• Dodecahedron December@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    “Its not racism its history” yeah, a history of racism.

    “It was about states rights!” Yeah, the state’s rights to own slaves.

    “It’s a part of our past” yeah, part of our past of being absolute monsters.

    “I am still proud of my heritage” I guess you need to have your ass beat into the ground AGAIN, then.

  • MadMaurice@discuss.tchncs.de
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    1 year ago

    What I find particularly interesting is that the Confederacy only existed for 4 years, meaning to run around with an Obama flag would more historically relevant than this shit.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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      1 year ago

      I also like how people do it in Northern states. I live in Indiana and I see the Stars and Bars all the time. Sometimes with the Indiana state flag. The fools don’t even know what side we were on.

      • CMLVI@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        It’s all over in WV. The state that seceded from the Confederacy. And then when confronted they say it’s their heritage.

        Mother fucker, what heritage?

        • STUPIDVIPGUY@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Racism. that’s it. ‘Heritage’ is code for racism and ‘family values’ is code for heterosexism

          • CMLVI@kbin.social
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            1 year ago

            It’s a good thing they are great at being sneaky, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to figure it out almost instantaneously…

        • RaLiChu@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          West Virginia was also a labor union hotspot during the 20th century. Were even willing to take up arms against the mine companies when they started getting labor organizers murdered and miners were dying by the hundreds in purposely shitily operated mines to increase profits.

          Nowadays. They seem to do everything possible to please the mine companies even if it screws them over.

          • CMLVI@kbin.social
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            1 year ago

            1000%. We elected a coal baron to governor and he’s planning to run for house or senate next, likely to win.

            The culture here is fucked. They’ll fly the flag their grandfather’s died to fight against, they’ll vote for people their grandfather’s died to oppose, and they’ll condemn education their father’s worked to provide for them, all under the guise of “dems want to take my guns and make my kids trans”.

      • SmurfDotSee@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        Dude, they have people flying them in Canada. I don’t think there’s much common sense in the folks who publicly display it.

        • Mongostein@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          I once asked a guy why he would fly a Confederate flag in Canada and he said, “If you have to ask you wouldn’t understand.”

          I guess he was right. I don’t understand.

        • clearleaf@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          It’s a rebellious symbol. If talking heads said the flag of Kazakhstan was evil and we should all hate anyone who has one, it would have been that.

      • NotMichaelCera@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Bruh ive seen this shit in CANADA!!! like my guy, we beat them well before the damn civil war, we were event THERE!!!

    • Chathtiu@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      What I find particularly interesting is that the Confederacy only existed for 4 years, meaning to run around with an Obama flag would more historically relevant than this shit.

      “Historically relevant” or “historically significant” is really tricky thing to judge sometimes. While Obama’s 2 terms as president meant he was in charge for 8 years vs the Confederacy’s 4, I believe the Confederacy and the US Civil War they caused was more historically relevant than Obama’s 8 years as president.

      There’s a whole lot of nasty from the war and immediate fall out we’re seeing feeling today.

      • tallwookie@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        one could argue that the prelude to the civil war started before independence, since the Quakers were anti-slavery. even disregarding that, fighting was occuring over slavery for decades prior to the formation of the Confederacy - the famous bit at the tail end of that, “bleeding Kansas”, occured in the early 1850s.

        a mere 4 or 8 year length of time is largely inconsequential.

        • Chathtiu@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          one could argue that the prelude to the civil war started before independence, since the Quakers were anti-slavery. even disregarding that, fighting was occuring over slavery for decades prior to the formation of the Confederacy - the famous bit at the tail end of that, “bleeding Kansas”, occured in the early 1850s.

          a mere 4 or 8 year length of time is largely inconsequential.

          The US Civil War is more significant than just the penultimate legal question on slavery. It also set the tone for politics for the next 50 years, completely destroyed the population and economy of nearly half the country, and paved the road for some of the most important Amendments to the US Constitution.

          Plus the advances in war time technologies, tactics, and medicine weren’t too shabby.

      • SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        It’s amusing to me listening to an American talking about people making flags their personality.

        This is coming from a country where you can get an american flag on anything you want.

          • tallwookie@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            flying a flag is like passive support for/resistance against something.

            it’s easy virtue signaling, basically

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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          1 year ago

          This is coming from a country where you can get an american flag on anything you want.

          Which, incidentally, is a violation of U.S. flag code. So much for patriotism.

      • CMLVI@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Idk if the Pride flag, something that inherently describes a large part of a person’s identity and is a sign of community, is equatable to the Confederate flag.

        It is part of no one’s identity; no one alive was part of the confederacy. No one alive has parents in the confederacy. It is a sign of the Confederate States and their secession from the US over owning slaves; it is a sign of racism.

        • NotMichaelCera@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Its not about it being their personality its the fact that being gay and out IS a form of defiance and existence IS a crime. People in the US are still killing people for being gay. im not even gonnna bring up the countries that are LITEREALLY sending people to death by law for being gay imagine being persecuted for being who you are born. Existing can become a death sentence, so you fight for your right to have peace of mind for you and your community to just live.

          Its a fight for live, not a personality trait.

          • zeppo@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I’ve had people try to incite hate against me for being supposedly gay, which is kind of strange since I’m not. I could feel the disgust and viciousness, and this was from a supposedly super-liberal woman who claims to be bi herself. Irony is both of her kids turned out to be gay, ha. Anyway, some people really do want to kill you. It’s insane.

            • NotMichaelCera@lemm.ee
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              1 year ago

              I grew up with men saying that lesbians just needed a good f*****g and they would get in line. My aunt is gay so it was VERY confusing because these men knew that.

              Her life was very much surrpunded by “the gay are disgusting but not you, youre a good gay” 🙄

      • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        It has been a little sad watching the evolution of the Pride flag, because the adoption of the rainbow symbol was meant to show that everyone was included. Now the newest versions just show how eager we are to subdivide ourselves, which has made it easier for the conservatives to roll back on the gains the movement made in the 00’s.

        • NotMichaelCera@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          I am facinated by what you call subdivison i see as recognition. Thats a very interesting coin were looking at.

          I would say to avoid separation and alienation within the community we all have to work for intersectionality and communal empathy.

          • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I am facinated by what you call subdivison i see as recognition. Thats a very interesting coin were looking at.

            I was active in politicking for gay rights back in the 00’s, and back then the word “gay” was synonymous with “queer”. It meant everyone. The rainbow flag was the same way. Now the average person has no way of understanding the terminology or symbolism various factions use within the broader queer community, and it’s made it easier to alienate certain populations (trans people being the very visible example right now). There’s simply no unity because the various communities have willfully subdivided.

            I’m not an activist anymore (mental illness makes it too hard) but the queer community really, really needs to unite and recognize the greater threat of resurgent fascism, in my opinion. That’s harder to do when people have subdivided themselves and the various factions can’t come together to fight the real enemy.

            • RedSeries@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              I’ll take “Tell me you were never actually an ally without telling me you were never an ally” for $100 Alex.

              The flag was updated to include more folks who are oppressed as a minority. Anyone who is a target due to things like their sexuality, gender, disabilities, skin color, or other inherent traits belongs in it. The whole point is to band together because the groups in it are small and vulnerable. The fact that the updated flag bothers you and you’re willing to complain about it really speaks volumes to how much and why it matters to you.

              • JasSmith@kbin.social
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                1 year ago

                I’ll take “Tell me you were never actually an ally without telling me you were never an ally” for $100 Alex.

                This gatekeeping is exactly what they’re lamenting. Alienating people who have been fighting for equal rights for decades because they’re not pure enough is why the culture is turning.

                • RedSeries@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  They said they supported gays and are saying the new flag is divisive, despite it being more inclusive. The rainbow flag was not really representative for everyone, as it was predominately associated with gay men and lesbians, and was updated to try and include others in the LGBTQIA+ community that weren’t getting enough (or any!) representation. I’m calling out their signalling that they are an ally while they also claim that one of the problems with the community is that it is somehow more divisive, despite being more accepting and broader than ever before.

                  I find that being gatekept would mean that I don’t allow someone to be part of the community, and in a way I did do that. I’ll admit that part of my response was rude and probably uncalled for. This whole comment section is full of apologists for the confederate flag, and in my first reading I might have taken their intent more harshly than they meant. I’m sorry about that. I did not mean to gatekeep and in the future I’ll be more careful to not rebuke those who seem to mean well, even if I am hurt or concerned by what they said.

                  I still feel that focusing on the updated flag and how it may be seen as divisive is not very productive or helpful to the overall community, and overall the LGBTQIA+ community fights fascism at every turn. Having these tough conversations about marginalized groups and how they can be better represented is what helped spur the community to adopt the updated flags, regardless of opinions on it. Because, at the end of the day, it is a bunch of smaller groups banding together to protect one another. Flying the rainbow flag, progress, or updated progress w/ intersex are all valid ways to show support and raise awareness. I feel that way even in regards to flags representing smaller subsets, such as the lesbian, trans, or asexual flags.

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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              1 year ago

              Things change. Part of being progressive is accepting that. When politicking for said rights in the 00s, people weren’t trying to take away anyone’s rights, we were trying to grant them, such as letting LGBT people be in the military and get married to those of the same gender. The fight now is to keep those and other rights. And if that includes recognition and inclusion to help normalize things, good. It should. Stop being a dinosaur.

  • pozzy77@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    There’s a reason the same people that fly the confederate flag fly a Trump flag. They like things that last a few years and lose

  • Saneless@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    What did they lose, really? Besides a war, their generals, their free labor, and the value of their money?

      • bleph@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Are you seriously arguing that slavery wasn’t profitable for plantation owners?

        Aside from being dangerously close to “well actually we were doing the slaves a favor!”, that argument is absolutely absurd.

        Do you really think that they couldn’t get more economic value out of enslaved labor than they put in in shitty food and housing? By that logic, the poor poor plantation owners could just barely scrape by on a subsistence income. Does that match up with the lavish estates that we see in the south to this day?

        Aside from being illogical it’s also ahistorical - milenia ago the Romans had massive slave-based plantations generating obscene wealth.

      • oatscoop@midwest.social
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        1 year ago

        … what.

        A plantation own has to provide all the things you mentioned to whatever form of labor they’re using (free/paid or slave) either through wages or directly.

        It’s much cheaper to provide those things directly, and cheaper still when they’re not in a position to complain about the quality of them.

        A slave worked more hours, every single day, while eating the cheapest food available. A slave slept packed into a cheap, tiny, overcrowded shack. A slave couldn’t demand time off, higher wages, or quit. A slave could bring in income when their children were sold.

        Everything else aside plantation owners were businessmen. They used slaves because they were the cheapest labor available.

    • solstice@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Even the reddest counties in the reddest states vote 10% blue. Most red states have strong pockets of blue in cities. (Nashville, Charleston, pretty much all of south Florida). Many southern states are purple or even blue! Georgia has two blue senators and a governor! Virginia has two blue senators and a red governor. North Carolina is up there too.

      I’m very afraid for those people if the fascist lunatics get more control. I know you are sort of joking that we can’t just abandon them to that fate.

      Also selfishly: do we really want the Christian Taliban to create an Afghanistan with y’all Quida next door to us? That wouldn’t end well.

    • Maeve@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      At this point, seeking political asylum in an open air interment camp doesn’t seem a bad dream. It’s ridiculous here.

    • Saneless@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I’d love to see their declarations for seceding this time. Last time it was universally about slavery, I’m sure this time it will be wokeness or cheeks absent from Trump’s rear

    • ZILtoid1991@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      One problem: You will create a country with third world mentality on religion, but with first world weapons. They’ll immediately start a holy war against the north, and if they succeed, the rest of the world.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
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        1 year ago

        They can’t take our military equipment with them. Let them try to use their AR-15s against our drones and nukes.

  • paddirn@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    It wasn’t even used as the actual flag of the Confederacy. This version of the flag is the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, which has sort of just come to represent the whole Confederacy now. The actual flag that was used by the Confederacy actually had quite a bit more white on it, which in the eyes of some at the time understood it to represent the “White race” (from Wikipedia):

    On April 23, 1863, the Savannah Morning News editor William Tappan Thompson, with assistance from William Ross Postell, a Confederate blockade runner, published an editorial championing a design featuring the battle flag on a white background he referred to later as “The White Man’s Flag,” a name which never caught on. In explaining the white background of his design, Thompson wrote, “As a people, we are fighting to maintain the Heaven-ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race; a white flag would thus be emblematical of our cause.”

    Their flag actually went through three versions between 1861–1865 (each with multiple variations), so they really didn’t have their shit together over the course of those 4 years even.

  • BlueLineBae@midwest.social
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    1 year ago

    Shout-out to Vexillologycirclejerk@lemmy.antemeridiem.xyz as this post would be quite suited for their flag shit posting.

  • Zednix@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Pride is a sin and often the only people taking pride in a flag have done nothing to earn any pride.