The Confederate Flag

[Eddy Gein]

a few monts ago a kid from my girlfriends school was severely beaten up after school by a group of black kids for having a sticker of a rebel flag on his binder. and today turned on the local news and it turns out that yesterday a teenage kid was murder by two black men for wearing a lynard skinnard shirt with a rebel flag on it. i understand that this is an offensive symbol to some people but this is taking it a little to far. i dont think these people woke up and said " im going to offend some black people, let me get my lynard skynnard shirt that will teach em"

[wufong]

It's part of their history let them wear it. those black people should be charged with a hate crime. o wait the victims were white and probably Christians. they're fair game for every minority who has failed to make it.

[Haunted]

I had to get my coffee for this. Touchy subject that could start rolling down hill very quickly.

I'm Southern, everybody in my family is Southern except for my sister-in-law who is from Peoria Illinoise. Anyway, what happened to those two people is shit, pure and utter shit. It's the US and freedom of expression is central to our fundemental values. Oh how these people would whine if the shoe were on the other foot. To attack anyone, especially teenagers for the shirts they wear is lower than low. Their attackers are the scum of the earth. Hope someone sticks it to 'em.

Personally, though, I'm not a big fan of the rebel flag. If you've studied the Civil War you recognize that it does sorta insinuate a racist society. Not only that but it also represents the seperation of the US as a nation. I mean, I understand there was a lot of politicking behind the Civil War, but one of the major factors was slavery. Idon't think anyone should be punished for wearing or displaying it. It's a free country.

[AUSTIN316426808]

Personally I think it's wrong, they killed someone who didn't deserve to die there for they should be killed. Most teenager you see wearing a confederate flag don't even know and/or maybe reconize that it stood for what it stood for. On the other hand when I see shirts that say stuff like ''The south will rise again'' I find that to be moronic. If they were wearing a nazi shirt then I could careless(not about the death, that's wrong but an ass whoopin wouldn't be out of line at all imo) but I myself have a Skynard t-shirt and the last thing I'm thinking when I decide to wear it is how much it'll offend someone.(Though mine doesn't have a flag on it.)

There are black people who are racist and maybe it comes from the knowledge and hate of what happened and in some cases it doesn't either way it's not right. You shouldn't have hate for an entire race for what their ansestors did or for what their grandfathers might've done for that matter. Are there still racist,white supremist ect.? Of course, should they all be thrown into shark tanks? Yeah but that doesn't mean you judge someone without knowing them just because they share the same race as those assholes, don't go to their level and just hate everybody. If a racial situation comes up then you stand up for yourself and do what you have to do according to the particular situation but walking around beating up whoever you think might be racist doesn't make you any better than them.

[bwind22]

Originally posted by Haunted
If you've studied the Civil War you recognize that it does sorta insinuate a racist society.

Sorta insinuate a racist society? That's got to be the understatement of the year! I am from the far north (Minnesota) and that flag only means one thing up here... It is a symbol of slavery.

During the Civil War it represented the South. The South were trying to cecede from the Union because they wanted to keep slavery legal so during the course of that war, the flag shifted from symbolizing the South to becoming a symbol for those who would support slavery. Would you walk up to a black person and tell them they should be a slave? Of course not. But that's what you're indirectly telling them (At least up here) when you sport a shirt with the stars and bars on it. Personally, I hate the symbol. I find it disgusting and anytime I see someone wearing it, I instantly think of them as being amongst the lowest forms of white trash around.

But all that being said, we're a free country with free speech and the freedom to wear whatever the hell we want so violence should never be brought against anyone based on what they're wearing (Even if it IS nazi gear). It's just that if these people realized what symbol they think they're wearing may not be the same symbol they are projecting to everyone they encounter were two completely different things, maybe they'd wise up and these kind of situations would be avoidable.

[novakru]

This just depresses me to no end.
I feel like we will never unite.
2 steps forward-10 steps back.
I also live in a southern state (same state as Haunted)
Around here it is extremely racist.
The blacks stay with the blacks,
the asians stay with the asians,
the whites stay with the whites,
and the mexicans don't speak to anybody.
It's awful and I hate it.
My black friends rarely hang with me when I am with my white friends and vice versa...I don't know any asians or mexicans yet,but I know it would be the same way.


My way of thinking,
being racist is: missing out on alot of interesting friends.

[AUSTIN316426808]

Originally posted by bwind22
Personally, I hate the symbol. I find it disgusting

I feel the same way without the lowest form of white trash part. I think some people that wear it don't even realize that it can be offensive. I've always felt that when two sides put their flags up and fight whoever loses as to pack it in and keep it there. You don't see any nazi flags waving in Germany do you.

[ENTITY2000]

well i am not racist but they (the black people) had their
Malcom X, and the african continent on there shirts or
around their neck,we (white people) didn't be the hell outta them?
:rolleyes:

[AUSTIN316426808]

Originally posted by ENTITY2000
well i am not racist but they (the black people) had their
Malcom X, and the african continent on there shirts or
around their neck,we (white people) didn't be the hell outta them?
:rolleyes:

I don't think those are good examples.

Malcom X and Africa weren't/don't represent a group of people who went to war to keep slavery. If a white guy walked around with a European continent shirt or necklace no one would make a fuse over it.

[bwind22]

Originally posted by AUSTIN316426808
I feel the same way without the lowest form of white trash part. I think some people that wear it don't even realize that it can be offensive.

I'm not neccesarily calling them white trash, that's just what I automatically think when I see some jackass with a shirt on with that. They may be, they may not be, but they sure as hell look like it from where I'm standing, know what I'm sayin?

I've always felt that when two sides put their flags up and fight whoever loses as to pack it in and keep it there. You don't see any nazi flags waving in Germany do you.

That a really valid point. Hey South... The war's over and you lost! Quit rockin' the stars and bars because it symbolizes racism now and if that's not your cause you have no business wearing it.