They're the Same

There is a flag that some people don’t like, but others do. This flag symbolizes one side in a war, a side that thought certain people were ‘subhuman’ and could be enslaved, because it was the “right order of things.” Those who fought under this flag lost the war, and their crimes against humanity were eventually recognized for what they were. Yet some people still want to fly this flag. They wear it on jackets; they have it in their homes and places of business. It’s even in some churches.

The flag I’m talking about is this one:

And really, everyone in the world, with the exception of extreme white supremacists, realizes that flying or displaying this flag is wrong. If you display this flag you are saying that you supported Hitler’s ideas of racial superiority and his efforts to kill off millions of people that he thought were less than human (Jews, blacks, gays, etc.)

Yet, this flag:

means exactly the same thing. It was from a war in which supporters sought to keep the right to enslave (and kill) those they thought were less than human, and that they had the God-given right to subdue. Not only is it from a war, but it’s from a treasonous war. How is displaying this flag any different from displaying the Nazi flag?

Those who fly the Confederate flag often say things like this:

“It’s our heritage.”

“My ancestors fought in the war – I only want to honor them.”

“It’s part of our history.”

Well, the Germans could say the exact same things! But they don’t. Why not?  Because they realize that Nazism was an extremely misguided and evil movement. They are embarrassed that their ancestors went along with it. They recognize the evil that was done under this flag and they do not honor it.

So I’m saying the same thing: slavery was evil. This flag represents those who sought to keep enslaving people. There is no situation where people should want to see this flag, except in a museum. You do not honor something that symbolizes the enslavement of other people and that symbolizes a treasonous war.

Ask yourself this: would you fly the Nazi flag? If the answer is no, then you should not fly the “stars and bars” either. If your answer is yes, then you are a crazy white supremacist, and you need serious help.