I want the celebs and Bars to the conflict Flag, using fact the celebs and Bars represents extra of the South and much less of the conflict itself. besides... decrease back to the particularly question... i think of maximum Southerners might agree that the Civil conflict replaced right into a tragedy for the two factors. i admire the South using fact of it is hospitality, using fact of it is large nutrition and humorousness, using fact of it is confusing artwork ethic yet laid decrease back physique of recommendations. this is what i think of of as quickly as I see somebody flying the flag. I additionally understand countless people who fly the flag who're not racist in any respect, and who're the kindest human beings you will ever meet. The flag is a ingredient of this subculture and nevertheless very particular to those who fly it.

Answer 5

Yeah, I live in the south too. They say it's just about southern pride. Like how mexicans have pride, blacks have pride, etc. It IS kind of funny how if southern white people have pride, they're considered racist. I'm originally from PA so I don't give a lick about it but I see their side.

By the way, saying the confederate flag condones slavery is an ignorant comment many make. Just because white people fly a flag that doesn't make them racist. Every other race can segregate w/black history month, mis black america, black entertainment television. THAT'S racist.

Answer 6

I think it's now no more different than flying your favorite sports teams flag when they are losing too. Pride in your heritage. Even though some folks from the south may have an ignorant belief, most are educated, resolved and have an expanded mind in this day and age. Some folks from the rest of the areas of the country have an ignorant attitude yet most are also educated, resolved and have an expanded mind.

The flag does not bother me.

Answer 7

"The Confederate battle flag, called the "Southern Cross" or the cross of St. Andrew, has been described variously as a proud emblem of Southern heritage and as a shameful reminder of slavery and segregation. In the past, several Southern states flew the Confederate battle flag along with the U.S. and state flags over their statehouses. Others incorporated the controversial symbol into the design of their state flags. The Confederate battle flag has also been appropriated by the Ku Klux Klan and other racist hate groups. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, more than 500 extremist groups use the Southern Cross as one of their symbols."

THIS IS JUST ANOTHER EXCUSE FOR "PEOPLE" TO INDULGE IN IGNORANCE & RACISM

Answer 8

first off the war was not about slavery. it was about states rights.
the slaves were freed in the end of the war. and many of them fought for the south durring the war.

the flag is a way to hold the ideal of a truly free country. and has nothing to do with racisim. furthermore after the war more racisim took place in teh north, and the lands that were right on the border of pennsylvania and maryland.

i do not have time to explain the entire civil war to you so i would suggest that you learn something more than what the government tries to teach youin public school. the south is a conqured land and history is written by the winners.

Answer 9

Since you are from the South you need to learn to live and let live. Just because flying the Confederate flag is not for you, that doesn't mean others don't find meaning in doing this. These are your fellow Southerners, be understanding of them.

Answer 10

It is all about heritage. I am not a racist, but am proud to be a southerner. Live and let live. I don't gripe about the flag of Mexico that flies across the street from me.