A few years ago I was fortunate to be able to listen to a speech by a cat named Johnny Lee Clary. He went from being the public spokesperson of the modern KKK to being a baptist minister who now advocates for civil rights. His life story is quite fascinating and if you haven't heard it I would greatly encourage you to check it out.
One of the issues he discussed was people openly opposing the use of the stars and bars flag. He was of the opinion that it ceased being officially used in any capacity in about 1865, so theoretically all the racism and injustice that has been committed after that date has occured under the stars and stripes flag. He was also a big lynard skynard fan.
Just food for thought.
He must've forgotten how many states passed Jim Crow laws while flying a Confederate flag, or a state flag based on its design. Curious lapse of memory for an ex-KKK guy.
Honestly whenever I hear about the Confederate flag issue coming up it just makes me think about Hindus and swastikas. Unlike the Confederate Flag, that is a symbol that had a real, powerful, longstanding meaning before it was co-opted, and it's even more toxic to display, for obvious reasons. That's a symbol I'd like to see "taken back" but I don't think it'll ever happen.
You have a real curious beef with a flag. Having lived as a transplant here in South Georgia for nearly my entire life, I can tell you that most folks could care less about the stars and bars. I can also tell you that I heard more racist crap (N Bombs in particular) visiting Mass. than I have heard in THIRTY YEARS of living in the south. Southerners are like Texans, they like having a symbol that shows their pride. It is no more racist than when African Americans were flying African colors back in the 90's. No one gives a crap about that stuff down here where we are all supposedly fat racist rednecks that look like the duck dynasty guys.
Making comparisons to swastikas and stuff like that, I just don't get it. The Civil War was a huge mistake, it was never about slavery and Lincoln wanted to ship all of the slaves back to Africa anyway. But all that is in the past and if you want to paint the stars and bars as a racist icon, then the stars and stripes not only stands for slavery, but it also stands for genocide, Japanese internment camps, Gitmo waterboarding, Sherman's murderous march to the sea, the raping and pillaging of New Orleans, and many other atrocities.
The deal is: It's just a stinkin flag. Both of them. I don't care when people fly the American Flag because I know their intent is to be proud of the good things this country stands for. When folks around here fly the confederate flag, I know it is a icon of southern pride. I don't look to much into it.
One thing I have found out during my life is that everyone you admire, every organization, every group or country or whatever, they have things that, if you look deep enough into their history, are down right horrid. All your heroes stink, countries do horrible things, and so do we. It is up to us to filter that out and not judge someone based on the flag they fly or the color of their skin.
Sorry, ranted a bit. And yeah, this song is just bad.