Fun fact.
I am from Texas.
Born and raised about five years.
I’ve lived in mostly southern states.
Texas, Florida, Louisiana, and Virginia.
And I love the south.
But I fucking hate the Confederate flag.
Because you see, I’m a southerner who doesn’t let their southern pride and heritage get in the way of using my brain and understanding history and the racism behind what that flag stood for.
I know it’s a novel concept, loving and being from the south while also not having this romantic idea about what the south is/was (which is/was racist as fuck.)
Just, really, fellow southerners. I will never have beef with you as long as you’re not being ignorant and obtuse about a flag that represents ignorance and oppression.
Not that hard.
Quit being assholes.
Seriously, it’s really not that difficult. Somewhere around here I have my list of instances in which the battle flag was raised outside of courthouses and schools in the 60s and 70s specifically and intentionally to protest desegregation and the Civil Rights Movement. Most people who are all about the flag and Confederate culture think that it only pertains to the Civil War era (which should, you’d think, be enough negative history right there) and forget about the literally national use of it to protest any sort of progress for racial minorities and its use by virtually every white power group ever including places like fucking Norway where they obviously can have little regard for the Confederate States of America other than to be fairly obvious enslavement sympathizers.
Should be fairly straightforward but, you know, white people.
also, you know, as a black person from the south, with family that has lived in the south for at least 150 years (records got a little spotty. you know, what with the slavery and all), who loves the south for all of its beauty and in spite of its flaws, I fucking hate the confederate flag.
one of the worst conversations I ever had was in 7th grade trying to explain to a good friend why I really wish she didn’t wear her favorite “dixie girl” shirt that had a huge confederate flag spray painted on it. she kept saying “but it’s about my family and my heritage,” and I kept saying “it’s about my family and my heritage,” and I was in tears and she was in tears because she didn’t want to make me upset but i was, and neither of us could understand the other.
we’re facebook friends, she just got married, I don’t look at her pictures just in case.
(Source: masenko-your-face, via fursasaida)
