Rebel Battle Flag

In the last few days there has been new controversy over the rebel battle flag with the governor of South Carolina suggesting it is time to remove it from the state’s capitol.  That seems to be a good idea since it should not have been flown there in the first place.  Individuals are of course free to display the flag as they choose, but one should question whether they should.

There are various reasons for displaying the flag.  Some people will say they do it only as  homage to the memory of brave and gallant soldiers of the South and not as any endorsement of the policies and goals of the Confederacy. It is certainly possible to respect the honor and character of men such as Lee and Jackson without in any ways wishing  they had won, just as many people respect certain things about Rommel or Yamamoto or Crazy Horse without wishing that the axis had won World War II or that bands of Indians were still raiding farms and ranches in the great plains.  

Others say they display the flag only as  an act of defiance against convention, conformity, and authority. Such defiance is a wholly admirable sentiment. In our present situation the more defiance of convention, conformity, and especially authority we have, the  better off we are. We surely  need more Americans standing up and telling our would be betters and civil masters where to get off.

The problem is that flying the Confederate battle flag conveys other things. It suggests approval of and nostalgia for the Confederacy and its cause of slavery. There are ways to honor ancestors and brave soldiers which do not send this message. There surely are other ways to show one’s disdain for convention and authority. Rejecting  the rebel battle flag in favor of the  jolly roger,  the Gadsden flag, or, for Texans, the Gonzales "come and take it" cannon flag is a solution which comes  to mind immediately.

For these reasons, I  believe people of good will should not fly or display the rebel battle flag, unless, of course, the government bans doing so. In that case we might all have to get one.