The Confederate Flag
I wrote this in response to an article that suggested that those who display the Confederate flag in the name of pride in their heritage are full of it, an attitude I've seen a lot of places.
As someone who grew up in the South I am quite familiar with the use of the Confederate flag as a symbol of pride. It’s the same way Texans flaunt all that “Don’t Mess With Texas” stuff. It’s used as a way to show pride in the place you are from. Not that I don’t think that’s deeply problematic given the history, but it is true that it’s the most obvious, cohesive symbol for a region that has always been somewhat apart from the rest of the country, and I think that’s the main reason why people evoke it. Especially since it has been used as a symbol of a sort of nationalistic pride so frequently, I would venture to say that most Southerners displaying a Confederate flag aren’t thinking about the Civil War at all. They are just trying to say “I’m Southern and proud.”
I’m trying to think of another symbol that immediately says “The South” to me and I can’t. Except for sweet tea, but that’s not very exciting. :) Anyway, I think people are being honest when they say it’s a heritage/pride thing. I think we should still point out to them the horrible, racist history that the Confederate flag ALSO clearly and immediately evokes, but I don’t think it’s useful to pretend they’re being disingenuous.
Southern Pride is a difficult concept for me. We all want to have pride in our roots, and there are a lot of things I deeply love about the South, things that are a part of me. But I also hate how fucking backwards the place is and how ignorant so many of the people are. My relationship with the South is decidedly love-hate. I am so glad I left the region, and yet my heart yearns for it on a regular basis, for the open fields and the muggy summer nights and the laid-back speed of life and the down-to-earth attitudes. And let's not forget the sweet tea.
But CAN you have Southern Pride without also evoking all the nastiness? It’s not like the US as a whole hasn’t done some horrible, atrocious things too, but we don’t balk at patriotism. The whole thing just reminds me how stupid nationalism is. And yet… somehow I am proud to be Southern. I love my family and my home… even with it’s terrible past and, as we see, it’s present.
I am reminded of a quote from a book I read called Out in the South. It said, “I moved to California so that I could be gay, but I found out that I was Southern.”
ETA: I also think that just because something is problematic, that doesn't mean we shouldn't ever do it. It just means we should think about it.
As someone who grew up in the South I am quite familiar with the use of the Confederate flag as a symbol of pride. It’s the same way Texans flaunt all that “Don’t Mess With Texas” stuff. It’s used as a way to show pride in the place you are from. Not that I don’t think that’s deeply problematic given the history, but it is true that it’s the most obvious, cohesive symbol for a region that has always been somewhat apart from the rest of the country, and I think that’s the main reason why people evoke it. Especially since it has been used as a symbol of a sort of nationalistic pride so frequently, I would venture to say that most Southerners displaying a Confederate flag aren’t thinking about the Civil War at all. They are just trying to say “I’m Southern and proud.”
I’m trying to think of another symbol that immediately says “The South” to me and I can’t. Except for sweet tea, but that’s not very exciting. :) Anyway, I think people are being honest when they say it’s a heritage/pride thing. I think we should still point out to them the horrible, racist history that the Confederate flag ALSO clearly and immediately evokes, but I don’t think it’s useful to pretend they’re being disingenuous.
Southern Pride is a difficult concept for me. We all want to have pride in our roots, and there are a lot of things I deeply love about the South, things that are a part of me. But I also hate how fucking backwards the place is and how ignorant so many of the people are. My relationship with the South is decidedly love-hate. I am so glad I left the region, and yet my heart yearns for it on a regular basis, for the open fields and the muggy summer nights and the laid-back speed of life and the down-to-earth attitudes. And let's not forget the sweet tea.
But CAN you have Southern Pride without also evoking all the nastiness? It’s not like the US as a whole hasn’t done some horrible, atrocious things too, but we don’t balk at patriotism. The whole thing just reminds me how stupid nationalism is. And yet… somehow I am proud to be Southern. I love my family and my home… even with it’s terrible past and, as we see, it’s present.
I am reminded of a quote from a book I read called Out in the South. It said, “I moved to California so that I could be gay, but I found out that I was Southern.”
ETA: I also think that just because something is problematic, that doesn't mean we shouldn't ever do it. It just means we should think about it.