Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
Often referred to as the Stars & Bars, the Rebel Flag, and the Southern Cross, it's meaning & ultimately what it stands for is a debate that pops up every now & then. The flag that we're all familiar with was only the national flag of the Confederate States of America for a very brief time, only the last few months of the American Civil War if I'm not mistaken. Prior to that, the flag was actually the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, of which Robert E. Lee became the most well known commanding officer. Really the thing that brought all this into my head took place today as Dixie Carter's husband posted a picture of himself on Twitter holding up a Confederate flag license plate stating "Don't Mess with Dixie."
The flag itself all but disappeared from public view after the Civil War but was reintroduced in 1956. It was considered by many to be a form of protest against the desegregation of public schools, the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education took place 2 years prior. Several states adopted the Confederate flag as part of the design of the state flag, including Georgia & Mississippi. Georgia stopped using it in 2001 but it's still part of the stat flag of Mississippi. Because of the perceived protests against school desegregation, its use in the Civil War and it's past association with groups like the Ku Klux Klan, many view the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism and inequality towards all minorities.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/04/us/kanye-west-confederate-flag/index.html?iref=allsearch
The link above highlights one of the most recent controversies to come about, with Kanye West in the middle of it. West came out in public earlier this month wearing a jacket with the flag on it. West stated that he's ultimately claiming the flag as his own stating, "The Confederate flag represented slavery in a way. That's my abstract take on what I know about it, right? So I wrote the song, 'New Slaves.' So I took the Confederate flag and made it my flag. It's my flag now. Now what you gonna do?" Some see it as nothing more than a publicity stunt, others are highly offended by it, others see it as the latest example of West's overly huge ego. West himself has claimed that he did it primarily to stoke the fires of discussion and debate.
West certainly isn't the first recording artist to adopt the use of the flag in some ways. Various bands and solo artists who's songs or image conveys them as a musical rebel railing against the music industry or the status quo as a whole, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams, Jr., Charlie Daniels, etc. have used the flag, or at least it's design, while performing in concert, as part of their logo, in music videos, etc. While the flag is generally associated in the public consciousness as representing a racist viewpoint, it's become very skewed in the minds of some in recent years as Kanye West isn't the only African American to sport the flag. Lil Jon, David Banner, Ludacris and others have done so in the past for one reason or another.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/25/opinion/obeidallah-confederate-flag/index.html?iref=allsearch
Another article came out last month, one I'd actually forgotten about but was reminded of by this Kanye West story. Dan Obeidallah is actually a comedian but wrote this opinion piece for CNN in October in which he states that the Confederate flag should no longer be celebrated in any means as it was a flag of "traitors." From a technical standpoint, he's right as the CSA was comprised of states who seceded from the Union and declared war against it. Confederate soldiers & sympathizers weren't called "rebels" by the Union just for the hell of it. Even though the Confederate States of America is no longer around, Obeidallah views that flying the flag is the same as flying one of an opposing foreign power.
There's also a clip in that link in which a young teenage girl in Tennessee wasn't allowed to attend her high school prom because she was wearing a dress that contained the pattern of the Confederate flag. She stated that she honestly didn't intend to make any sort of political statement and that she didn't mean to offend anyone. She simply liked the design and thought that it looked cool.
I don't think there's any one real way to answer what the Confederate flag stands for because it honestly seems to mean something different to different people. Some see it as a symbol of inequality and a shameful reminder of the country's past. Others see it as a means to generate controversy, thereby using it to either cash in somehow or to ignite discussion. Others see it as little more than just a flag with pretty, eye catching colors.
As for me personally, I don't necessarily view anyone who has the flag on a shirt, jacket, license plate, poster or whatever as someone promoting racism. At the same time, however, I always feel a little bit uneasy whenever I see it because of its past. Even though its intended usage has varied by many different people, the fact that it has been and still is used by various hate groups is inescapable.
The flag itself all but disappeared from public view after the Civil War but was reintroduced in 1956. It was considered by many to be a form of protest against the desegregation of public schools, the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education took place 2 years prior. Several states adopted the Confederate flag as part of the design of the state flag, including Georgia & Mississippi. Georgia stopped using it in 2001 but it's still part of the stat flag of Mississippi. Because of the perceived protests against school desegregation, its use in the Civil War and it's past association with groups like the Ku Klux Klan, many view the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism and inequality towards all minorities.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/04/us/kanye-west-confederate-flag/index.html?iref=allsearch
The link above highlights one of the most recent controversies to come about, with Kanye West in the middle of it. West came out in public earlier this month wearing a jacket with the flag on it. West stated that he's ultimately claiming the flag as his own stating, "The Confederate flag represented slavery in a way. That's my abstract take on what I know about it, right? So I wrote the song, 'New Slaves.' So I took the Confederate flag and made it my flag. It's my flag now. Now what you gonna do?" Some see it as nothing more than a publicity stunt, others are highly offended by it, others see it as the latest example of West's overly huge ego. West himself has claimed that he did it primarily to stoke the fires of discussion and debate.
West certainly isn't the first recording artist to adopt the use of the flag in some ways. Various bands and solo artists who's songs or image conveys them as a musical rebel railing against the music industry or the status quo as a whole, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams, Jr., Charlie Daniels, etc. have used the flag, or at least it's design, while performing in concert, as part of their logo, in music videos, etc. While the flag is generally associated in the public consciousness as representing a racist viewpoint, it's become very skewed in the minds of some in recent years as Kanye West isn't the only African American to sport the flag. Lil Jon, David Banner, Ludacris and others have done so in the past for one reason or another.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/25/opinion/obeidallah-confederate-flag/index.html?iref=allsearch
Another article came out last month, one I'd actually forgotten about but was reminded of by this Kanye West story. Dan Obeidallah is actually a comedian but wrote this opinion piece for CNN in October in which he states that the Confederate flag should no longer be celebrated in any means as it was a flag of "traitors." From a technical standpoint, he's right as the CSA was comprised of states who seceded from the Union and declared war against it. Confederate soldiers & sympathizers weren't called "rebels" by the Union just for the hell of it. Even though the Confederate States of America is no longer around, Obeidallah views that flying the flag is the same as flying one of an opposing foreign power.
There's also a clip in that link in which a young teenage girl in Tennessee wasn't allowed to attend her high school prom because she was wearing a dress that contained the pattern of the Confederate flag. She stated that she honestly didn't intend to make any sort of political statement and that she didn't mean to offend anyone. She simply liked the design and thought that it looked cool.
I don't think there's any one real way to answer what the Confederate flag stands for because it honestly seems to mean something different to different people. Some see it as a symbol of inequality and a shameful reminder of the country's past. Others see it as a means to generate controversy, thereby using it to either cash in somehow or to ignite discussion. Others see it as little more than just a flag with pretty, eye catching colors.
As for me personally, I don't necessarily view anyone who has the flag on a shirt, jacket, license plate, poster or whatever as someone promoting racism. At the same time, however, I always feel a little bit uneasy whenever I see it because of its past. Even though its intended usage has varied by many different people, the fact that it has been and still is used by various hate groups is inescapable.
