Years back I used to date a woman who lived in Columbia, SC. I went to visit her for a long weekend and while she was working during the day I would mill about the city. This was 2003.
I check out a few of the museums, the zoo, the college there and a bunch of other local fauna.
Then I drove past the capital building. And I saw it.
At the top of the state’s most important building was a confederate flag. Flying high and wide. I was in shock. And not much shocks me. I once found a guy that had been dead three days. No biggie. I slept great that night. But this one forced me to stop the car, get out, and stare. I kept waiting for Rod Serling’s voice to come from the shadows explaining that I had unknowingly stepped into a wormhole and transported back to the 1950s.
I was ashamed and offended that this situation existed. I mean, it’s not like it’s just flying above some asshole’s house down by the salt mines. This is the capital building. Anyway, I’ve never really researched why it’s there and all, and I imagine there’s some sort of reason. But, to me, it’s clearly wrong. That’s my opinion.
I had forgotten about this whole incident until I was in Atlanta earlier this summer. My girlfriend and I were at an engagement dinner and I met an attorney who prosecuted DUI offenders in Columbia. He works for the state. Since he probably goes to the capital I just had to ask him about that flag nonsense. Here’s the conversation, pretty much as it actually happened.
Hey, I once went to Columbia. I saw that flag thing on the state building. It blew my mind!
Oh yeah, huge topic of debate. The finally took it down.
Thank God! I mean, it’s 2012 – probably time to remove the most racist symbol of our society, right?
Well, actually, they moved it (showing a smirk on the left corner of his mouth) to a monument right in front. It’s actually even more visible now.
You’re shitting me. That’s nuts.
Oh, it’s not racist. Really it isn’t.
Yeah, it sort of is.
Well, black people think it is. But it isn’t.
— fin —
Now, I had to stop talking at this point because this guy totally knocked the verbal wind out of me. Here he is, an educated attorney, believing that the confederate flag isn’t a symbol of racism. And yes, I’m sure that’s not what the original flag designers had in mind. But things get attached to things and the meaning changes. The swastika was found in the Ukraine thought to be from 10,000 B.C. The meaning changed when the Nazis took hold of that symbol and did all their terribleness.
Now, I don’t mind when a dumb person says dumb things. I sort of expect it. But when an educated attorney actually thinks that a flag isn’t racist because it wasn’t it’s original intention, that blows my mind.
But – I am making room for error here. Am I totally off base? Did I miss something? Is this flag not the big deal I’m thinking it is?
My thought is that if the rest of the country generally associates it with the most shameful time in our history, isn’t that good enough to take it down, put it in a drawer, and push the armoire into a lake with weights? And then blow up the lake with dynamite? Ooh, I wonder if all the fish would explode and rain fish guts down upon the people watching the lake blow up. Because you know at least 20,000 people would go watch that. I know I would. I love a good show.
So, what’s your take on this? I’m from the Midwest and must admit I don’t really know much about this stuff. But my thought is that if you have a flag that most of the country thinks is racist, maybe just out of respect you should take it down.
Sorry this wasn’t funny – it’s just been bugging me. And I truly want to know if I’m the crazy one here. I often am.
photo credit: jimbowen0306 via photo pin cc
forever_trust says:
I see it as a racist symbol, too. I live in Michigan, and a acquaintance once flew a HUGE Confederate flag on her husband’s truck – on the 4th of July! I don’t remember the excuse she gave to justify it, but to me, that was just wrong.
D.J. Paris says:
forever_trust Sounds like an awesome friend. Great pick!
forever_trust says:
Not a friend, DEFINITELY an acquaintance! 🙂 tfpHumorBlog
lateesha30 says:
I’m a black woman and refuse to play the race card for every little thing in this messed up society but I agree that flag should have been taken down. It’s just offensive to way too many people. I understand it being a part of history and as so should be displayed in a museum. We can’t stop private citizens from displaying it, but displaying it at government buildings is ludicrous!
lateesha30 says:
I’m a black woman and refuse to play the race card for every little thing in this messed up society but I agree that flag should have been taken down. It’s just offensive to way too many people. I understand it being a part of history and as so should be displayed in a museum. We can’t stop private citizens from displaying it, but displaying it at government buildings is ludicrous!
D.J. Paris says:
lateesha30 Totally. It’s good that people fly it on their homes because you know who to not hang out with – but in the govt building is probably not the best message to send to our nubian sisters and brothers. Wait, is nubian brothers correct? I think I’m using it wrong.
lateesha30 says:
tfpHumorBlog Not sure if the first reply went through but anyway I like Nubian sister…not Nubian brother so much LOL! I have never heard the term used in reference to the male species but that could me.
bryan4u says:
I think the whole argument is silly and pointless. So the South (and the North as well) was guilty of racism and all it’s associated ills. But it’s also true that the South also has a lot of good points has contributed to the United States in numerous ways as well. The U.S. wouldn’t be what it is today without the benefit of the South. It was from the South that America now enjoys the pleasures of rocking chairs, watermelons, peanuts, and grits. And don’t forget about our famous moon pies too. The contributions of Mark Twain, William Faulkner, and Thomas Wolfe can’t be denied and they all hailed from the South. As well as the famous Tuskegee Airmen whose heroism in WWII will be talked about and honored as long as there is a United States of America. They are the kind of Southerners who helped make this country a great one. Jazz music was created in the South but is enjoyed worldwide. And I could go on and on. My point is that there would be no United States without it’s so called confederate states as well. Labeling the confederate flag as “racist” makes as much sense as labeling the flag of the USA as guilty of the instigating the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s a true statement of course. But to only focus on this one point and to ignore all the good things that our flag represents is flat out slander.
D.J. Paris says:
bryan4u Well, my point is – it doesn’t matter what it represents to the south. It represents pretty awful shit to black people. So, just out of respect, why not take it down? People from down there hanging on to the belief that the south is different is narcissistic and strange. We’re all just one country.
Katjaneway says:
DJ – did you see the wiki? Scroll down to “Controversy” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_the_Confederate_States_of_America
D.J. Paris says:
Katjaneway I wrote about state flags above – just get rid of ’em. Nobody cares about Mississippi’s state flag with a beaver on it. Flags are dumb. We have one – let’s move on.
kathym425 says:
I completely agree that flying this flag is certainly in bad taste. There is certainly nothing wrong with them being proud of what their state has accomplished and contributed throughout their history but this flag is also a symbol of racism and slavery and you would think that those in power wouldn’t want to offend such a large part of the population by flying it in their faces.
D.J. Paris says:
kathym425 Yeah- that’s the point. Forget about what the flag stands for. If it offends, say 75% of the country, let’s just respect that and take it down. Seems logical and respectful.
Natalie the Singingfool says:
I once had a friend who wanted a Confederate Flag tattooed on her arm because to her it symbolized the South. I asked her to reconsider her chosen symbol because when I see it, I think, “Hmm, pro-slavery enough to start a war over the issue…”Maybe I’m just a crazy granola-eating Californian, but I agree: WTF?
D.J. Paris says:
Natalie the Singingfool You’d have to disown that friend. You certainly couldn’t bring them to the hip-hop clubs you frequent. And she wouldn’t be a good choice for the Colonel West book tours you follow.
mommifried says:
You once saw a three-day old dead body?!?!? Wait, this was about the flag. Agree completely. Racist and offensive. My best friend is from Alabama and is in an interracial marriage. For all they have had to endure, I’d like to see this flag used as toilet paper. But I’m from Maine. What do I know? 😉
D.J. Paris says:
mommifried I did find a three day old dead body! It was a neutral event for me, as I remember. But I’m pretty self-absorbed.
MarieLoerzel says:
I went to the University of Alabama (I’m from upstate NY originally) for a year 89-90. I was appalled that not only did they have sororities and fraternities that were segregated white and black, but their houses didn’t even share the same street. Guess who lived on the street referred to as Fro Row? I wonder if its changed in the last 20 years. But, I don’t want to go back to find out…
D.J. Paris says:
MarieLoerzel I’m assuming Jews from the 70s lived on Fro Row. No?
MSNEAD says:
I am originally from Philadelphia but am a (proud) graduate of the University of South Carolina. During my junior year, I was taking a Vietnam and the 60’s class when the professor announced we would take a field trip to the Capitol to see the protest/rally surrounding taking down the flag. I learned two things that day: 1. The argument that the flag is a symbol of their history is flat out wrong. That flag was raised in 1961 – blatant racist statement no matter how you look at it (maybe would have been different if it were raised in the 1800’s). 2). The KKK showed up at that rally, no joke. In my mind, if the KKK shows up at your event, you’re doing it wrong. The monument they built as a “compromise” made the whole situation worse. But, according to several people at that rally, I was just a “liberal yankee” with no business being there. So you’re not crazy. What would be crazy is if it didn’t bother you. Go Gamecocks!
D.J. Paris says:
MSNEAD Yeah, when the Klan shows up to support your cause, you need to go put a bullet in your temple.
EFFBlog says:
I do not think that you are crazy. I too feel that the confederate flag is a symbol of a very terrible piece of American history. When I see that flag I think of that part of our history and I think that most do, no matter what they say it stands for. The history and meaning is attached to it and I agree that it has no place in our government… or any place outside of a history book or museum for that matter.
D.J. Paris says:
EFFBlog I’m all for letting people fly it around their trailers and such. That’s fine, and sort of funny. But not at the capital building, for chrissakes. You know what – if you have to fly both, then just fly neither. No flag. Nobody will give a shit when they do the capital tour. They won’t even notice.
rmkalinich says:
I agree. Definitely offensive. You may be crazy, but not in this particular instance.
D.J. Paris says:
rmkalinich By agreeing with me, my appreciation of you just went up four points.
inthemomlight says:
Seems offensive, but why are they even arguing I mean why don’t they just fly the current flag?? That makes it seem intentional and worse… anyway, did you really discover a body? I need a therapy session if you did because that’s disturbing.
D.J. Paris says:
inthemomlight Right – I say get rid of all the stupid flags. Your city doesn’t need a flag. Your state doesn’t either. Let’s just use the one and move on with our lives. There are more fun things to do like try the roller derby just once before we die.
Mod Mom Beyond IndieDom says:
I was a civil war re-enactor on the confederate side. I think this means I’m gonna kick your ass. Actually, we were confederates because they’re more fun. The music is more fun, the uniforms are caszzzual, they drink and smoke brandy cigars and cuss a lot more. But the flag thing? That’s just wack and all kidsa racist. It was really scary some of the people we’d encounter at these things who seemed to think the war was still happening. I mean, they were still against freeing the slaves….yeah….
D.J. Paris says:
Mod Mom Beyond IndieDom When people talk about preserving the south as if it’s some magical land where people are just better than everyone else, I cringe. Yes, I’ll give them the hospitality and politeness thing. But, hey, let’s not forget Florida. Florida changes everything. Nothing to preserve there.
jay2inva says:
Yes, you’re crazy.Yes, it’s racist and stupid.A quick story. Although from the midwest [Ohio–remind me how Ohio is ‘mid’ ‘west’, it always confused me as an elementary student], I currently live in Virginia. One day a few years back, a co-worker and I were chatting. He is one of those great guys who speaks with a deep Virginia/N Carolina accent. [you need to know that to get the full impact of what he said] He was lamenting that schools today weren’t teaching kids well. He had a conversation with his late-teen aged daughters and he asked them who won ‘the war’. Of course, they said that ‘we did’. He blew up, and said, “No, we didn’t, they did.”In truth, he was joking, but that view of ‘the war’ and what happened is pervasive around here. At first glance, there appears to be no prejudice, but at some point you realize that they are very, very good at lying and pretending. I am proud to say that my daughter, when trying to describe a particular girl who is black, never actually said she is black…it didn’t cross her mind. [I am terrible at remembering all her friends names]. She did finally say that she has very dark skin. Now we need our youngest generations to understand that GAY is not a choice, and is OK too.
D.J. Paris says:
jay2inva But clearly gay people are choosing that lifestyle, right? Because it’s the easier lifestyle and they will experience a heck of a lot less stress and trauma from society. They’re taking the easy road!/hoping that the sarcasm was thick enough
bluenotebacker says:
I don’t think I’ve offended by it so much as just saddened. I think it’s very inappropriate, and smacks of racism, but I’ve become fairly immune to being offended by the stupidity of others. If anything I’m just embarrassed for them. For the record, I do think you’re a little crazy, but not because of this, and no more than I.
SrslyAmusing says:
I’m with you on this one. It’s like sexual harassment. It doesn’t matter what you intended by the comment or the gesture, all that matters is how the person took it.The confederate flag is a clear symbol of ignorance and racism. People who fly it need to find a new symbol of “the South”. I make no apologies.As an anecdote, I was living in this townhouse complex a few years back … came out my door and saw a swastika crudely painted on the door of the place across from mine. Now, I have Jewish heritage and I had an almost visceral response. I came this || close to knocking on their door to see if everyone was okay, I almost cleaned it off on my own … it was a major shock to my system that this would happen in the world, or more specifically in my world.It turned out that the family was a Hindu family and that the Swastika was a celebratory symbol to them for some holiday. It’s supposed to be good luck to paint it on your door. They never removed it. So every time I left through the front door I had to see a swastika on the door in front of mine. It may mean prosperity and fluffy bunnies for someone else, but it had a far different effect on me. The argument given to me when I was feeling appalled by it was the same basic argument you got on the flag. It has stood for other things far longer than it stood for Nazi Germany and the attempted extermination of my people … so I should get over it.So simply put, I’m with you on this one. People do things that change the effect of symbols and there’s nothing you can do about that. Change your symbol or at very least respect the people affected by it not to air it publicly.
WhenCrazyMeetsExhaustion says:
So I worked in an inner city school and one little white chick insisted she wear her confederate flag t-shirt, like, once a week. A teacher finally pulled her aside, explained the “implications” of the shirt, and she vehemently disagreed that she was in the wrong. Her parents came in and oozed racist comments and finally, in a moment I remember as great but he remembers as a weakness, our Black Assistant Principal suggested the family move back down south where the shirt would be appreciated.
Oh and for once? You ain’t cray 😉