I agree that the flag is offensive. But people have been yelling and screaming for the flag to go from public displays for decades. Yet, ask yourself, why are White people, even some southern Whites, so suddenly adamant about its removal? Why did it take the cold blooded terroristic murder of nine innocent Black people to call attention to this? The flag had nothing to do with it. It's a low-priced concession that falsely concerned white people, and overly excited black people, are ready to take in exchange for those lives. And that cheapens their lives into political bartering chips. As if removing a symbol is enough to placate our anger. Why does everyone assume that all Black people are equally offended by the symbol? Some of us care very little about it. There are far more offensive things we see every day.
The reality is that many White people don't want to deal with what really killed those people, so they attack a symbol and rally around its removal as some cheap token of justice. Where were these concerned and color blind White people a few years back when we wanted it removed? So in essence, what this tells Black America is that for even the most trivial of racial concerns to be addressed, more of our people have to be slaughtered? No. I don't agree with this. It shouldn't take that. People should not have to be shot down like animals in a church for White America to pay attention to our grievances--especially the minuscule ones.
The root of this tragedy is a mentality and a socio-political system of disenfranchisement, brutality, injustice, and segregation. It's all based upon ignorance, hatred, and fear. Those need to be addressed. Not some tired symbol that makes some of us uncomfortable (another example of White people making assumptions about how all of us think). But if these are to be addressed, then the positions of power and privilege held and enjoyed by some White people will come under scrutiny.
They don't want that because they realize many of these seats were gained and maintained through this immoral system. So, while everyone is angry, these suddenly concerned people sneak in, sympathize with the grieving and angry Black people and say, "Oh, it's high time we remove the Confederate flag from being displayed. If it was not flying high about the capital building, this horrific event could have been avoided. Will that make you happy Black America?" It's the same sort of empty gesture as removing the "Whites Only" signs from bathrooms and water fountains. It's a shallow superficial adjustment. in the end, the system is fundamentally unchanged and thus remains intact. Truthfully, a symbol only holds as much power and meaning as we allow it to. That flag did not influence that monster to kill those Black people. Many can focus on what makes us feel discomfort. I'm concerned with what causes our destruction. Why is this flag all of a sudden the focus and not the factors that made this White terrorist commit these heinous acts? It's the ultimate bait and switch and Black people jumping up and down like we have gained some sort of victory should be ashamed of themselves. You all fell for the OKEY-DOKE!
If White America is serious about change: freedom, justice and equality, then how about removing more than just a flag? Instead of removing a symbol, why don't you remove racial profiling, barriers to access to a quality education, decent housing, and effective healthcare? Not in a social welfare sort of way, but in a way where a man's skin color will not disallow him from enjoying the benefits of his labor as other people do. Instead of taking down a flag, why don't you take down the corporate-prison-industria
