Thoughts on the Confederate Flag

The Confederate Flag has suddenly risen to the level of high cultural impact, though it has been a standard, highly visible racist symbol for decades. Let me clarify: I don't believe the Confederate Flag is inherently racist or that people are necessarily racist for (let us say) approving of the flag. But long have we known that some Americans find it a statement of racism/hate/oppression/etc; and to carry on approving of the Flag after being informed that some folks have announced it racist, is by its very nature a racist choice. Thus, the Flag, while not inherently racist, is now (and has been) existentially racist. Flag's racist, dude, indeed by this point in our collective history, it serves little purpose other than being racist. It should be removed from polite society, absolutely.

I grew up in the South (well, Kentucky, the northiest part of the South) and have lived most of my life here but I have never needed the Confederate Flag. I watched Dukes of Hazzard as a youngster (not really my bag even then but it was the hip shit til Miami Vice came along), that's probably as close as the Confederate Flag ever touched my life. I have never been a fan of country music (and today's 'country' is the awfulest whitest sort of pop garbage, an absolute abomination to the spirit of Bach, Rachmaninoff, Lennon and/or McCartney). I was not a 'redneck' (a discernible sociological sub group around these parts) growing up nor at any point in my development. I did not fly the flag (or any flag) or wear it on my clothes or on my car or anywhere else a Flag might've could've gone. In short, I couldn't give an f' about the Flag and if it burns forever in our collective hellish past, that's fine with me.

But I'd like to separate myself from the current protestations in one way. Even more than being disrespectful to the African-American community, it is disrespectful to the Union. It is disrespectful to the United States of America itself and should've been banned 100 years ago. The Confederate Flag should never have been tolerated our society. All Americans should be offended by the Flag because it is an anti-American symbol! It should be treasonous to fly the flag because it is an exhortation of a violent separatist movement within our borders. The Flag is a symbol of the dissolution of the USA, we never tolerated al Qaeda doing that, don't see why we should let our own ignorant peckerwoods get away with it.

As for the Flag as a symbol of heritage, I'm not opposed to putting the Confederate Flag in a history museum. And if white Americans go to those museums to feel better about their whiteness, that'll be their choice though I hope (and assume) they'll find better ways to feel good about their heritage. A history museum I could live with but the Confederate Flag doesn't need to be anywhere else in our future.