Janszoon

It's an insult, not to mention a symbol of treason.

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Unknown Soldier

We in the UK, see the Confederate flag as a symbol of someone who enjoys country music, has a long beard, likes Lynyrd Skynyrd, is a God fearing redneck, has a fetish for dressing up in white and burning crosses, and likes shagging family members when the farm stock is indisposed.

Now I know some of the above might not be strictly true.....but just saying what we think here in Blighty.

someonecompletelyrandom

I really hate those kinds of stereotypes that seem to be so okay with people.
Politically the American South may be backwards and the people you describe above may exist somewhere, but the South can be a very welcoming and hospitable place (for all races), with some of the most fascinating culture and delicious ethnic cuisine anywhere in the world. Nobody seems to defend the South except those people who make a bad name for it.

Engine

Unlike the Confederate flag, this (the KKK insignia) is most definitely an insult that denotes bigotry. The two symbols aren't necessarily related.

__________________

Like an arrow,
I was only passing through.

midnight rain

I don't know there pretty close to one in the same to me, considering what the Confederates stood for and PRIMARILY fought for (slavery).


Also fun fact is that the British were actually in favor of the Confederates winning the Civil War.

Engine

Since there's no way for this issue to be fully explored here, I hope people will at least say a little bit about why they feel the way they do. That is, what makes you relate the entire Confederacy to the KKK so much?

Guess which flag was considered treason by the British

__________________

Like an arrow,
I was only passing through.

midnight rain

Well, I guess the best I can provide is a comparison. Would you find it okay if an adult today was hanging this flag over his house:



because his grandfather fought bravely in WWII and he wanted to honor his legacy? I think the American Civil War is very unique in that the Confederacy (the losing side) is celebrated almost as much as the Union. Just take a trip down south and you'll see all the monuments dedicated to the bravery of the South. Not something you'd find in Germany I'd imagine.

Out of interest, what do people think of John Brown, a domestic terrorist or a hero?

Engine

I think that's an unfair comparison because you're comparing two entirely different political landscapes. To answer your question, I feel that in a perfect world, a non-bigoted German would be allowed to fly that flag in honor of his grandfather, and not be a social outcast.

Hero. I would have been an abolitionist personally.

__________________

Like an arrow,
I was only passing through.

Unknown Soldier

Germany in both WWI and WWII were the aggressors and also on both occasions had the strongest military and economy for fighting a war and also initiated both conflicts. Whereas the Confederacy, was not the aggressor but more the victim and started as the firm underdog, for that reason it can treat its soldiers as heroes.

Unknown Soldier

I always thought the war was about self determination of the slave states and slavery just happened to be one of the issues involved. I know a number of slave states actually stayed with the Union and other like Kentucky and Kansas etc were undecided.