GSZX1337 wrote:LivingtheDream wrote:"I came here to drink some beer and kick some ass and it looks like we are almost out of beer"
...Great way to knock off Duke Nuke 'em.
Which was a great way to knock off They Live.
General Chaos wrote:Having also grown up in Texas, I saw this flag used as a symbol to antagonize more than anything else, and again those displaying the flag usually embraced other values and beliefs associated with the "southern culture of violence."
For the record, there's an African American man who wanders around Charleston I believe, wearing a Confederate uniform and flying the Confederate Flag. He salutes every Confederate monument, seeing the Confederacy as a symbol of rebellion as opposed to an antagonistic entity.
In fact, the majority of poor Southern people didn't think it was about slavery, or at least didn't see it as their main focus. Ultimately, the states seceded over the slave question, as the people who decided such issues at the secession conventions were the rich, almost aristocratic Plantation owners. Yet, as far as the war is concerned, these individuals generally did not fight beyond serving in officer positions. Your majority of Confederate regulars were poor farmers, owning few slaves if any. A good look at their mindset is the book Co. Aytch, a transcript of a diary of a Confederate soldier who genuinely believed he was fighting against oppression from a Yankee regime.
Ultimately the flag represents different things to different individuals. One person may see it and think it represents slavery and the oppression of African Americans, another will see it and think it represents breaking from an oppressive government and fighting for that freedom. Either way, the Civil War is the bloodiest war for us in American history. Over 600,000 American soldiers were killed or wounded. The next highest is WWII, where over 400,000 Americans were casualties. Take it how you will.
