Forums → WEPR → Southern Pride and the Rebel Flag

I haven't reread what I've said up until now, but I think I've mentioned that supposedly a lot of prominent southern figures were opposed to slavery. Are you sure it was a war to keep slavery as much as it was a war to maintain greater state independence from the federal government? Rumor has it that Grant kept his slaves til they made him drop the act.

It doesn't matter where the flag flew? So you're telling me that you refuse to see the bad things associated with one flag, but you can only see the bad associated with another? If the flags were people, then you'd be a discrimihating racist.

So you're telling me that you refuse to see the bad things associated with one flag, but you can only see the bad associated with another?

It doesn't matter where the flag flew, its what it represents.

"It doesn't matter where the flag flew, its what it represents. When I see that flag, I think of people fighting to keep slavery, and a bloody war."

It almost seemed like you were saying that even tho those things happened the American flag doesn't represent them. It represents peace, hope, love, joy, and better tomorrows because I say so! If we're going to look at things objectively, then maybe the Rebel flag does have a lot of garbage associated with it... but the one we fly so proudly is still piling the bodies high and can be associated with so many more negative things than the one you would look down upon. It's a case of the pot calling the kettle black... but that doesn't matter since it's so easy to say that it doesn't represent those things just b/c we say so. I'm pretty sure hate organizations like the KKK prefer to fly the Stars and Stripes and has even been centered at one point in the great hate filled southern state of Indiana (that's where at least one of our wonderful moderators is from! You and your people represent all of what's wrong in our world!). ...that was a joke btw. I see just as much hatred and racism spread over the country all over the news channels that I can honestly say it's not a southern thing. ...I actually see a lot of it other places like in California, than I do here... but that might just be by chance.

Honestly, do you really see war and hate when you see the googled picture below?

but the one we fly so proudly is still piling the bodies high and can be associated with so many more negative things than the one you would look down upon

As true as that might be, slavery was becoming obsolete. Maybe with the invention of new machinery the plantations would have still maintained slaves... but who wants to feed, house, clothe, and take care of one type of farm equipment when there's another that does the same or greater amount of work with steam and coal? There's always that chance that given more time the south would have had their own epiphany and stopped the practice of slavery. It's just conjecture, but racism and hatred may live on longer than it should just because we had a war and emancipation was forced. It's like a giant seed by which hatred will continue to grow.

I'm not saying I am of the opinion that all I've said is true. I'm mostly throwing bits of information out into the open because it needs to be seen and discussed.

Some of our nation's finest are in fact the world's finest... but some of them are also some of the world's worst. If you talked to some of our military men and women about all of the things they've done over there without provocation, then you'd be ashamed. I used to wonder why a lot of places out there supposedly hated us... and aside from the religious reasons and that kind of stuff I know now a little more as to why.

I think the progeny of the confederacy flying the flag has potential to show that people can change and that they can progress towards a better tomorrow without hiding their garbage. I do believe that those who participate in the southern states flag group things actively work against the KKK and try to work against racism in the here and now. I think they're called the Sons of the Confederacy or something like that... they even let a few black guys join! That's pretty honorable, right?

As far as the picture goes... Dat tramp stamp tho

And there is an organization called the Sons of the Confederacy. It's largely historical in nature, and to get in you just show you had a relative fight in the war. Outside of a monthly email, it hasn't changed my life too much.

Just a thought, but one worth thinking about: Rather than seeing the flag as symbolic of something and judging the person who displays it, why not treat the flag as nothing more than a flag, and judge the person who displays it based on their own individual merits? It would be rather hypocritical, I think, to talk about reducing racism and ignorance, and then lump everyone who displays the flag as racist and ignorant. You're better off suggesting all Southerners wear cowboy hats, or that we all drive tractors.

you dont??!!!?!?!?! JK. ive been to the south before, you have fast food workers too!

Every time I see this flag, I think about the Dukes of Hazzard TV series. They had the flag painted on top of their car (General Lee).

I'm personally not offended by it, I think it's nice. People should be offended by the action of some people, not a flag.

I like the USSR national anthem, that doesn't make me a communist and certainly NOT a fan of Putin because he still uses it.

I also like the Italian and the German anthems, thanks to Michael Schumacher when he was driving for the Ferrari F1 team.

I would go "What's that flag?"

For those who don't know, the flag in question is The flag of the Southern Confederacy who seceded from the USA in the 1860's because of the threat of abolishing slavery. The fact that the South seceded caused the American civil war.

I just see the flag as a statement to the world that those people are pretending to be rednecks. The flag just means rebel.

-Lives in Southeast Asia
-Is 13 yrs old for freaking out loud
-Doesn't even try and see news

Yeah... i'll just go out of here.

Well im from the south and lived here my whole life. I of course have no hate for the flag but i don't love it either. Essentially its no more than a somewhat dead symbol that some people still get fears of or hatred of. I personally don't associate it with war or hate, but with southern states in general. I understand its a pride thing but the confederacy doesn't exist anymore so it doesn't really matter

I'm living in the South now and all of my experience with "Southern pride" and that flag are attached to phrases like, "The South will rise again!" The people who fly it say it has nothing to do with racism, but they're also the same people who advocate a return of an independent Confederacy (which only existed because Southern politicians were afraid the North would force a law through to abolish slavery), get upset at the idea of a black president, and when asked their opinion of black people will claim to not have a problem with them but don't want their daughter dating a black man. It might not specifically be a racist symbol, but there's an awful lot of racists who fly it and that's an association that's hard to shake. Especially when there's so many people like terminator that don't have any particular love for the confederate flag.

those people are pretending to be rednecks.

But I do have to agree with you in that it is more of just the redneck flag than anything.

I live in Michigan and I see the flag even up here. There are obviously legit rednecks that have the confederate flag, but there are those who claim to be 'redneck' and don't really fit the bill. Don't get me wrong, Michigan has its own breed of redneck.