[Rebeca W.]

I have a question about the rebel flag. Why does it seem to make black people angry? I have a tattoo of one with purple wings. I thought it was pretty. I see it on many different things, but I get bad looks or nasty comments.

User Detail :  

Name : Rebeca W., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Baptist, Age : 27, City : Evansville, State : IN Country : United States, Occupation : Housewife, Education level : High School Diploma, 

[Sara28358]

I'm kind of surprised you don't know the answer to the question you asked. It would be the same as asking why a Jewish person would be offended if you had a tattoo of a Nazi flag. The rebel flag was symbolic of the slavery system created and maintained by Southerners before the Civil War. The rebels fought to maintain that system of slavery. They lost. Flying and honoring and tattooing that flag could be and is interpreted to mean that you still believe in the things represented by the South, including slavery. Most people who still feel that way are members of the Aryan brotherhood or other right-wing violent organizations. So that would make you scary to black folks, right?

User Detail :  

Name : Sara28358, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Pentecostal, City : Oakland, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Kat26802]

How can you not recognize that the rebel flag is synonymous with the KKK, hate, slavery and various other unsavory memories of America? Some people argue it's a "white thing" or a "Southern thing," but as a white Southerner, let me assure you it's a racist thing, pure and simple. It is a revolting symbol for many people, just as the swastika will likely always be associated with Nazi Germany and the holocaust. If you wanted something pretty, a butterfly would have sufficed.

Some people would argue that the rebel flag should be remembered and is emblematic of a proud old South, but for me the south is better remembered for its sweet tea and magnolias. Ya'll can have the rebel flag, for all I care.

User Detail :  

Name : Kat26802, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 28, City : Birmingham, State : AL Country : United States, Occupation : Consultant, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Ken]

For one, the rebel flag represents a region and time in our nation's history associated with slavery and the pain and suffering it has caused generations of African Americans. You may see it as simply a pretty design, but many blacks see it as the representation of an era of servitude, lynching, the selling of human beings like cattle, murders, etc. It is not an era that black Americans hold dear, and seeing that symbol brings up that anger.

Secondly, that flag is regularly used by hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, an organization not exactly known for its racial tolerance. When they make comments that are derogatory toward blacks, Jews and other racial groups while waving that flag, the words and images become one. I don't know how you feel about other races, but when you display that flag, especially tattooed onto your skin permanently, you can expect people to assume you think along the same lines as the Ku Klux Klan. As an example, some women may be offended by a man with a nude woman tattooed on his arm. They may assume that he's a bit of a chauvinist (and he may be) and become offended by that.

User Detail :  

Name : Ken, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Catholic, Age : 32, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : marketing, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Tom-L24151]

The Confederate Stars and Bars distresses lots of black Americans - and plenty of others, too. We don't see it as a symbol of generalized rebellion, nor even as a token of a particular area.

For us, the rebel insignia stands for one side in the battle over whether one person should be able to own another human being. It stands for those who believe that God made at least one group of people inherently and always lower in quality than another group. And it stands for the belief that such people have no more humanity than any other piece of property - like my desk or the chair on which I am now sitting.

Perhaps we are too grounded in history to see the insignia as standing for a generalized rebellion or general statement of class consciousness. We remember that in the 1960s and 1970s people marched under this banner to oppose civil rights for blacks, Jews and lots of other people, too. For us, the flag reminds us of a much worse time - a time that we don't want to return to.

User Detail :  

Name : Tom-L24151, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, 

[Lissa]

During the Civil War, the Rebels were the ones fighting for slavery, and the Union was fighting against it. So maybe when black people see your tattoo, they assume you are racist. The Rebel flag, whether you believe this or not, is a symbol of slavery and the superiority of whites. A thought to ponder: Maybe you should do some research before you get another tatoo.

User Detail :  

Name : Lissa, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 26, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Jane]

I just recently moved from the Birmingham area to San Diego but lived there for 28 years (I was raised in Talladega). It is always refreshing to see rational, intelligent repsonses on Y? Forum from my fellow Southerners. I hear all sorts of stereotypes of Southerners on the forum and am offended every time at how little they know about the South. It makes me proud every time I see a contribution to humankind, no matter what part of the country it comes from, but I am especially proud to see someone of my age group and area sharing the same thoughts. Keep your mind open and live free.

User Detail :  

Name : Jane, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 28, City : San Diego, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Paralegal, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Gary C.]

I also have a rebel flag tattoo; it is wrapped around a Grim Reaper. I don't understand why everyone thinks the rebel flag stood for slavery, because it didn't. If you would open a book and read about the Civil War, it started because the South was not getting a say in government. The South was basically like a little kid the North would listen to but not pay attention to. The rebel flag was not for slavery; it was for standing up for what you believe in. The South was trying to preserve its way of life. Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with the South having slaves, but the North brought the slaves over in the first place, so you can't blame the South for everything. If you look at Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, it only set slaves in the Southern states free. Any state that fought with the North did not have to give up its slaves, so before you start calling the rebel flag racist or hateful, read and try to understand what was actually going on back then.

User Detail :  

Name : Gary C., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 21, City : Reynoldsburg, State : OH Country : United States, Occupation : Production Assistant, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Sarah28404]

I think it is a symbol of the region you're from, pure and simple. Being proud of where you're from doesn't make you racist or an advocate of slavery. I say wear your tattoo with pride.

User Detail :  

Name : Sarah28404, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 18, City : Sterling Heights, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Lower class, 

[todd]

Just so u know the american flag was the KKK flag for longer than the rebel flag so I guess the American flag should be looked down at also hu. Art work is only what u make it. Never mind the ignorant people.

User Detail :  

Name : todd, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Baptist, Age : 31, City : covington, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : construction, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[John28655]

Hey Sara from Oakland, can you tell me what flag flew on the ships that brought the slaves over here from Africa? It wasn't that despised rebel flag, it was the AMERICAN flag. It wasn't until the North became industrialized when slavery was outlawed there. Northerners are every bit as bigoted as Southerners. I proudly fly the rebel flag because it is the flag my ancestors fought and died under in the Civil War. You can hate the flag and associate it with the evils of slavery and Jim Crow, but I choose to associate it with the Southern struggle for independence from an arrogant and imperialistic Federal Government instead. The way I look at it is if somebody can wear an X for Malcolm X, you can wear your Rebel Flag. So in response to Rebecca W. from Evansville, Indiana- wear your Rebel Flag tattoo with pride and to hell with anybody who doesn't like it.

User Detail :  

Name : John28655, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 25, City : Lincolnton, State : GA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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