Black student respects confederate flag

COLUMBIA, South Carolina – A black U.S. college student who drew complaints for displaying a Confederate flag in his dorm room window said he sees the banner as a symbol of pride and not racism.

Byron Thomas, 19, said university officials asked him in late November to take the down the banner associated with pro-slavery secessionist forces during the 1861-1865 U.S. Civil War after students and parents complained. They have since told him he can put it back up.

"When I look at this flag, I don't see racism. I see respect, Southern pride," he said. "This flag was seen as a communication symbol" during the Civil War, he said.



Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/01/student-sparks-debate-with-dorm-room-confederate-flag/?test=latestnews#ixzz1fMnzHFEG

I made a thread about that flag some time back. There are very mixed views over it.

I saw the film "glory" and it made me wonder how people feel about it today. To a lot of people its a symbol of racism and slavery. To a lot of other people its just a sign of the south, a symbol that makes people feel like they have a kinship with other southerners.

It really is a matter of opinion.

As a person of "South'ren" heritage, I know that the confederate flag is a symbol for states' rights. But I also know that those are both code for racism. If the flag meant nothing but Southern culture and heritage, then it should have been defended from being defiled by its use by the KKK and other racist groups. But it wasn't, just the opposite.

There was one Confederate division that carried a flag other than the Confederate battle flag (shown below). That division was commanded by Gen Pat Cleburne who believed in states' rights while he also advocated freeing the slaves, and several officers supported him. But he was told by Pres. Jefferson Davis, in so many words, to shut the f*** up. If he hadn't been the most effective commander on either side of the war (IMHO), he'd probably have been strung up.

The flag is a symbol of racism and slavery and pretty much always has been. I guess so many people are justifying its use these days by saying "oh it's just the South in general" that some people believe it.

I don't have to tell anyone what a white redneck would say when he saw a black guy flying the flag, but it starts with "stupid" and ends with "ger."

I believe what I said above, but I also know that the transformation in Southern racist attitudes has been one of the most monumental shifts of its type in history. Some critics continue to confuse opposition to affirmative action etc., with racism, when in fact, affirmative action is racism. It's one of the tools that effectively keeps blacks following their black overseers and staying down on the plantation.

I doubt that very much...

Like treebs said, it's a matter of opinion..

The black guy in this article obviously disagrees with you; and I'm certain he doesn't feel stupid for it.

Im not American as you know. My US history is appauling. I know mostly what Hollywood tells me.

Until the late 1980's I was under the impression that the confederate flag was a symbol of being cool, like the dukes of hazzard and I beleive it was used with several images of Elvis in the 1970's.

Then after seeing some hollywooded up stuff about the civil war I realised that actually to display the flag was a massive smack in the teeth and balls for black americans.

So as I said, I asked people about it and got very mixed messages.

I can really see how it would upset people. Much like the swasticka. But then its been used by TV shows and music promoters. So I can see why people feel differently about it.

Comparing the Confederate Flag to the Swastika is a very apt analogy. The two are viewed pretty much the same way by most folks.

It is.

A redneck in the south saying the rebel flag is "just showing my Southern pride" is like a German using a swastika to "show my German pride."

I said that before and people went bats*** at me claiming it was nothing like the swastika and it merely meant that you was from the south.

I live in the South, the swastika and the confederate flag are very similar, and a black man displaying a confederate flag is comparable to a jew walking around with a swastika on his shirt.

I lived in the South for 18 years. I agree.

Yeah, as another person coming from the South I agree. This is the first time I've even heard about a black person even having the flag in his/her possession actually.

I think the best and most obvious argument that the rebel flag is a symbol of racism is the fact that it is used and displayed exclusively by white people.

The simple fact that it's even a news item for a black guy to have the flag literally means it's not some universal symbol of Southern pride. It's a symbol of white pride.

Thats a good point.

Down the street there is a family who fly a confederate flag. I pointed it out to my son saying how dumb they are for flying it and my son piped up "oh them! thats where the nazis live mum"