Okay, here’s the deal. I am calling this the Heritage Not Hate Debate, and I need opinions from my loyal and faithful readers.
My son, Bradley is wanting to fly his Rebel Flag from his truck, and we are completely reluctant to allow this to happen, for various reasons.
One of the most obvious reason is because as a mother, I am terrified that someone might see it as a symbol of hate and not heritage, causing undue controversy.
Bradley’s argument is, The Confederate Flag is heritage and represents freedom, therefore it would be fine. He feels that we live in the South and this flag is a symbol of the South and the Civil War, anyone seeing it differently are the ones that have the problem.
This debate has been going on for quite a while now and Bradley even asked his Sunday School teacher about it and he felt it would be fine to have the flag on his truck. I am not dismissing the fact that it is heritage but I feel that he does not need to bring attention to himself from others that feel differently.
Another one of his arguments is that there are many different flags and symbols that people use on their vehicles that represent their schools, organizations and the likes that they may have, so why is this different.
Regardless, at this time, we are not allowing him to fly his flag, but I would love to hear from others on this debate. He feels very strongly about this and maybe a compromise can be had by maybe allowing a sticker instead, but I am still on the fence. What do you think?
12 Comments:
I think I am with you. though his arguments are correct, he is not able to see the bigger picture (most teenagers can't) and the trouble it may cause. Just because something is not wrong, doesn't mean we should do it.
I AGREE WITH YOU!
We're in KY, and a lot of kids fly these on their trucks. Depending on the community...you either get a lot of "atta boys" or your windshield broken!
Why set yourself up for that kind of headache!
Tell him to put it on the wall in his bedroom!
Sadly I think I agree with you mom. However much heritage that this symbol caries with it there are still those with certain points of view that would look at this in a different way. As parents we at times have to look at the safety of our children and make the difficult decisions.
I totally agree that is should not be an issue, but the reality is that it probably would be for some people!
Blessings
Robin
off topic: i never did see an email with additional sites for digital scrapbooks, but then sometimes I get a bit ahead of myself in my desire to clean up my inbox and could have deleted it.
Speaking from a Northerner's point of view....I would not allow my kiddo to hang it in his truck.
No, it isn't wrong but many people see the flag as a sign of "support" for what the South stood for during that time in history. They don't look as it as the heritage of the South.
Stand your ground! I'm with Jacki, let him hang it in his bedroom (preferably not as a curtain!)
I agree with you Patrice. There are some things that I think you could get away with excusing them as someone else's misinterpretation, but I don't think you can do that with this. He's right, it is a representation of the South and state's rights and whatnot, but it represents something different to an entire culture of people. I think in consideration for others (and especially our witness for Christ) if we KNOW there is something that would cause deliberate dissension among others, it's best to not display it. Besides, depending on where you live, such a display could possibly put him in danger of violence.
I second Jacki - let him hang it on the wall in his bedroom, possibly on the condition that he remove it if you have friends over who would be offended by it.
I'm with the others here. I wouldn't let my girls have it on their cars. Ya know, if they weren't 4 & 2...
There are alot of things to show the love of the south. Maybe something less controversial would be more appropriate. Like a flag of fried okra or a glass of sweet tea?
Interesting. I remember the day our school had a parade and a member of the FFA (future farmers of america-which I'm sure you're familiar with) flew one from his truck. It caused problems. In fact, I think he got in major trouble by the Principal because of the controversy that surrounds this flag in general. I agree with you and your husband, don't let him fly it. We are the South of the U.S., but we're not 'seperated' any longer. The United States is ONE nation. It's not a matter of seperation; the South, the North. We're one...so maybe he should fly the American Flag instead. ;)
Ditto~ I'm with you Patrice. I agree with him too, but you see the big picture where he sees that his "right" is being violated. We want him safe and so for now, I would stand strong.
You must walk a fine line. They who view the flag as a hate image have a different view. And in the view they have it is a hate tool.
And then you have we who see the flag as a proud symbol of our ancestors fight against Government intervention.
Try flying the First National Flag
of the C.S.A. many do not even know what it is. By doing so you uphold the honor of your southern tradition. You also open the door for talking about the south, when people ask what flag is that ?
Most think it a Texas Flag.
Wow you sure know how to open a can of worms don't you. But since you asked, I will give you my opinion.
There are several ways to look at this issue. There is nothing wrong with displaying this flag. The flag is not evil and wasn't originally a symbol of evil. However some hate groups adopted it as their symbol so now the flag represents two different things. One is heritage and the other is hatered. It is unfortunate that these hate groups used this as their symbol but they did and nothing can change that. Because of this many minorities only see the hatred when they see the flag so they find it offensive. It is our right to fly the flag just as it is everyone elses right to fly whichever flag they choose. But being a compassionate person and thinking about others, I choose not to fly it at my house. That's not to say that I don't have one and maybe just keep it out of sight. I see it is heritage.
But here is the problem. One of these hate groups also used a cross as one of their symbols. So what happens when someone says that they find crosses offensive and want them removed from in front of churches or public places? Believe me this has already happened its just not well known.
Following that athiests who find religion offensive will try to make churches non conspicuous. They may make you hide your religion and worship in private so that no one is offended.
My point is this. We shouldn't intentionally go around doing things that offend others but when will it end? I would love to hear a debate on this issue. I am sure there are some gross misconceptions on both sides.
One last thing I want to say. Since I live in the deep south, I know this to be true. There are those who say that they want to fly the flag for heritige reasons but only do it to offend others. And there are ones on the other side who object to the flag not because it offends them but because they can. Both are wrong.
Sorry that was so long and also sorry about the spelling. I need spell check. :)
My high school was "The Southside Rebels" because it sat on the south side of town. For years, the mascot was nothing more than that flag. One year while I was still in school, they removed it and chose a cannon instead. They removed it because it was offensive to so many people. There is a history of racial conflict in this area, and that symbol didn't help a thing. So they removed it. Nowadays, if we see that flag anywhere it means a completely different thing than it does to your son; no one around here flies that unless they're making a statement. So my perspective is skewed. I liked what Greg said, "We shouldn't intentionally go around doing things that offend others but when will it end?"
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