I begin this with the statement that I am not racist. It is beyond conceit for anyone who can trace their ancestry back for centuries in the United States to believe that, at some point, a member of their family line did not have sex with someone of another race. I look for a person's actions, words and behavior to determine whether or not they deserve my respect. I am anti-idiocy and knee jerk reactions. Neither of these ever, EVER help solve a problem, big or small.
A few weeks ago, the Confederate flag came under fire following a shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. To be honest, I'm still not 100% sure how we went from a person killing nine people in a church ties into the Confederate flag. However, the handling of the situation was wrong for any number of reasons, and when the country should have pulled together, the threads of the nation became more frayed.
First, the man who did the shooting was photographed with a Confederate flag. I guess it was a bonus that yet another gun control law wasn't pushed through a state legislature. As confused as I am over the flag's connection to the shoot, events such as this never cease to amaze me as inanimate objects are blamed for the actions of evil human beings. While the photo was on the man's page, I am sure the flag didn't tell him to kill the people. When you step back and look at it, the majority of those who wave the Confederate flag are actually normal, caring people. Some more opinionated than others, but for the most part you won't find any true, evil malice in their heart or mind.
Second, the argument was raised that the Confederate flag is a sign of racism and should not be allowed to fly on state or federal property. While many southern states raised the flag during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, the original Confederacy was fighting for a way of life. Yes, that way of life involved slavery; however, slavery was not limited to the American south. While it is not right to own another person, in the earlier centuries of this world, it was a common practice. To the southern way of thinking, the North's actions were no more tyrannical than England's actions prior to 1776. The second part of this argument was due to the fact the flag was by the South Carolina state capital. Here's the issue with this portion of the argument ... most Civil War sites, memorials and museums are state or federal property. Therefore, to not fly the Confederate flag on these properties means the loss of those American lives are ignored. Now, I am not saying this is the goal of those who say "It has no place on state or federal property" but the result remains the same in the end. On the flip side, some would say those losses don't matter because, as they see it, they were fighting for slavery. The average Confederate Soldier was not a landowner or slave owner. They fought for their family heritage ... period. Oddly, no different than the majority of the American Colonists who fought in the Revolutionary War or the Service Members who fought in all of the wars prior to or after the Civil War.
Third, there is much discussion on the flag at the South Carolina capital was a battle flag and was not the true Confederate flag. While it was a battle flag by the shape, the configuration on the flag is what is commonly associated with the Confederacy. It is the flag used by re-enactors and in military ceremonies.
The final and most absurd fall out of this was from the commercial arena. Walmart, Amazon, and other businesses quit selling anything with the flag on it. A cable station pulled reruns of The Dukes of Hazard from their line up because the General Lee has a Confederate flag on the room. Someone was reported to say he would paint over the flag with an American flag. Um, General Lee was a Confederate officer. NASCAR asked fans not to bring the flag to the Daytona race. The fans ignored this request. Seriously, NASCAR is a southern sport ... created and made popular by the typical southern redneck. Trust me, in the early 1990s, only a select population living north of the Mason-Dixon Line knew anything about NASCAR. It certainly didn't get shown on TV in the North like it does now. On top of all of this, there is a call to have the four primary Confederate generals removed for the "Southern Mount Rushmore". Granted, the original petition went around in 2013, but the call has been renewed. I know American history means very little in this day and age; however, to not own that part of our history and to try to hide it is disrespectful to the Confederate Soldiers who fought. Regardless of which side they fought for, they were Americans. How can we honestly measure how far we've come without something to look back at? There is validity to the Edmund Burke quote "Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it."
At the end of the day, there are American citizens in the south who have family who fought for the Confederacy. Many fly the flag in honor of those ancestors. Again, the average Confederate Soldier did not own slaves so they were fighting for their way of life. In the intervening years since 1865, many have used the Confederate flag for racist motives. The KKK is the most notorious for this. Those who did this were wrong. Racism is not something that should be idolized or fought to maintain. However, those who wore the gray and fought behind the Stars and Bars deserve to have their place in our history. They were, after all, Americans first and foremost.
