Symbols change in meaning. The swastika used to be a symbol of life and good health. Anyone who wears it now and claims they're doing so to celebrate life and good health is either dissembling or completely ignorant of its current connotation, and I find it hard to believe anyone is ignorant of what that symbol means.
Likewise, I find it hard to believe that anyone in the South could be unaware of the connotations that flag has taken on, most especially when it's hung in front of statehouses.
Personally, I am of the school that if you know people are going to think what you're doing is offensive (even if you don't mean it to be so) you try to not do it around them but I've met a ton of people who love the confederate flag so much that they can't imagine how anyone would equate it with racism or intolerance.
Do you think that they know that it's offensive to others, including large numbers of African-Americans?
I have no contempt for the South. The South is not equivalent to the Confederacy. Nor is the flying of the Confederate battle flag a value-neutral declaration of pride of heritage, not any more. This may be a sad thing, but it's true, much as it's true that as much as I love life and good health, I'm not about to wear a swastika on my jacket to honor that.
I do believe that some of my friends (porcinea comes to mind) may have things to say that may change my opinion on this, but "It might offend people to feel insulted that they perpetuate a divisive symbol" isn't very persuasive to me at the moment.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2007-03-21 05:07 pm (UTC)Likewise, I find it hard to believe that anyone in the South could be unaware of the connotations that flag has taken on, most especially when it's hung in front of statehouses.
Personally, I am of the school that if you know people are going to think what you're doing is offensive (even if you don't mean it to be so) you try to not do it around them but I've met a ton of people who love the confederate flag so much that they can't imagine how anyone would equate it with racism or intolerance.
Do you think that they know that it's offensive to others, including large numbers of African-Americans?
I have no contempt for the South. The South is not equivalent to the Confederacy. Nor is the flying of the Confederate battle flag a value-neutral declaration of pride of heritage, not any more. This may be a sad thing, but it's true, much as it's true that as much as I love life and good health, I'm not about to wear a swastika on my jacket to honor that.
I do believe that some of my friends (