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are the 'stars and bars' offensive?

Your mastery of High School American History is suburb. I’ll respond when I have more time; however one thing is Lincoln did not declare war. Congress declared war after your people attacked a fort owned by the United States of America.

You may think that secession is perfectly legal, but I know of a few of my Ohio brothers who said otherwise.

Actually now that I think about it, I doubt war was ever declared by the United States. To do so would be acknowledging that the treasonous states were an independent country.
 

StanScratch

My Penis Is Dancing!
I am never offended by it - it, after all, is a freedom of speech. That same freedom allows me to say that my opinion of that person nosedives to almost absolutely nothing, seeing them as nothing more than small-minded individuals with barely an iota of intelligence.
 
I am just wondering what the concensus is. If it is offensive, why? If not, why not?

Yes, it is.

While anyone with a decent history education knows that it once represented states rights and the ability of states to leave the nation (in which they were quite correct), it does not stand for that now. The cancer and weakness of the Confederacy was their racism and adherence to slavery.

In the 1950s, that banner which had meant states rights was picked up to solely mean racism and slavery. It no longer has its original meaning any more than "gay" means happy. It is now solely the symbol of racism and hatred.

So while I fully understand its original meaning, I also fully understand its current one. While you may either ignore or not understand that current meaning, it is, in fact, offensive to those of us who do.
 
No, I loved the Dukes of Hazzard! ;)
 

Vlad The Impaler

Power Slave
I don't find the symbol itself offensive just the ideals attached to it. Actually I find Friday's avatar much more offensive because, to me, it's representative of how ungrateful some Americans are for the freedoms they enjoy without ever having lifted a finger to ensure those rights themselves.
 
The correct answer is yes and no. It is just a symbol and as such it means different things to different people. To some it is a reminder of hate and racism. To others it is a symbol of regional pride. To others it's just a cool looking flag. The flag itself means absolutely nothing. I take pride in the Stars and Stripes for what it means to me, but I also realize that at a base level it is just a piece of cloth.

Once again, George Carlin said it best: "It is just a symbol and I leave symbols for the symbol minded".
 
I see it as something that is just barely better than somebody waving around the Nazi swastika and rationalizing it good because the Nazi were efficient and made the trains run on time. Some might say it's a representation of heritage or culture, but no matter what anybody says, no matter how it's spun, no matter how anybody rationalizes it THE SOUTH'S HERITAGE IS HATE AND SLAVERY. Why the hell would anybody want to take pride in that. You can't separate them. They are will forever be linked together. I'd say there is something wrong with people that willing take pride in the worst aspects this country has ever had. There is just no way the flag can mean anything more than it means about the South’s worst aspects unless one is completely ignorant or willingly blinds themselves to history and reality.

As far as the Federal Government gaining more power because of the Civil War. The system that operated under it didn't work, and there is no way it could work in the modern world. The fact we became one true nation after it was one of the biggest reasons we because as successful and influential as we did. People don't like it but things are so big, important, and complicated now there is no way to have anything function for the betterment of everybody without a strong central government. Even with that often we are barely holding things together. Some people don't like that. In some ways I don't like it, but it's true. We don't live in a agrarian 18th century world anymore where we buy almost everything from the guy that lives just down the street. In any case I'm not ever going to shed a tear because the side that condoned and exploited the most evil things we have ever did for their own selfish benefit lost.
 

Supafly

Retired Mod
Bronze Member
but just the same, it's history and it's display is protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America.

Sure it is. But it is also very possible to be legally doinf somethign and still being offending people.

People waving tat flag are NOT as bad as the Westboro Church, but, well, they could both think twice and be listening to their common sense :2 cents:
 

Ace Bandage

The one and only.
rationalizing it good because the Nazi were efficient and made the trains run on time.
That was said about Il Duce, but carry on.

:hatsoff:
 
It represents nothing but quitters to me. First they quit being apart of a nation to start their own nation, then they quit the resulting war and later, they quit on fighting the civil rights movement, then even later they quit trying to have any decency in the eyes of the rest of America and just accept being labeled as "inbred hicks".
 
Who cares if they are offensive??? There is no law stating that everyone has a right to be free from ever being offended. If it is offensive to them, too bad. It's just like the camel jockeys building their mosque near ground zero. It doesn't matter if it offends people if it's within their rights.
 

roronoa3000

Banned
Who cares if they are offensive??? There is no law stating that everyone has a right to be free from ever being offended. If it is offensive to them, too bad. It's just like the camel jockeys building their mosque near ground zero. It doesn't matter if it offends people if it's within their rights.
No one questioned if it was within their rights. The question is if it is offensive and answer is yes.


...and so is a mosque at Ground zero but I digress.
 
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