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[Gordon Shumway]

That's really disappointing. I've posted in a couple of these flag threads that despite the overwhelming GAF view to the contrary there was a time in the not very distant past when the message most people got from the confederate flag was definitely "redneck," but not with overtones of racial animus. For those of us who grew up with the Dukes on TV and the Molly Hatchet on the radio, the flag was just a showbiz accessory for depicting "southern." Around 1991 you would've found cassette tapes of the Allman Bros. and Digital Underground in my glovebox, along with LKJ and the Talking Heads, etc. With recent events and the image now being touted by those whose only intent is to make their hate known, however, any argument for ignorance or innocence of intent is gone. The 1st amendment guarantees the people the right to free speech, even speech of hate. But there's nothing in there about the government being required or used to condone or endorse that speech. Bad decision, Georgia.

I dunno, Bo. I grew up in the south, and that flag meant the same thing all my life..stay away. I've been chased by folks with this flag. The first time I was called nigger was by a kid, ironically, wearing a Dukes t-shirt. My treatment by the people who rock that thing has never been any different..

Now, if you didn't deal with that or know no one who's had to, I could understand your version of what the flag meant. For many of us on GAF, it's been the complete opposite. As for the last three sentences of your post? Couldn't agree more..

 

[Bodacious]

Been in gerogia all my life and it has mean "Keep moving nigger"
Nope

Folks can have their southern pride in racism, but they got to accept the racism part.

Even if you feel that way (and I already conceded the point that the majority here would disagree), it's just true that the whole country was getting shown that flag every week on an immensely popular TV show about two good ol' boys, and people who watched the show weren't doing it because they hated black people, or because of some subliminal intent by CBS to seed racial hate. Well, you might think so but we can just disagree I guess.

Anyway, like I said, 35 years ago ain't now. I don't like this anymore than you do.

I dunno, Bo. I grew up in the south, and that flag meant the same thing all my life..stay away. I've been chased by folks with this flag. The first time I was called nigger was by a kid, ironically, wearing a Dukes t-shirt. My treatment by the people who rock that thing has never been any different..

Now, if you didn't deal with that or know no one who's had to, I could understand your version of what the flag meant. For many of us on GAF, it's been the complete opposite. As for the last three sentences of your post? Couldn't agree more..

You've got me there. And I've also said before, even back in the early 80's when a confederate flag do-rag or t-shirt was not uncommon attire at summer outdoor rock shows and etc., the peak of Guns-n-Roses and the hair band shit, it was useful to me as clue that the person was dumbshit. I grew up in redneck Appalachia and that 'look' was still alien to me. But I can't recall ever hearing black people talk about it then. Maybe they just didn't feel like submitting every white person they knew to a litmus test. I can understand that.

 

[Rabbi_Vole]

Vanity plates

Been in gerogia all my life and it has mean "Keep moving nigger"
Nope

Folks can have their southern pride in racism, but they got to accept the racism part.

I've been in GA a good bit of my life and don't think I ever ran into anyone displaying it as an open symbol of racism. I knew a few black kids in HS who actually displayed it/wore it.

 

[Slayven]

Even if you feel that way (and I already conceded the point that the majority here would disagree), it's just true that the whole country was getting shown that flag every week on an immensely popular TV show about two good ol' boys, and people who watched the show weren't doing it because they hated black people, or because of some subliminal intent by CBS to seed racial hate. Well, you might think so but we can just disagree I guess.

Anyway, like I said, 35 years ago ain't now. I don't like this anymore than you do.

What does a tv show hve to do with the history of the flag? It was created by, flown by, resurrected by, and championed by racists.

Racists who by the way say their All American but wave the flag of traitors.

I've been in GA a good bit of my life and don't think I ever ran into anyone displaying it as an open symbol of racism. I knew a few black kids in HS who actually displayed it/wore it.

I am not going to try to explain every black friend. Except it is their right to be ignorant

 

[thechristoph]

I don't know if every state is like this but Georgia has a specialty plate for everything. You can get a "I love kitties" plate. I've never seen this particular one but it doesn't surprise me.

 

[HeySeuss]

A leopard doesn't change it's spots. I'd rather someone advertise their hatred by holding on to the flag. That way I can just ignore them right off. If we ban the flag everywhere, they will blend in and can hide easier. But it won't change who they are.

 

[Rabbi_Vole]

I don't know if every state is like this but Georgia has a specialty plate for everything. You can get a "I love kitties" plate. I've never seen this particular one but it doesn't surprise me.

Can I get a Malcolm X plate?

 

[massoluk]

I read this as George Will

Haha, I thought I may have been the only one. Misread the titles more than a couple of times already.

 

[Enzom21]

A leopard doesn't change it's spots. I'd rather someone advertise their hatred by holding on to the flag. That way I can just ignore them right off. If we ban the flag everywhere, they will blend in and can hide easier. But it won't change who they are.

The flag isn't banned, every racist who wants to fly it, paste it on their car, wear it on their body, etc. still can. The government however, should not provide a means to display their racism.

 

[Nairume]

I've been in GA a good bit of my life and don't think I ever ran into anyone displaying it as an open symbol of racism. I knew a few black kids in HS who actually displayed it/wore it.

From my own life in Georgia, most of what I've seen has been people flying it out of ignorance/a misplaced sense of history. That said, I've also seen plenty of people flying it for racial purposes, with some homes even proudly flying it over lawns adorned with some really racist lawn jockeys.

And that's the problem here. When running into somebody flying the flag down here, you might find the nicest person who won't care about the color of your skin or you might find a Grand Dragon of the KKK.

 

[Bodacious]

What does a tv show hve to do with the history of the flag? It was created by, flown by, resurrected by, and championed by racists.

The TV show doesn't have anything to do with the history of the flag, at least not in the way you mean. I'm not trying to argue with you. I was just saying, in the late 70's-early 80's when that show was on, it was popular all over the country, and kids who watched it because it was funny related to the heroes in the story (who had the flag on the roof of their car) and had no clue of what you speak. The explicit intent you see behind the flag wasn't part of why most people watched the show. They grew up exposed to it as a benign image attached to some cool, mischievous dudes who were makin' their way, the only way they know how. (That's just a little bit more than the law will allow.)

Stuff from childhood like that gets buried in the psyche. And when/if it comes under attack later in life, the impulse is to get defensive about it. Like Bill Cosby ... when that shit broke it took me a long time to come around to accepting he was really doing that stuff back then, cuz that wasn't the Bill Cosby I grew up with.

 

[Rabbi_Vole]

From my own life in Georgia, most of what I've seen has been people flying it out of ignorance/a misplaced sense of history. That said, I've also seen plenty of people flying it for racial purposes, with some homes even proudly flying it over lawns adorned with some really racist lawn jockeys.

And that's the problem here. When running into somebody flying the flag down here, you might find the nicest person who won't care about the color of your skin or you might find a Grand Dragon of the KKK.

Just like people anywhere else flying any kind of flag.

 

[HeySeuss]

The flag isn't banned, every racist who wants to fly it, paste it on their car, wear it on their body, etc. still can. The government however, should not provide a means to display their racism.

Yeah I guess banned wasn't the right word. But a lot of stores no longer carry it so there's this perceived ban on the flag that I see on Facebook all the time. But I agree, a state agency shouldn't make it available. But there are a lot of odd things you can get on a license plate that seems like a state shouldn't be associated with.

 

[Enzom21]

Can I get a Malcolm X plate?

 

[Slayven]

The TV show doesn't have anything to do with the history of the flag, at least not in the way you mean. I'm not trying to argue with you. I was just saying, in the late 70's-early 80's when that show was on, it was popular all over the country, and kids who watched it because it was funny related to the heroes in the story (who had the flag on the roof of their car) and had no clue of what you speak. The explicit intent you see behind the flag wasn't part of why most people watched the show. They grew up exposed to it as a benign image attached to some cool, mischievous dudes who were makin' their way, the only way they know how. (That's just a little bit more than the law will allow.)

Stuff from childhood like that gets buried in the psyche. And when/if it comes under attack later in life, the impulse is to get defensive about it. Like Bill Cosby ... when that shit broke it took me a long time to come around to accepting he was really doing that stuff back then, cuz that wasn't the Bill Cosby I grew up with.

So what you are saying racists are ignornant and refused to grow up? That I can agree on

 

[Nairume]

Just like people anywhere else flying any kind of flag.

Most other flags don't also signify "this person might be a horrible racist who may attack you"

Sure, a horrible racist flying the US flag could also attack you if you knock on their door while being black, but it's not like the flag being there is going to put the same kind of doubt that the stars'n'bars might.

 

[Bodacious]

So what you are saying racists are ignornant and refused to grow up? That I can agree on

If that's what you got from my posts here, sure, whatever.

 

[Gordon Shumway]

You've got me there. And I've also said before, even back in the early 80's when a confederate flag do-rag or t-shirt was not uncommon attire at summer outdoor rock shows and etc., the peak of Guns-n-Roses and the hair band shit, it was useful to me as clue that the person was dumbshit. I grew up in redneck Appalachia and that 'look' was still alien to me. But I can't recall ever hearing black people talk about it then. Maybe they just didn't feel like submitting every white person they knew to a litmus test. I can understand that.

I understand what you're talking about. I'm just saying, like anything else, it's about your experiences. I watched that show. Liked it well enough..bigger fan of Starsky and Hutch, truth be told. Jokes aside, that show was about the only time that flag didn't bother me..well, for the most part.

The fact that I see it every day, now more than ever, well..let's just say it fucking sucks lol.

RIP, James Best..

The flag isn't banned, every racist who wants to fly it, paste it on their car, wear it on their body, etc. still can. The government however, should not provide a means to display their racism.

Well said..

 

[DragonGirl]

Y'now, setting the whole issue of racism aside. Isn't the Confederate flag literally a flag of treason?

 

[Alucrid]

The TV show doesn't have anything to do with the history of the flag, at least not in the way you mean. I'm not trying to argue with you. I was just saying, in the late 70's-early 80's when that show was on, it was popular all over the country, and kids who watched it because it was funny related to the heroes in the story (who had the flag on the roof of their car) and had no clue of what you speak. The explicit intent you see behind the flag wasn't part of why most people watched the show. They grew up exposed to it as a benign image attached to some cool, mischievous dudes who were makin' their way, the only way they know how. (That's just a little bit more than the law will allow.)

Stuff from childhood like that gets buried in the psyche. And when/if it comes under attack later in life, the impulse is to get defensive about it. Like Bill Cosby ... when that shit broke it took me a long time to come around to accepting he was really doing that stuff back then, cuz that wasn't the Bill Cosby I grew up with.

I really never heard of peooke invoking an affinity for dukes of hazard as the reason to keep the flag around or on their license plate.

 

[Bodacious]

I really never heard of peooke invoking an affinity for dukes of hazard as the reason to keep the flag around or on their license plate.

That's because it's buried in their psyche.

Ok, not so serious about that or even the Dukes. Just saying its probably the best example that the confederate flag was in common use by Hollywood, TV studios, record companies, and etc. only about 30 years ago as a marketing device. It was relatively benign in presentation and pretty much mainstream. Was probably offensive to a lot of people, but that message was not mainstream. Whatever your take on that might be, and despite the obvious message attached to the flag now, for people in the 40-60 demographic, there was a time when it wasn't controversial, it was just gaudy.

 

[Sai-kun]

Racists shit is terrible, and this shouldn't continue to exist, but I don't think we should get on them for 'living in the past'.

Too many other groups do the same thing without the same criticism being laid against them:

People who support the constitution despite Jefferson's plea to rewrite it every 19 years.
Vinyl collectors.
Nintendo Fans.
Apple Fans.
Star Wars fans.
Anyone nostalgic for anything.

Living in the past can be fun for awhile, and I do it myself with lots of things. It might be a bit delusional, but its not really bad.

Did u just compare collecting vinyls to owning black people

 

[Mammoth Jones]

No one gave a fuck about the confederate flag until the schools were desegregated in the 50's.

Now it's all about White Pride....er....Heritage.....

Dick move waiting until the media outrage died down. Proof positive that racists hate the spotlight putting their racism on display but deep down....it's still in their hearts.

 

[Arthr2ShdsJcksn]

Did u just compare collecting vinyls to owning black people

I'm going to delete that original post just so people stop quoting it. It was an intentionally ridiculous comparison that I thought was funnier when typing it.

 

[ApharmdX]

That's really disappointing. I've posted in a couple of these flag threads that despite the overwhelming GAF view to the contrary there was a time in the not very distant past when the message most people got from the confederate flag was definitely "redneck," but not with overtones of racial animus.

 

[ThankYouDaletech]

GeorgiaGAF - are there other plates you can get that don't have a symbol of racist war-losers on them?

 

[bishoptl]

here's an alternate

edit: beaten by my own Twitter

 

[Rabbi_Vole]

GeorgiaGAF - are there other plates you can get that don't have a symbol of racist war-losers on them?

Losers? We got bored of playing and let your team win. Babies and your precious union.

 

[Slayven]

here's an alternate

We must follow the same people

 

[thechristoph]

Can I get a Malcolm X plate?

No. There are several plates for HBCUs and I thought there was an MLK plate, but I didn't see it in the list. But you can get a NASCAR hall of fame plate! That's pretty cool, right?

Here is the list if you actually care.

 

[Rabbi_Vole]

No. There are several plates for HBCUs and I thought there was an MLK plate, but I didn't see it in the list. But you can get a NASCAR hall of fame plate! That's pretty cool, right?

Here is the list if you actually care.

I'll also settle for a MegaMan X. The way I've always seen it MLK= MM, Malcolm X= MMX

 

[Gordon Shumway]

here's an alternate

edit: beaten by my own Twitter

lol..Slay jacking your shit!

 

[quesalupa]

I always hate how a lot of racists don't identify themselves, so I'm okay with this.

 

[Revolver]

I've been in GA a good bit of my life and don't think I ever ran into anyone displaying it as an open symbol of racism. I knew a few black kids in HS who actually displayed it/wore it.

I was getting gas the other day and I noticed an older black gentleman wearing a bucket hat with a confederate flag symbol on it. There's a house a few streets over from me flying that flag on their porch. I was really left scratching my head when I found out an older black couple lives there. They have the right to display it if they want but I don't get what they're thinking. I've always associated that flag with "redneck", bigotry and a really dark past not worth celebrating.

 

[JDSN]

Driving while twat.