I was troubled by a statement in Kathleen Parker’s “If the flag keeps on flying, blacks keep on driving” (Commentary, Feb. 20), defending the Confederate flag.
She stated, “The Confederate flag, once a symbol of Southern courage, has devolved through the decades into a symbol of racist hate for many.”
The flag obviously has different symbolism to people of different perspectives.
I offer that to many people, the flag is a symbol of a government that went to war to preserve the right to treat human beings as animals.
I would think this meaning has been felt since the Civil War, not “devolved through the decades.”
I do not see much difference to the reaction an American would feel at seeing a Nazi flag allowed a prominent display, supported by fellow citizens.
There were many people of “courage” who fought for Germany.
But this does not make their lost cause a just one.
For significant reasons, the Confederate flag is a divisive symbol.
It represents both a historical attempt against the United States (which can reasonably outrage patriotic people) and a sad chapter of mankind’s cruelty and inhumanity to his fellow man.
Articles giving even off-handed support to normalization of that flag do a disservice to everyone and only impede the necessary healing.
The war is over and the South needs to get over it.
This is not an issue of heritage.
It is an issue of oppression.
