About taking the flag down

Thoughts on how you feel about taking the confederate flag down? I for one dont even know why we even had it up in the first place o.o

I think it should go down. A lot of people like to argue that they have it to honor the fallen confederate soldiers but they don't like to think about the meaning behind the flag. Just like the swastika. Didn't that used to represent life? The Nazis came in and used that in their flag and completely destroyed the harmless meaning behind it. Therefore, it became an offensive symbol. Just like the confederate flag.

The swastika was used in many cultures for centuries and still is. It's a symbol of peace and good luck that you'll find everywhere from Japan to India (hinduism, Buddhism and jainism). The nazis certainly used it in a very corrupt way, but should those who follow certain beliefs drop it because of that? Also, it's not the Confederate flag, that's the battle flag. And if you think the north was black friendly, you'd be sadly mistaken. Hell, Abraham Lincoln was a racist, but due to politics and economics the emancipation proclamation came about. That didn't exactly solve a problem, but people were already changing their views and that helped, albeit slowly in the south where most of the cotton and tobacco came from (and still does). I'm no racist, but some truly do have pride and not just a racist chip on their shoulders. In that same breath, I'd never own a rebel flag and I view most who do as rednecks. Really though, that flag has been there a long time and most didn't care. It's a slow day in media, so why not spice things up with a controversial topic?

That bothered me as well, that flag has been up there and now we decide to say something? It shouldn't take the death of 9 people to notice and change something like that. But we're so comfortable and unaware.. Its kinda sad.

I'm actually waiting for the day someone requests an alteration to the Oklahoma flag saying it promotes smoking because of the peace pipe. It's getting ridiculous, but I agree with yaasshat, the confederate flag kinda is a dead give away on you might be a redneck if...

The Confederate flag, or the battle flag, only started to be hung often in the South in the 50's in response to the Civil Rights movement for black people. It is not simply a symbol that has been hung for the last 150 years in the South for tradition. The issue is that the flag is and has remained a symbol of racism.

I'm originally from New Orleans but been living in Mississippi since I was 13 and truthfully I don't see that many people displaying a Confederate flag.Although I do think that it should be changed to something different since our region is a bit different from the rest of the country and wants to have our own identity.However I don't consider myself a true Southerner since I don't have a country accent and spent half my life in a major city

The Confederate flag should be removed from public property displays, if not for racist connotations, then for the simple fact that it is the symbol of a failed attempt at rebellion against the United States and is therefore by definition Un-American. People who want to raise it on their own private property, fine, by law, nobody can tell you you can't. But on public property, especially government property? Buh-bye.