"It is good to see someone speak about what the Confederate flag is about, and what I, my family, and other African people have had to live with for many years," wrote SL user "bellahyae", commenting in Tuesday's post on that flag's sale in Second Life's official store, reflecting an opinion similar to that shared by many African-Americans for many years, but largely ignored until last month's atrocity.
"I wish people knew how much it hurt to see the flag on TV and in places which are supposed to represent everyone in a fair manner, like court houses. I have been to places in Second Life which had the flag up." She continues:
"We always knew what it meant. That we and others with our color are not wanted around that area. It is like putting up a 'Caucasian only' sign. I have a lot of bad memories with that flag. Like walking past homes of people who have them proudly displayed in front of their homes... while at the same time, the mean stares we got just for walking by their home. People looking at us and then spitting. Being called the N word for no reason and often out of the blue."
"Bellahyae" goes on: "I do not know its full history, but for people of my color, that flag always means one thing: You're not welcome here. With a feeling that your existence is looked down on, and the threat that they would love to have us swinging from trees by our necks again."
A number of New World Notes readers have defended the continued sale of the flag in the SL Marketplace, and she had a comment on that as well:
"Hearing people defend the flag in your last post about this hurt too, because it did not seem like a lot of the people cared about making the world a better place for everyone. Only people who look like them, who in my feeling, already have much of society catered to them.
"These are my feelings, and I do not mind if anyone disagrees. But these feelings are real, from real experiences and either way, I thank you for listening."
I'm grateful ""bellahyae" shared these experiences, and hope everyone reading this does take the time to read them too.
Image from "The War of the Jessie Wall", where the battle flag was pervasive.
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Thank you, bellahyae, for sharing.
In an earlier comment, I was defending the display of the flag as a symbol of southern pride or solidarity, or politically as a symbol of anti-federalism. I now realize that this view is naive. It's comforting for some to view the likes of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis as villainous, genocidal traitors, but history, as always, isn't so cut and dry.
Unfortunately, the particulars of the civil war in this case do not matter one iota. Whatever acts of evil or virtue took place under the flag, its meaning was predominantly and unambiguously cemented as a symbol of hate by the likes of the KKK. There's no taking it back. As much as I would like to rob white supremacists of "their" precious flag, it is forever sullied by them.
It has no place outside the annals of history, and there it should remain.
Posted by: Dave | Thursday, July 02, 2015 at 03:41 PM
Andrew Young weighs in on the Confederate flag debate
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/29436049/young-on-flag
""The problems we face don't have anything to do with the flag. The fact is that 93% of black people killed are killed by other black people. So black lives matter. Let us start believing that we matter."
Instead of worrying about Confederate symbols, the man who walked with King recommends we pay attention to the substance of what's taking place right now in 2015.
"The flag is a symbol that means a lot of things to a lot of people when you get to institutions like Washington and Lee University," claimed Young. "I admire that, I admire that. I admire the restoration of southern traditions in Washington and Lee University. The challenge for us is not to wipe out our past history but to learn to live together in the future."
Posted by: Colleen | Thursday, July 02, 2015 at 06:57 PM
Andrew Young talks to Fox News and concludes that the real problem facing black people is other black people.
"Let us start believing that we matter."
And I guess nothing says "you matter" to black people, quite like the Confederate Flag... and Fox News.
Posted by: A.J. | Thursday, July 02, 2015 at 11:54 PM
And does black matter?
Does any color matters?
In Usa one killed a few based on a flag, in the rest of the World, thousands are being killed every day in the name of religion!
Posted by: zz bottom | Friday, July 03, 2015 at 05:58 AM
A.J.,Maybe you missed this important line in your rush to hate the news supplier "The challenge for us is not to wipe out our past history but to learn to live together in the future."
As for Black lives matter, I believe that phrase was 1st used by black people. BUT above all things He is saying stop poking windmills like symbols and cut to the real issue.
Fix hate and racism by fixing yourselves.
Posted by: Colleen | Friday, July 03, 2015 at 09:59 AM
No Colleen, I actually read the entire article.
I just happen to disagree with Andrew Young. I understand that he is black, but I think he is being way too simplistic. I also understand that race issues are more complicated that just eliminating a flag. But the flag needs to go and we need to stop celebrating that Dixie history and look at it for the ugly and cruel truth that it is. There is nothing for any American to be proud of there.
I think "go fix yourselves" is a really convenient attitude for racists to embrace and I'm sure Fox News just just tinkled in their pants with that nugget delivered by a black person.
I think racists need to "go fix themselves" first. I think that Fox News needs to "fix themselves". Then we need to do some heavy lifting in this society so that people are in a position to "fix themselves".
Right now, expecting our broad Black population to "fix themselves" is like expecting people to perform their own open heart surgery.
Andrew Young is black and I'm not. But he's been around for a long time and he's had a lot more power than I have and we still have major problems. So I think I"m allowed to disagree with his pearl of wisdom.
Posted by: A.J. | Friday, July 03, 2015 at 02:47 PM
A.J, so, you believe that the Confederate flag was created as a symbol of hate ? or a symbol of states that wanted to be their own county? I am not black but I am southern,and if you knew a thing about my real life you would see me to be not racist.
I am fine with the flag being in museums and not to fly. What I am not fine with is people is making it a symbol of hate. It is part of the American history and I don't think we need to re write history.
Racism is something that each of us , no matter the color of skin , have the power to *fix* , hate can only be fixed if we as individuals stop it ourselves. Hate is taught and learned, children do not come into the world knowing a thing about hate OR race, their adults teach it.
Posted by: Colleen | Friday, July 03, 2015 at 04:04 PM
Colleen, it was invented as a symbol of hate. This is not something made up recently. The inventor of the flag was explicit in its purpose: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Tappan_Thompson
Posted by: Dirk | Saturday, July 04, 2015 at 01:53 PM
Dirk, thank you for pointing out the wiki report on the flag.
Posted by: Colleen | Sunday, July 05, 2015 at 01:05 PM