Why do people fly the confederate flag other than to show people they are racist?

[DaleBoca]

I love how people put up a black person with a confederate flag as proof it doesn't identify with racism. It's similar to those who say something racist and get called out for it and say "my good friend is black."

Might as well fly around a nazi flag and say, "I believe in the German people and race, it's nothing political."

 

[2DUM2TAP]

Dukes of Hazard for me.... favourite show when I was a kid.

I think it gets a pass just cause its a sweet car

 

[Sir Galahad]

If you weren't flying it for legit reasons(your family had history with the Confederation army) it was just seen as a Rebel flag in the past. It was never a big deal. You wore a patch, or flew the flag, 'cause it represented rebellion and you were a fuckin' badass.

Somewhere down the line it became more associated with racism. I certainly don't know why anyone would want to be seen with it today, unless it was a part of your family's heritage.

The Confederate flag is about being proud to be a Southerner. @HereticBD @Captain Davis

 

[Captain Davis]

I love how people put up a black person with a confederate flag as proof it doesn't identify with racism. It's similar to those who say something racist and get called out for it and say "my good friend is black."

Might as well fly around a nazi flag and say, "I believe in the German people and race, it's nothing political."

I like how people cry about a Confederate flag being racist, yet they are fine with Lincoln's face being on a $5 bill when he was a complete racist.

 

[TheGreatA]

In Europe, flying the Confederate flag doesn't have a racist connotation. Many truck-drivers do it, in order to highlight their "free", rebel lifestyle.

The South is associated with guns, driving big trucks, being loud, living in a farm, and such things. The Confederate flag has become a symbol of that heritage.

It's also a very eye-catching flag, one must admit.

 

[Badger67]

No idea why OP, especially when people from alberta canada do it and had nothing to do with anything american, but, i do notice a major coincidence among them all; racism.

 

[hillelslovak87]

Some people just identify as losers.........

 

[Captain Davis]

In Europe, flying the Confederate flag doesn't have a racist connotation. Many truck-drivers do it, in order to highlight their "free", rebel lifestyle.

The South is associated with guns, driving big trucks, being loud, living in a farm, and such things. The Confederate flag has become a symbol of that heritage.

It's also a very eye-catching flag, one must admit.

This is exactly why most people fly it, especially younger people.

Thank the Klan for misrepresenting the flag and making it synonymous with hate.

I'm not going to get into a history lesson here, but anyone who believes the Confederacy was about race or racism is just plain ignorant.

 

[Sir Galahad]

I fly it for the rustling.

 

[Captain Davis]

I'll leave one tidbit here. The Confederate flag not one time flew over a slave ship which brought slaves to the United States. As a matter of fact, the Confederate Constitution outlawed the importation of African slaves.

However, the the American flag flew over many of these ships. Even long after slavery was abolished in the North.

 

[TheGreatA]

This is exactly why most people fly it, especially younger people.

Thank the Klan for misrepresenting the flag and making it synonymous with hate.

I'm not going to get into a history lesson here, but anyone who believes the Confederacy was about race or racism is just plain ignorant.

The North and the South were growing increasingly separate as entities within the Union, this is well-known. Slavery happened to be the issue that set off the conflict, and in that regard the North was in the right, but it could have been a great many other things that sparked the secession. Some of them, arguably, where the Southern people were in the "right".

But all of that has been buried under the, understandably, grave issue of slavery. Conveniently, perhaps, for the Unionists.

It is unfortunate that the idea of state's rights and opposition to federalism, was taken down with the issue of slavery. That was not the "hill" to die on.

 

[Captain Davis]

The North and the South were growing increasingly separate as entities within the Union, this is well-known. Slavery happened to be the issue that set off the conflict, and in that regard the North was in the right, but it could have been a great many other things that sparked the secession. Some of them, arguably, where the Southern people were in the "right".

But all of that has been buried under the, understandably, grave issue of slavery. Conveniently, perhaps, for the Unionists.

Westward expansion of slavery was an issue, but it had nothing to do with slaves. It had everything to do with competition for jobs and power amongst the Northern and Southern elite. If anyone thinks that the Northern people gave a rats ass about the Africans, than they are just plain ignorant.

The South may have owned slaves, but they did have relationships with them. They socialized and were generally very cordial to one another.

The Northern people wanted nothing to do with black people. Take a look at some of the laws of Northern states at that time.

Yeah, blacks were "free", but they in no way enjoyed the same liberties and freedom as Northern whites.

Also, the excessive tariffs on the South at that time had a ton more to do with secession than we are all taught. But that's not near as sexy and justifiable a cause as slavery.

 

[TheGreatA]

Incorrect. Westward expansion of slavery was an issue, but it had nothing to do with slaves. It had everything to do with competition for jobs and power amongst the Northern and Southern elite. If anyone thinks that the Northern people gave a rats ass about the Africans, than they are just plain ignorant.

The South may have owned slaves, but they did have relationships with them. They socialized and were generally very cordial to one another.

The Northern people wanted nothing to do with black people. Take a look at some of the laws of Northern states at that time.

Yeah, blacks were "free", but they in no way enjoyed the same liberties and freedom as Northern whites.

We can spin it in any way we want to, but nonetheless, slavery was responsible for the act of secession.

I don't see the point in ducking & dodging away from that fact.

Did Unionists fight to free slaves? Nope. They fought to uphold the Union. They were willing to do so even at the cost of retaining slavery in the South to an extent.

 

[Captain Davis]

We can spin it in any way we want to, but nonetheless, slavery was responsible for the act of secession.

I don't see the point in ducking & dodging away from that fact.

Did Unionists fight to free slaves? Nope. They fought to uphold the Union. They were willing to do so even at the cost of retaining slavery in the South to an extent.

Not to an extent - totally

Lincoln was more than willing to leave slavery alone where it existed. Yet, the Southern states still decided to secede.

 

[TheGreatA]

Not to an extent - totally

Lincoln was more than willing to leave slavery alone where it existed. Yet, the Southern states still decided to secede.

As I said, the issue of slavery sparked the conflict. It was not solely responsible for the conflict, obviously, that is a historical fabrication, in order to pump up the tires of the Unionists.

By the time Lincoln attempted making concessions, the secessionists had made up their mind. By the time the war happened, the issue of slavery was but a distant memory of the past, it was fought over maintaining independence on the part of the South, and upholding the union on the part of the North. That is known.

Nobody marched into the front-lines in order to keep African men in chains. Most of the men who died fighting for the South, were unlikely to have been slave-owners, but rather, dirt-poor whites who believed that their way of life was being threatened by an invader. The same goes for most wars fought in history.

 

[Captain Davis]

As I said, the issue of slavery sparked the conflict. It was not solely responsible for the conflict, obviously, that is a historical fabrication, in order to pump up the tires of the Unionists.

By the time Lincoln attempted making concessions, the secessionists had made up their mind. By the time the war happened, the issue of slavery was but a distant memory of the past, it was fought over maintaining independence on the part of the South, and upholding the union on the part of the North. That is known.

Nobody marched into the front-lines in order to keep African men in chains. Most of the men who died fighting for the South, were unlikely to have been slave-owners, but rather, dirt-poor whites who believed that their way of life was being threatened by an invader. The same goes for most wars fought in history.

 

[Cuauhtemoc]

I'm not going to get into a history lesson here, but anyone who believes the Confederacy was about race or racism is just plain ignorant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornerstone_Speech
That was the confederate vice-president, and I quote

Our new government is founded upon exactly [this] idea; its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth.

 

[Don Quixote]

I've heard that in WW2 there were a few tanks that flew the confederate flag as the soilders liberated the concentration camps. I'm sure they intended to show everyone how racist they are supporting good over evil.

 

[RockstarChris]

so Mexican flags must all mean "we serve tacos here" right TS?

 

[TheStruggle]

Oh the irony of people who wear Che Guevara shirts while sporting hammer & sickle flags telling others about stupid the confederate flag is.