@Gargantua:
From a foriegn perspective and observation whilst this unfolds - I think all the talk of taking down the Confederate flag, or taking down the American flag, or the Jefferson memorial for that matter, are inherently anti/un America talks.
And generally I perceive America as a huge world positive voice of reason, and not the tyranny that some would paint it as.
As for the confederate flag specifically - to me it is a symbol of the right to respectfully disagree, and have an independent point of view, (Right or wrong) and in it’s very own way, The confederate flag is a symbol of what it is to be American.
I agree G. And that has been my point with whatever I have said in my posts. Freedom of expression is absolutely fundamental to the existence of this country as we know it; without it we morph into a fascist distortion of “freedom”.
@wheatbeer:
Except that they failed to hijack the US flag because almost no Americans view the US flag as a symbol of hate.
The Confederate flag was much more successfully hijacked because the country which gave birth to it no longer exists.
There are a great many American citizens who view the US flag as a symbol of hate, injustice or oppression. That is why they burn it, trample it and call for its removal. As someone said before, Louis Farrakhan has already made ovations about the US flag being a hate symbol. He is just one example.
And why should this discussion be relegated only to what Americans think? A great many more people around the world, as Gargantua insinuated, view the United States and our flag as a symbol of hate, aggression, manipulation, oppression or evil. Naturally, I believe none of those are true to the degree that many people think they are. Of course the United States has made significant mistakes and had some very dark times as a country, but our past does not mean that is who we still are today or will be in the future. On a whole, the United States is pretty darn great. Am I biased? Sure. But I am not afraid of being blown up by an IED on my way to work or being physically persecuted for practicing my religion or saying something controversial. I think that counts for a lot.
The problem goes back to that First Amendment discussion. What is happening with the Confederate Flag is just the latest in a line of social censorship stemming from both political correctness (endorsed by the government) and cries of injustice (from a given minority). I don’t know how to describe it any other way. It has come to a particular head in the last 15 years with the advent of social media. There is now a constant, instant, nation-wide forum for the loudest people to spread their opinions. This is a great tool for the smaller groups to have their voice heard, but when it is used to oppress and censor and exact some level of retribution, it becomes very un-American. In this instance, the American public is oppressed by this nebulous specter of public opinion and political correctness. Much, if not all, of it is borne out of emotion rather than logic, which is where we will fail as a society and a government.
But that also goes back to my tongue-in-cheek comment about me being a white, male, middle-class, Christian. And I may add, heterosexual. My voice has been fairly eroded by the social scene since I am not a member of any minority or oppressed group. I have no bones to pick and therefore cannot be legitimate. At least that is the way it feels at times. I hope that is not viewed as a political statement, because it is really a social one.
