EPOCH6

It's interesting how many people out here in southern British Columbia fly the confederate flag, long before this incident too, and no less after the incident, I saw it quite frequently growing up. There's a guy in town with the entire hood of his old Toyota 4x4 painted as the confederate flag. There are stores downtown with confederate flags draped across their entire front windows.

Sort of demonstrates the wider perception of the flag, especially the perception of people far far away from its land of origin. I'd bargain that an extremely small amount of people out here, if any, actually grew up in America's deep south. Nobody out here flies the flag to identify with that. They fly the flag because outside of the politically charged states of the flag's origin it merely represents loose ideas of liberty, freedom, barbecues, river bonfires, tailgate parties, country music / southern rock, and lift kits for your truck. I'd be acting a bit naive if I completely ignored the possibility of some underlying racism, small town BC certainly isn't a cultural melting pot, but it's not a pressing issue out here like it is in the deep south.

Anyway, regarding the conflict around the flag in the states right now, I'd take the same position I'd take on any symbol, banning images doesn't solve anything, if anything it fuels conflict. Fly whatever flag you want, but that being said, if you're a public figure or a public organisation, have some common sense, be weary of how the public sees the symbol at the top of your flag pole and decide whether or not waving it around is a good idea after all.

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John Wilkes Booth

actually, that's basically how most white southerners seem to conceptualize "southern culture." so it sounds like people in BC see the flag similarly to how white people in the south see it. it's really not considered that politically charged by southerners... it's actually usually people from other parts of the country who take offense to it or regard it a certain way.

i guess the main difference is that the south also has a lot of black people who see the flag in a negative light because they associate it with kkk rallies and **** like that.

i agree.. it's pretty absurd to me that the flag would fly over a state courthouse or some **** like that. unless of course you want to make that the american flag, as i said in my first post when i was trying really hard to be edgy.