Confederate flag still gives voice to white anxiety

[struggle4progress]

Matthew Teague in New Orleans
Friday 17 June 2016 09.13 EDT

... a century and a half after the civil war ended – a battle has raged between much of the United States and the vestiges of the Confederacy, resulting in the removal of some high-profile public symbols. The loftiest may have been the battle flag that flew over the South Carolina state capitol, lowered for the last time in July.

Alabama’s governor ordered it removed there, and there’s a push for similar action in Mississippi, the last state to feature the battle emblem in its official state flag. This past Tuesday the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination, called on its almost 16 million members to disavow the flag ...

Other skirmishes are still ongoing. In New Orleans city officials plan to remove the statue of Confederate general Robert E Lee from the lower garden district’s Lee Circle. But resistance has been strong – one potential contractor for the job found his Lamborghini sports car torched, and other bidders have been hesitant to step forward ...

“Pro-Confederate flag rallies have been concentrated in the south, but not limited to the south,” said Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center ...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jun/17/confederate-flag-symbol-charleston-white-anxiety

[tonyt53]

1. Its absolutely does. Ever notice those pickups running around with a confederate flag in the bed?

Usually the driver is exactly the kind of person hanging around all Trump lovefests. I grew up in the south. I've seen it all my life. In many places though, that flag would only be seen every now and then. Now the damned thing is all over the place. Bumper stickers and window decals, hanging on the side of houses or even on flag poles. As someone with direct heritage to a group of confederate common criminals called Morgan's Raiders, I still couldn't understand why people were displaying that flag. The south LOST. Why align yourself with a loser? But then Obama was elected and it all became very clear. You can call it white anxiety, but I'll call it for what it is, white entitlement. The president is supposed to be a white man. The good jobs are supposed to be only for white people. Fucking disgusting.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Great post. You've nailed them, I'm sure. They'd better whoop it up now,

as the choice was made by the US American people to elect our President, and they'll never get the chance to react this way again. To repeat it would be redundant, and even more perverted than this.

[heaven05]

2. what anxiety???

at not being recognized as the superior race, ever, again? Anxiety over the fact that minority status is looming for human beings in america that claim white european ancestry? If america had lived up to it's touted principles/claims of being the land "of liberty and justice for all" truly offered true equality for all, race, class gender, sexual orientation and civil position in society wouldn't be a source of deadly conflict and a hitler clone wouldn't be a leader of a major american political party.

Anxiety? You bet your ass................