These are troubling times that we are living in. One of our presidential candidate’s most successful campaign tactics is his fiery speeches about different ways that he will alienate entire groups of people from entering our country — and he is a frontrunner. ISIS is spreading terror throughout the Christian community while also attempting to tarnish the name of a religion that, at its core, promotes peace and acceptance.
My point is that the gap is growing between Americans and our understanding of other cultures/identities and your confederate flag that you sport on your window or truck, now more than ever, is acting as yet another giant wedge in this issue.
I would like to clear up right now that I am indeed aware of and am an avid supporter of our First Amendment right to freedom of speech. With that being said, I am still left wondering what the motivation is for continuing to sport what many believe to be a symbol of racism — and in your single, very visible window, no less. I think that history has proven that that flag no longer stands as a symbol of “southern pride,” circa ever since the KKK made it one of their symbols. I also have a hard time believing that it is being used as a blackout curtain because, if anything, it actually probably casts an inconvenient X-shaped shadow in the middle of your room. However, I am willing to take the unpopular stance that you are also not a dyed-in-the-wool racist because I prefer to maintain my glistening image of my fellow student body for as long as possible.
Therefore, the conclusion that this thought process has led me to is that you want to bring attention to yourself by being inflammatory. Because truly, I cannot think of any other viable reason why such a divisive symbol is the first impression you want your fellow classmates to have of you as they walk by your residence or drive by you on the road. If this is the case, and I have now convinced myself that it is, I implore you to think twice about the means you are using to garner this attention. As it is, our university is not all that much racially diverse. We have so much going for us, but this is undoubtedly one area that could use and needs improvement.
By parading this flag in your window, you are effectively stating your satisfaction with where Texas A&M stands in that category, whether this is your intention or not. You are supporting the unrealistic bubble that a university becomes when this is the case, which hinders your classmates from getting a sense of what the real world is like. What if a future potential employer of yours found out about your choice of decorations? What if he or she is African-American? What I am saying is that that flag can do nothing but limit your opportunities for the future, as well as those of potential classmates who turn their backs on A&M through the application process and never get to experience the Aggie family because people such as yourself make them feel like outsiders.
Of course, I have no way of forcing you to remove this flag. But as a proud Aggie, I ask that you reflect upon the potential consequences of doing so, including the further alienation of an entire group of people who deserve the best that A&M and its students have to offer. With everything else happening in our world and even in our very country, it is of the utmost importance that we as Aggies present a united front against hate in all its forms; and whether you like it or not, that flag is/has evolved into a symbol of hate.
