Former and future students,
One of my students asked me my opinion on the confederate flag issue that is currently unfolding in South Carolina. Considering all of the press currently being given to the racial tensions in the country, the debate surrounding a symbol that represents the entirety of a unique culture (including the idea that slavery is a good thing) is not surprising. This is a complex argument revolving around complex issues that have been around since before the drafting of the constitution, but I will do my best to make my argument in a way that will not be offensive to any individuals that may be reading, but be warned before continuing this will contain information / viewpoints that you may not agree with.
Symbols are powerful. they convey an entire system of beliefs in an instant. They are essentially a shortcut we can utilize to categorize and sort those individuals that we can then choose to interact with or not. Consider symbols a graphic medium for stereotyping. This particular symbol, the confederate flag, has developed different meanings to different groups of people. Many individuals living in the South believe the Confederate flag represents a unique cultural heritage; However, due to current and past racial tension in the United States, the Confederacies stance on slavery, and our belief that a representational government reflects the entirety of a population, the confederate flag should not be displayed by any federal or state governmental organizations. (That thesis is for you AP students)
Ferguson, St. Louis, Charleston all of these cities have been spotlighted for violence against the black community during the past year. That violence, however, is not a new occurrence in our country; Micheal Brown will join names like Emmett Till in our countries fight against an imagined idea of racial superiority. It is however these acts of violence that has catapulted the race debate back into the spotlight for what seems like the first time since the civil rights movement of the 1960's. Across the country state governments are reacting and digging deeper at racial tensions in this country often uncovering systemic abuses of minorities by government agencies(the police in St. Louis). As well as throwing the spotlight on the economic disparity between the wealthy and the poor which has created a system that has severely hindered the ability of the poor (largely minority) to achieve the American dream with any reliability. The confederate flag is a symbol that represents an attitude that, on some level, is okay with this type of system. And it is these acts of violence that have reinvigorated attempts to remove that symbol from state grounds.
As we discussed during the school year the civil war was fought for various reasons with states rights being at the forefront of the debate, but as I hope you remember, it was a states right to own people, sell people, and expand the influence of slavery. So it is logical that some portion of this country associates the Confederate flag with the institution of slavery. Returning to my graphical stereotyping connection mentioned earlier, if I see a state government touting the Stars and Bars my instant thought will be that they, the state, support discrimination against African-Americans and other minorities. So the same institution that I pay taxes too, that provides for the education of my child, and empowers those that enforce the law is on some level expressing an idea that offends or alienates large chunks of its constituency. On the other hand if I see a car with the Confederate flag on the window it helps define who they are as an individual and provides me with some foresight into what to expect from them. The state however,is not an individual but a chorus, and should not endorse this message real or perceived, because of the representative government we put in place with our constitution.
We are a representational democracy. Whatever the government supports its is viewed as a belief shared by all. therefore it is very difficult in situations like this to decide what types of beliefs the state can or cannot endorse. These debates are not unique either. In a court case similar to the current debate in South Carolina, Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, INC. (http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-144_758b.pdf)The Supreme court ruled that a specialty licence plate featuring the confederate flag not only reflects the views and beliefs of the individual that purchased it but the government that issued it. So we as a government chose not to issue confederate flag license plates for fear of being associated with confederate values which include slavery.The argument can be extended to court cases against state institutions with the ten commandments or other religious texts posted in some form on public land. While the controversy is harsh and bitter, often times it ends with these monuments being torn down or moved despite the fact that we are a largely christian country. Because these symbols tend to polarize the population and create a minority it is impossible for the state to effectively regulate their use without an all or nothing approach, and we have chosen the nothing.
In closing; if you choose to go out and purchase the Stars and Bars and fly it in front of your home or from your car window. Be my guest, it is your right as an American to embrace your heritage and derive cultural value from that symbol of the South. However, we cannot endorse the flying of confederate flags, especially in a place of prominence, by the institution that is meant to represent everyone that is participating in government. This does however cause us to walk a very scary line between keeping beliefs separate and a revisionist history that erases the men and women of the confederacy from our history books. But that is a debate for another time.
TLDR: The State Should not endorse the Confederate flag. That said. as a private citizen, do what you want its a free country.
