Unlike concepts like “Truth” or “Dishonesty”, a flag is symbol - it provides a visual focal point for a nation/organization/concepts behind it. While the nations behind a nation’s flag are unambiguous, the concepts and ideals that it symbolizes to the person looking at it vary with the person looking at. So it is with the Confederate flag.
Some folks see the confederate flag as a symbol of the belief that black folks are worth less than white folks. Fortunately, this view of the flag is in the minority. Unfortunately the folks that see it representing this are very noisy ( Whether they are from the KKK side, or NAACP side).
Others see it a symbol or rebellion. Bikers, truckers, and drug gangs see and use it this way (Yeah, I’m over generalizing). Oddly enough this group takes very little trouble from either of the other sides Maybe they don’t care. Maybe nobody wants to mess with them.
Others, like I and most southerners, look at the confederate battle flag and think fondly of the outnumbered “grey’s” whipping the “blue’s”, of the right of the people form their own government, of courage in the face of privation, of chivalry, of skill, and of daring.
One of Scotland’s unofficial nationals anthem begins:
bq. O Flower of Scotland, When will we see Your like again, That fought and died for, Your wee bit Hill and Glen, And stood against him, Proud Edward’s Army, And sent him homeward, Tae think again.
Scotland is now a part of EnglandBritain, but many scots are proud of being scottish. It’s the same thing with Southerners. We are American’s now (and proud of it too), and we are also proud of have “whupped” the yankees on numerous occasions against ugly odds. Just mention Lee, Jackson, Stuart, or Forrest, and a southerner’s face will light up, just like a “true Scot’s” face would light up at the mention of Wallace or Bruce.
Next time you hear a “debate” on the flying of the southern flag, remember that for all practical purposes the sides could be arguing about totally different flags, because to different people, the flag represent very different concepts.
It’s true, some confederate leaders were total racists. (By the same token, so were many Yankees. That does not excuses the southern ones, of course.) There are bad things in almost every nations history. Learn from and avoid the bad; be proud of and repeat the good.
We don’t hide the US flag because of what happened to the indians. We say, “that was stupid of us, won’t do that again”, move on, and hang the Stars and Stripes out on the front porch in honor of our freedom and in memory of those that died to keep it for us. So it is with most of the people flying confederate flag.
(Though my parents with from the “North”, and I have one or two soldiers in blue in my ancestry, I was born in the south, raised in the south, and live in the south. Therefore I am southern. These are southern opinions and I can’t vouch for the opinions of “Yankee’s”. Any Yankees around? Let me know what people in your area think)