Symbols of the legacy of my family history include a coat of arms from our roots in Scotland, symbols and art of the Creek Indians, flags and art of Alabama, Florida, and North Carolina, flags and art of the Confederate States of America, and flags and art of the United States of America. These symbol are outward signs of the identity of myself that I have developed over the 40+ years of my life. We all develop identities of ourselves or have these identities given to us without choice or opportunity of change. Which of these views/theories you accept is up to you but either way you have an identity and there are symbols of that identity that exist.
The question I have is whether or not you define the meaning of the symbols of your identity or do others define the meaning of the symbols of your identity. Here is a simple fact: for many black people in the United States today the symbols of the Confederate States of America represent hatred and oppression. Here is another simple fact: for myself and multitudes of others these symbols represent a moment in history where our families attempted to birth a new nation on the face of the earth based on ideals that made them feel disparaged by the existing government of the United States of America. We cling to these symbols as part of our historical identity with the state's rights movement, we cling to these symbols as part of our historical identity with our families. Whether or not we see these symbols as standards of hatred or as standards of any other sort, they are standards of our identity.
For my two cents, I will continue to fly flags of states, the Confederate States, and the United States as I feel led at any particular point in time. They are all symbols of my identity. However, I recognize that the symbols of my identity are not the symbols of everyone's identity and that the symbols of my identity are symbols of detriment to the identity of others. I do believe, therefore, that the government should do its best to publicly display on government/state property only the most appropriate symbols of communal identity. The government must take note of the community it serves, the identity of that community, the will of that community, and follow the appropriate course of action. Should that mean that the majority of citizens of South Carolina want to remove the Confederate States of America battle flag (which is not the national flag of the Confederate States of America for those who have no clue) but is referred to as the "Rebel Flag," "Confederate Flag," and "Southern Cross," then that flag should be removed from the "state" grounds of South Carolina. The decision is one for the people of South Carolina and one that the government/state of South Carolina should honor.
The question I have is whether or not you define the meaning of the symbols of your identity or do others define the meaning of the symbols of your identity. Here is a simple fact: for many black people in the United States today the symbols of the Confederate States of America represent hatred and oppression. Here is another simple fact: for myself and multitudes of others these symbols represent a moment in history where our families attempted to birth a new nation on the face of the earth based on ideals that made them feel disparaged by the existing government of the United States of America. We cling to these symbols as part of our historical identity with the state's rights movement, we cling to these symbols as part of our historical identity with our families. Whether or not we see these symbols as standards of hatred or as standards of any other sort, they are standards of our identity.
For my two cents, I will continue to fly flags of states, the Confederate States, and the United States as I feel led at any particular point in time. They are all symbols of my identity. However, I recognize that the symbols of my identity are not the symbols of everyone's identity and that the symbols of my identity are symbols of detriment to the identity of others. I do believe, therefore, that the government should do its best to publicly display on government/state property only the most appropriate symbols of communal identity. The government must take note of the community it serves, the identity of that community, the will of that community, and follow the appropriate course of action. Should that mean that the majority of citizens of South Carolina want to remove the Confederate States of America battle flag (which is not the national flag of the Confederate States of America for those who have no clue) but is referred to as the "Rebel Flag," "Confederate Flag," and "Southern Cross," then that flag should be removed from the "state" grounds of South Carolina. The decision is one for the people of South Carolina and one that the government/state of South Carolina should honor.
No comments:
Post a Comment