Friday, October 18, 2013

To Those Still Wondering Why Displaying a Confederate Flag Isn't Super Cool



Disclaimer: I am a privileged white male. I do not claim to have a significant understanding of what it is like to me a minority, because I am not one. My opinions are only my own, and I do not claim to speak for any other ethnic group, but rather in solidarity with them. This post is mostly for white people like myself who don't understand why many people (both African American and white) are offended by the use of the Confederate flag. If any member of the Black community takes issue with my presumptuousness about sentiments toward the flag, please feel free contact me, as I am trying to be as accurate as possible.

A week or so ago a student hung a Confederate flag in his window on the fraternity quad at U of R. Another student, offended by the display, posted a picture to a UR FB group chastising him. After a discussion on this group, the student gave an explanation, apologized, and removed the flag. But since this is the internet, that was only the beginning. 

An explosion of arguments from both sides ensued. People took two sides: the first said that the flag was offensive, because it was a symbol of racism, and the second said that it was not offensive, because it was a symbol of Southern pride. But this unfortunate and circular discussion misses the point. To move the conversation forward, I would like to clear some things up.

In order to examine this incident we must engage with simple semiotics. In a social vacuum, the Confederate flag means nothing. It is a combination of colored fabrics arranged into an arbitrary shape. However, we, as humans, attach a great deal of value to symbols. These symbols can have different and conflicting meanings depending on multitude of factors (geopolitical region, race, religion, gender, socioeconomic status etc). Therefore it is impossible to say objectively what a symbol, in this case the Confederate Flag, does and does not represent. Those who view it as a symbol of Southern pride are correct. Those that view it as a symbol of bigotry are also correct. It does not have one true meaning, but many meanings, all equally valid. Since these meanings exist, so do their tangible effects on people.

It is a fact that a significant number of people are offended by this symbol. It doesn't matter why the flag is offensive. It just matters that it is. For some, it may be that it was used extensively by the Klu Klux Klan. For some, it may be that it was used as a symbol of protest against the ruling of Brown v Board of Education allowing racial integration in schools. For some, it may be of reminder of the Confederacy's desire to maintain the exploitative economic structure of slavery. It is also important to remember that these meanings are being applied to a group with a history of hundreds of years of economic, social, political, psychological oppression (watch Louis CK's explain the importance of historical context in a way that is equal parts hilarious and disturbing)

The positive meanings of the flag, Southern pride, freedom, individuality, do exist. However they do not discount its aforementioned negative meanings.

Think of it this way. Imagine you walk by a stranger on the way to class. You go up to this stranger, yell "fuck you!" and give him or her the middle finger. This person will most likely become very upset. You then explain that its okay to use the middle finger and the phrase "fuck you" in this way because they are not offensive. You say this because, for you, they represent something entirely different. You then get angry at the stranger for feeling offended.

That would be kind of ridiculous right? Sure, the middle finger isn't an an objectively evil finger, and the combination of letters that make up the word "fuck" aren't inherently bad. And sure, you might have different associations with these actions. But many people attribute negative meanings to them, and therefore they are considered widely offensive. This is the case with the Confederate flag, except that the meanings go much deeper. Most people are offended by the use of the middle finger. But they do not experience a reminder of the systematic oppression of their people when the finger is displayed, in the way that African Americans might when they see a Confederate flag. 

Sure, the Confederate flag might represent Southern pride for some people, but you are celebrating it while disregarding the sentiments of a good portion of the Black community. Perhaps there is a different, less racist way to celebrate Southern pride, like buying a Paula Dean cookbook (oh wait...)


To argue that the flag means this, or the flag means that, is misguided. The flag means whatever people think it means. But something with a significant amount of negative meaning should be examined. You have the freedom to hang a Confederate flag wherever you want, just as you have the freedom to shout "fuck you" to strangers, but in both cases you must be ready for people to be offended. You must be ready for people to be upset by it. And you must be ready for people to take a stance against it. 


This whole debate makes me very sad. Instead of actually engaging in a critical discussion of racial equality, we are stuck picking apart the basics of semiotics and what it means to be "offensive." This is not progressive stuff. I am not writing an academic thesis on the Marxist-feminist readings of the Confederate flag. This is simple critical thinking in order to gain a basic understanding of the world we live in. In these discussions instead of moving forward, we simply fight not to fall backward, as we ultimately stay in one place. 

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