The confederate flag shouldn’t be glorified

The confederate flag shouldn't be glorified

Patriotism is something we as Americans often take pride in. Fourth of July is a hugely celebrated holiday and many houses are decorated with an American flag.  There may be a point, however, when patriotism turns more into racism.

Some citizens adorn their belongings with the confederate flag, which wasn’t even the official flag of the Confederate States of America. In our school, you can see this flag on peoples’ shirts, book bags and cars, but the ones parading around with it probably never stop to think what it even means. Kansas was never a confederate state.

This flag is a symbol and shameful reminder of slavery and segregation. The flag has also been used by the KKK and Neo-Nazi rallies, but apparently that fact doesn’t affect peoples’ stance on the controversy. Those who say that it is a symbol of country pride are unfortunately wrong. The only kind of pride it is, is racism pride.

It is not the KKK’s official flag but the group highly supports this emblem and it is still often seen even today being waved at their rallies. Not only are the people waving it around uneducated about its history, but also uneducated for what it is used for today.

The confederate flag was also often used as a way to rebel against desegregation in the 1950s and 60s. It was revived around the time of Jim Crow, and before that it wasn’t very popular at all. A tagline that sometimes goes along with the flag is “White Power.” That is completely unacceptable in today’s society. This flag is as much every American’s heritage as the Nazi flag is every German’s heritage.

Many argue to say that it isn’t racist at all but if you look at what it has been used for in the past and in the present you can see that the agreement is somewhat invalid. When the Charleston Church Massacre happened, the killer, who had just slain nine black citizens, had two things with him; a pistol and the confederate flag.

The flag has always stood for slavery and white supremacy ever since its birth. It shouldn’t be banned, we need to know its history, but it should not be glorified.   It’s not tradition, it’s racism. It’s not a symbol of peace, it’s a symbol of hatred. People need to educate themselves before they go around claiming that a flag is their way of showing their rural roots. If someone wants to display their patriotism, then wave the actual flag of our country.

                                                                                                                                            18agonzalez@usd489.com