Hellobee Boards

This quote from John Oliver's show sums it up lol:

"The Confederate flag is one of those symbols that should really only be seen on T-shirts, belt buckles and bumper stickers to help the rest of us identify the worst people in the world."

@runnerd: Perfect!

I think the Confederate flag is garbage, but it's really pissing me off that's all the "national discourse" is focusing on. What about firearm legislation, toxic masculinity, or our country's systemic history of violence against black people?

I think it should be removed from all public/government buildings; it isn’t a state flag and it isn’t the country’s flag, it has no place being flown at any US government building in the same space we fly legitimate flags.

Ta-Nehisi Coates was spot on as always, I highly recommend this article: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/06/what-this-cruel-war-was-over/396482/

@runnerd: Haha, yep! Love John Oliver!

I feel that removing it from the confederate memorial was a little too much. We cannot pretend the confederacy didn't exist, and removing a flag from a memorial seems like the very last thing we should be focusing on. Also, I live in the south and all this entire thing has done is cause a lot more tension and anger. I could simply ignore people proudly displaying their flags before, but now they are making such huge deal about it that it is constantly being shoved in my face. Fun times.

I'm just amazed that everyone that flies the confederate flag suddenly has become a history expert. And if they believe what they say, why aren't they flying all the flags that have been represented over the history of our country? I personally really like the Betsy Ross flag, but there aren't masses of people flying it.

So all the people that are professing it's a preservation of our history and not a symbol of anything offensive, I just can't understand why other flags aren't equally important to them.

And while it's appropriate to remove from governmental grounds and it's a step in the right direction. We still have a long way to go.

I don't think the flag should be shown on public grounds, because of the principles it stood for. I'd be fine with a museum though. That feels much more appropriate to me.

I think most retailers are realizing that selling items like Nazi and Confederacy flags are going to hurt them more than it will help them. So I'm not surprised that most retailers are banning their sale.

@MamaG: I call BS on the people that believe waving a confederate (or rebel) flag is for preservation of history. Unless it is for a specific confederacy memorial or museum, the only people that display those flags are the people that believe in what the confederacy stood for and believe that the "south will rise again". Most of my family are white trash, rebel flag waving people, and trust me....their intent has nothing to do preservation of history and everything to do with racism. Sorry if I offend anyone with what I said, but it is what it is.

As a historian, I think it should be relegated to museums and history books and not flown on government property.

To me, it's just as bad as flying a flag with a Swastika on it. The flag represents a past in which hate and discrimination were the rule of the land. It is an important and undeniable part of this country's history, but those kind of artifacts belong in a museum, not flying at the State Capital building.

I am against what the flag stands for and I think it definitely should not be flown by any government organization. I wish big retailers had stopped selling it long ago. I wish people were more progressive and accepting of others. I don't believe in revising history though. I think symbols like the confederate flag and the swastika are unfortunate parts of our history, I don't support their use at all today, but wiping them out of history denies the atrocities generations before us faced.

@littlebug: yes, exactly.

@TrailRunner: would you think the same about a WWII memorial in Germany flying a nazi flag for all of their soldiers that died? (Not intended as snarky, just conversation)
@ms.line: I agree.
@Peasinapod: it was never just something appropriate though. It was a battle flag of a people fighting against the U.S. govermment because they didn't like laws that were passed limiting their ability to buy, sell, and use humans. They said the states should have the right to decide if they get to enslave people or not and so they violently rose up. It shouldn't be a proud history, but people here (in the south) still cling to it.

@travellingbee: over their memorial...yes. I am not saying that I in any way support the flag or anything like that, but they died for a cause they believed in at the time and I don't feel that removing the flag from their memorial is very appropriate. I'm not saying that regular Government buildings should be waving it, but the underlying problem is not a confederate flag at a confederate memorial.

@yoursilverlining: Yes, yes, yes. And I loved that article.

Not good. I think Robin Williams summed it up pretty well in one of his stand-up shows: "All those old senators going: 'The confederate flag is just the symbol of states' rights.' Yeah, and the swastika is just a good luck charm."

@yoursilverlining: I loved that article -- he always has great insights.

People just make me ill. So hard to believe that it is necessary to make people see why this would be offensive. In 2015. Ugh.

It needs to be taken off government property. It's tacky to have it there anyways. Plus, it's a small thing we can do to make people feel valued.

I had to delete a few people from my FB feed over the last few days because of this. Not even because they support it (although I do not, but that is their prerogative), but because through my lack of support for the history of that flag, I became an uneducated, liberal piece of shit, who doesn't know anything about anything, and the government has gotten to me, Canadians just don't understand, etc. I admit that, being Canadian, the confederate war wasn't a major topic in my education, but I think I can grasp the basics. I could obviously learn more, but all I learned the past few days from the supporters, was that threats of violence and ridiculous insults were rational responses to anyone who questioned or even politely disagreed with these people. Ugh. No thanks.

@.twist.: very specific