A Thoughtful Retort

 Posting this as a retort to an article posted by a friend of mine.  

"Q: What did the Confederacy stand for?

A: Rather than interpreting, let's go directly to the words of the Confederacy's Vice President, Alexander Stephens. In his "Cornerstone Speech" on March 21, 1861, he stated "The Constitution... rested upon the equality of races. This was an error. Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite 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."

Mostly true. The Civil War was fought mostly over the question of slavery. Southern states regarded the owning of slaves as a "right", while the Union sought to free slaves. When Union forces attacked Fort Sumter, it was on.

"Q: But people keep saying heritage, not hate! They think the purpose of the flags and monuments are to honor confederate soldiers, right?

"A: The vast majority of confederate flags flying over government buildings in the south were first put up in the 1960's during the Civil Rights Movement. So for the first hundred years after the Civil War ended, while relatives of those who fought in it were still alive, the confederate flag wasn't much of a symbol at all. But when Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis were marching on Washington to get the Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965) passed, leaders in the south felt compelled to fly confederate flags and put up monuments to honor people who had no living family members and had fought in a war that ended a century ago. Their purpose in doing this was to exhibit their displeasure with black people fighting for basic human rights that were guaranteed to them in the 14th and 15th Amendments but being withheld by racist policies and practices."

That was in the South in the 1960s. Over fifty-five some years later, many things have changed, including the attitudes of some toward differing races. You seem to be saying that there is an all-encompassing anti-black stereotype. To claim that is stereotyping in itself. Not all whites are racist, not all blacks are thugs, and not all Native Americans own casinos.

"Q: But if we take down confederate statues and monuments, how will we teach about and remember the past?

A: Monuments and statues pose little educational relevance, whereas museums, the rightful place for Confederate paraphernalia, can provide more educational opportunities for citizens to learn about our country's history. The Civil War is important to learn about, and will always loom large in social studies curriculum. Removing monuments from public places and putting them in museums also allows us to avoid celebrating and honoring people who believed that tens of millions of black Americans should be legal property."

If we're going to take down "monuments and statues" of this nature, then let's also get rid of any memorials to people such as George Floyd. After all, such monuments "pose little educational relevance". Do we have a deal?

"Q: But what if the Confederate flag symbol means something different to me?

A: Individuals aren't able to change the meaning of symbols that have been defined by history. When I hang a Bucs flag outside my house, to me, the Bucs might represent the best team in the NFL, but to the outside world, they represent an awful NFL team, since they haven't won a playoff game in 18 years. I can't change that meaning for everyone who drives by my house because it has been established for the whole world to see. If a Confederate flag stands for generic rebellion or southern pride to you, your personal interpretation forfeits any meaning once you display it publicly, as its meaning takes on the meaning it earned when a failed regime killed hundreds of thousands of Americans in an attempt to destroy America and keep black people enslaved forever."

First off, this is "apples and oranges", as the Bucs just won the Super Bowl last year. Anyways, I digress.

You may be right, to some extent. If I fly a Chinese flag, that means I'm a Communist. If I fly a "pride" flag, that must mean I'm OK with same-sex marriage and pedophilia. And if I fly an American flag, it means I'm a card-carrying member of the GOP. That makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

Regardless, this is more about free speech rights; everyone has the right to say what they wish, and hold whatever beliefs that they do (as long as doing so doesn't endanger anyone else). This includes the right to be...pardon my French...an asshole, as long as that works for the person that's being such.

(For example, I think it's stupid that you smoke weed....but do I bug you about it? Nope. Whatever floats your boat)

"Q: But my uncle posted a meme that said the Civil War/Confederacy was about state's rights and not slavery?

A: 'A state's right to what?' - John Green"

I'll take "Random Comments That Mean Nothing" for five hundred, Alex.

"Q: Everyone is offended about everything these days. Should we take everything down that offends anyone?

A: The Confederacy literally existed to go against the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the idea that black people are human beings that deserve to live freely. If that doesn't upset or offend you, you are un-American."

Meanwhile, our "elected president" goes "against the Constitution" every single day. The very fact that he occupies the White House right now flies in the face of the Constitution, and the idea of free and fair elections from "we the people". Yet I don't hear too many complaints about that from the likes of you. "It is what it is", right?

Also, if we're going to eliminate anything even remotely offensive, then let's take down the Pride flag that flies at Fairfield's Town Hall....because to me, that flag is "offensive". Let's quit allowing cursing on TV, too. And let's stop allowing anything associated with World Wrestling Entertainment to be broadcast (after all, this is a company that, in the past, has told viewers to "suck it").

Give me a break. There will always be something that is "offensive"; that's just the way life is. There's an easy way to deal with that. If you're upset by something that someone says, quit listening to them, and/or walk away from them. If you're "offended" by something that you see or hear on TV, switch to another channel....or just turn the damn thing off. Just don't destroy something that doesn't offend me simply because you happen to be upset by it. Live and let live.

"Q: Taking these down goes against the First Amendment and freedom of speech, right?

A: No. Anyone can do whatever they want on their private property, on their social media, etc. Taking these down in public, or having private corporations like NASCAR ban them on their properties, has literally nothing to do with the Bill of Rights."

Assuming this is correct, please show me where the First Amendment makes any distinction between ideas expressed on public property and speech that is expressed on private property. I don't think that it does so; but then again, I may have missed that part of history class.

Anyways, banning the display of Confederate flags does indeed go against the First Amendment. It infringes on the right of free speech, which is one of the rights guaranteed by the Amendment. Whether this speech is public or private makes no difference; a US Congressman has as much of a right to free speech as an ordinary citizen does. In that respect, this has everything to do with the Bill of Rights.

"Q: How can people claim to be patriotic while supporting a flag that stood for a group of insurgent failures who tried to permanently destroy America and killed 300,000 Americans in the process?

A: No clue."

Likewise, I have "no clue" how people can support the Democratic Party, and still claim to be in their right minds. It happens, though.

"Q: So if I made a confederate flag my profile picture, or put a confederate bumper sticker on my car, what am I declaring to my friends, family, and the world?

A: That you support the Confederacy. To recap, the Confederacy stands for: slavery, white supremacy, treason, failure, and a desire to permanently destroy Selective history as it supports white supremacy."

Nope nope nope. Flying a Confederate flag no more means that I support these things than wearing pink means that I am a woman. You're assigning this a meaning that does not exist (see above re: "What if...it means something different to me?").

Anyways, that's how I see it.