Spurrier: Take that damned flag down

I just don't know that you can find someone who waves that flag that isn't racist in some way. The older I get, the more it bothers me. It's just stupid. Take the damn things down ... or at least say why you really wave them.

It stands for more than the repression of blacks, but because it does stand for the repression of blacks, it shouldn't wave.

 

Doc, not sure what you mean here. But the battle flag is the most recognized and widely used in the South.

 

thanks hammer.

 

Not where I'm living/been. I see 10 confederate flags for every battle flag.

 

Hell, here in PA you see tons of confederate flags.

 

This is the battle flag-- seen on every redneck's truck in the South. And the one I believe is flying in front of the S.C. Statehouse. Which is the one you've seen more often?

 

As someone who's lived in SC for a long time, I have mixed feelings about this issue. My pros and cons about getting rid of the flag:

Pro: When I drive by the statehouse it never fails to shock me to see the flag flying right out front ... well, actually it's in back (accessible to a major road) and a lot more visible than when it was atop the statehouse.

Con: Sort of like this Imus ordeal, blacks in South Carolina have a whole lot more needs than some fucking flag ... and those needs were ignored by both the state and the NAACP, especially when the flag issue was really heating up. Poor education and rampant violence are key issues for blacks and all residents ... the flag just takes away from the important stuff.

Pro: Most people who fly the confederate flag are ignorant ... yes, some aren't because ...

Con: it's been explained rather reasonably to me that the Confederate flag isn't just about heritage/slavery ... it's a part of our entire country's history ... good and bad ... and it's kind of foolish to try and sweep it under the rug.

Like I said, I'm divided. I would like to see the issue go away. I'll be curious to see how Spurrier's comments go over. I can promise you this: he'll get at least a couple of dozen death threats and the school will get dozens upon dozens of requests to fire his ass.

Other observations:

I don't know that SC is any more racist than any other state but I'll tell you this: our racists make such a big impact because they are organized and holding some surprisingly high positions.

What's funny is it's a different sort of racism than what you see up North. It's more of a push for segregation than it is a hatred. Black and white folk get along quite well in the small and large towns I've worked ... but I'll hear the n word and "colored" word come out unexpectedly in private conversations ... I was once in a room with two government officials of equal rank, a black and white guy, when the white guy mentioned "CPT" and I'm like what's that? "Colored People Time." I was frozen stiff but the black guy just laughed and rolled his eyes ... I didn't laugh and I don't. Normally I say something, but they're used to being scolded for their views. They don't care.

it's a different world down here.

 

thanks write, i appreciate that.

to be honest, i think a lot of people dismiss what the flag stands for and what the civil war stood for. i've seen many snot-nosed 20-somethings scoff when i tell them the whole "showdown" in gettysburg took place because of ... not ideals, but for shoes.

but then again, i don't see 17-year-old white fucks in 4X4s taunting blacks with the flag, either.

 

Here's a funny story: When I worked for another SC paper, the hot topic in a certain county was whether or not it should have a Martin Luther King Day. Jesse, Sharpton and the nation of Islam guy all locked arms for the first time and marched on the city to try and change the county council's minds.

Our paper fell in lockstep with them, repeatedly denouncing the county's stance ... editorials, pointed news stories ... the whole shebang.

Then, of course, Martin Luther King Day came and I realized that not only was I working but the entire staff had to work. Why? Because the newspaper didn't celebrate MLK Day ... shoulda seen the looks on my bosses faces when I noted the hypocrisy. I was not a favored employee.

 

I once sat in on a great history class down here and learned that my entire public school education up north was a lie ... the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln had only a little to do with freeing slaves.

 

I can understand why some Southerners feel so strongly about the flag and their heritage. There's even a part of me that can empathize. I love history, to the point where I majored in it. I love knowing about history, mine and yours, good and bad.

And here's the thing about history, and about symbols like the Confederate flag. Once the original meaning is hijacked, you can't bring it back. Times change -- and so do symbols.

Consider another symbol: the swastika.

The term "swastika" comes from Sanskrit, meaning "well-being." Believe it or not, it was mostly a Christian symbol in the Middle Ages, offered as a sign of wishing a person success. It was adopted by Native American tribes, by ancient European cultures, by Hindus and Buddhists.

It was a popular symbol of good luck, worldwide, all the way into the early 20th century.


A turn-of-the-century postcard


Coca-Cola advertisement from the 1910s


A medallion for Boy Scouts, sponsored by the US Excelsior Shoe Company


Then, the swastika was hijacked by the Nazis.

And now, it's a taboo symbol in all civilized Western (and many Eastern) cultures. As well it should be.

The "Stars and Bars" -- which once was a symbol of Southern culture, of a proud heritage, of the War between the States -- was hijacked by racists in the Ku Klux Klan and other hatemongers who fought against civil rights and equality for blacks, women, Catholics and Jews, foreigners and too many other segments of the American population.

The Confederate battle flag, like the swastika, was hijacked by hate. It no longer means what it once did.

Now, it must be taboo. It is a slap in the face to anyone who believes in equality -- just like the swastika is a slap in the face to anyone who believes in freedom.

And that's why the "heritage" argument simply doesn't hold water. Times change -- and so do symbols.

 

thanks for the input. this subject always has sparked my interest, even though it was from 2,500 miles (or more) away. it's nice to hear from folks who lived it.