If the Confederate flag wasn't already mostly red, it would be blushing from all the attention it's received recently.
The 150-year-old symbol of the un-triumphant side of the American Civil War was brought center stage in the aftermath of the tragic, racially-motivated murders of nine black church members during a Bible study session in Charleston, South Carolina. As he was delivering the eulogy for the church’s reverend who was one of the shooting victims, President Barack Obama, ever eager to push his own agenda, hailed the South Carolina legislature for its decision to remove the Battle Flag of the Confederacy that had flown on the state’s capitol grounds for nearly 50 years and called for other Southern states to fall in line, declaring it a symbol of racism and white supremacy. Several states followed suit, removing the flag from government grounds.
Okay. I can live with that decision. I mean, as much as I love the South, we did lose, and history is written by the victors. I’m pretty sure people would riot if we started flying the British flag on the White House because it’s “part of our heritage.” Why? Because we knocked the Red Coats right back across the pond about 200 years ago. ‘Merica. I can logically accept the “no Rebel Flag on United States government grounds” rule under that line of thinking. I also recognize that it truly does deeply offend some people, and I respect that. There is no need to cause unnecessary tension by flying a losing flag from 150 years ago over government buildings.
What I cannot live with is some one telling me that I’m a terrible human being and American because I have a Dixie Outfitters shirt, and that offends them. Or because I don’t agree with their belief that the Confederate flag is only a symbol of slavery and white power, and that offends them. Or because I love the South and all that symbolizes it, and that offends them. Or because I am a very proud great-great-great-great granddaughter of a Confederate soldier who answered when Georgia called him to defend his state and her rights, and that offends them. Or because I am absolutely appalled that some people think that monuments and memorials for Confederate soldiers shouldn’t exist because they “represent white power” and not the men, most of whom didn’t even own slaves, who gave their lives for their states because they were ordered to do so, and that offends them. Or because I don’t feel like I should have to apologize for something that happened over a 100 years before I, or the offended, were born simply because I am a white Southerner, and that offends them.
Ummm ... like what?
Are you serious right now?
Sorry, but I’m not sorry?
Oh my word, the fact that I am white and from the South does not mean I think that slavery was a positive aspect of antebellum society. The fact that anyone, any where thought it was or is okay to own another human being is disgusting and despicable. But there are so many things that offend me every single day: people who don’t cover their mouths when they cough, people who think that I should be able to grant their every wish just because someone I have never met told them I could when I’m at work, when women and men walk around half-dressed like they think it’s socially acceptable, rude people, customer service representatives with no customer service skills, people who can’t drive worth a darn, and people who treat me like an idiot because I have a view that opposes theirs. I endure all of these people that exist here and now in 2015 politely, with kindness, patience, and a smile on my face just like my momma taught me, every single day. I’m so sorry, but I do not have the time, brainpower, or patience to try to deal with anyone’s offense for something that happened six generations ago before either of us were born.
I am accepting of all people from all walks of life, and I respect them, too. I just don’t understand why every one can’t do the same. We don’t have to agree, but we should respect each other and our differences, because those differences are what make life unique and meaningful. So let’s embrace them with love and respect, and agree to disagree. This is America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, so let's be brave and respect each other, even when we don't agree.
