Rebel flag/ racism/ is history due to repeat its self?

Question

What do you think about the rebel flag? Are you for or against it? Personally I'm both. I think it is apart of our past and something that the south tried to fight for, no matter how wrong it was. People argue that many many people were killed under the rebel flag and that it shouldn't be flown. But then again, people die under the american flag over in iraq. But I also think that it was a bad reason for it ever being made, and i don't think people should carry it or wear it like they still represent it. And now on to racism, What is your option on that? There is so much racism in the world and it is growing with every passing day. I honestly think that history is due to repeat it's self. With segrigation and all. I dont think it will be with blacks and whites. But With blacks and whites vs. mexicans. Because remember how someone was trying to get a wall put between us and mexico? I think that would lead to a big conflix.

Okay now for your options. Please dont criticize mine.

Answer 1

History will not be able to repeat itself - the military is a much tighter organization than it was in that era, due to doctrine and communication technology.

If part of the US was to actually secede, it would be dispatched in under a day - there wouldn't be grand armies maneuvering around each other. Airplanes, satellites and mobile land divisions would ensure that any "civil war" here would be very brief and decisive.

Answer 2

Hello

Answer 3

To me, the Rebel flag represents one side of my ancestors who fought for what they believed in (states' rights), to decrease the power of a strong federal government and to give each state more power of its own.  I had relatives who fought for both sides, so both are part of my ancestory and heritage.  My grandfather died in the mid '90's (at 96) - he had a Rebel flag that he flew every 4th of July.  My brother (as a Civil War re-enactor) went to the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and flew our grandfather's flag at that re-enactment this year.  For us, it's not a symbol of racism or hate, but one of ancestory/heritage.  As West Virginians, our state was the ONLY state to secede from the SOUTHERN states (and its "parent state" of Virginia) and become a state of its own during the Civil War.  As a family, I can trace ancestors to both sides of the war.  I'm proud of both flags because of that.

Answer 4

Whatever your take on it is, the Confederate flag still implies racism to many people. So take them down, Nascar fans.

Answer 5

I'd have to agree with Erik and Teacher...the civil war was about who had ultimate power over a given group of people in a certain area...the state that they were citizens of or a bunch of people far off in other states...state's rights vs. federal government.  It wasn't till the north was losing badly and couldn't get volunteers to join that the issue of slavery was even addressed.

I'm proud of the confederate flag and glad that my state still honors it by a red backfield with a diamond shape of blue bars with the stars of the confederate states of america represented (Arkansas).

And I sincerely doubt a modern civil war would ever happen for the simple reason that modern education, communications and high (compared to horse and buggy) speed transportation prevent the buildup of misconceptions/miscommunications that prevailed in 1860.

Remember a vast majority of the well meaning populace had never read a newspaper, heard a speaker, or even met a person from the 'other' side when that war began...most were illiterate or functionally illiterate...and those who could read, had read perhaps four or five books in their whole lives!  Libraries were extremely rare and for the wealthy only.

Atrocities abounded on both sides...POW's in the north and south alike died by the tens of thousands because they were purposely starved and not allowed proper hygene, warmth, clothing or shelter.

Answer 6

The rebel battle flag (sometimes called the stars and bars) is not a symbol of racism or hatred it is a sacred symbol of southern pride and should be treated with reverance and respect.  Hundreds of thousands of southerners died under the flag most of whom were not slave holders, and did not endorse the institution of slavery.  Most higher ups in the Confederate government including General Lee and Judah P Benjamin were not supporters of slavery, infact were in open opposition.  Heres a simple fact that noone seems to admit to, THE CIVIL WAR WAS NOT ABOUT SLAVERY!  The civil war resulted from a variety of factors including governmental underepresentation for southerners, high tariffs in the north for southern goods essentially bankrupting southern farmers, illegal occupations of southern sympathy states (ie Lincolns illegal occupation of Missouri to keep them from the confederate cause) and a general disrespect of the sovereignty of southern states.  Slavery was an abomination but it would have died of natural causes, it was already on the decline due to the work of abolitionists and the realization that it was not economically viable.  Lincoln was not the water walking hero he was portrayed as and only resorted to enlisting the slavery cause when he needed to sway public support for a brutal war and to sway France and England from siding with the Confederacy.  In short the rebel flag is a symbol of heritage, not hate, its about defiance of an empire in what was essentially the second war of independence.  I have relatives who fought for the confederacy in the Missouri State Guard, they were not slave holders, and certainly not rich, just soldiers fighting for a cause they believed in under a flag they were proud of.....

Answer 7

Good question! The Confederate flag represents a country that never existed, and I'm glad that it didn't. The South would never been able to survive without the North, and in time, would probably have joined back to the Union. I'm not against the flag, but I don't see the purpose od flying it. Both sides took heavy losses in life, both sides were at fault for the cause of the war. A very needless one at that. Its a terrible part of every ones past. As for as racism, there always has been and always will be. Same day, just different color. Maybe we can learn from our past racism attitudes and maybe make the future a little brighter for ALL.