WATKINS GLEN (WENY) - After a gunman opened fired at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, nearly two months ago, it sparked a conversation across the country over the symbolism of the Confederate Flag. That's because the man behind the crime was seen posing in pictures with the flag, which is also viewed by many as promoting racism, rather than Southern history. The debate prompted many industries to stop the sale of merchandise showing the Confederate Flag, including NASCAR. Whenever attending a NASCAR event, whether it's in Daytona or right here in Watkins Glen, you can certainly expect to see Confederate Flags flying on campers and in the grandstands. While many argue the flag represents racism in America, NASCAR fans say quite the opposite. "Heritage, you know it's heritage. It's about history. You know, it's not racism. It has nothing to do with racism. Heritage not hate. I don't hate nobody," says NASCAR fans attending the Watkins Glen International racetrack, Bill Whalen and Chris Stanley. Every …show more content…
NASCAR stepping in saying they will continue to disallow the use of the Confederate flag symbol in any official NASCAR capacity. "As we continue to mourn the tragic loss of life last week in Charleston, we join our nation’s embrace of those impacted. NASCAR supports the position that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley took on the Confederate Flag on Monday. As our industry works collectively to ensure that all fans are welcome at our races, NASCAR will continue our long-standing policy to disallow the use of the Confederate Flag symbol in any official NASCAR capacity. While NASCAR recognizes that freedom of expression is an inherent right of all citizens, we will continue to strive for an inclusive environment at our events," says NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications, David
The author mentioned that some citizens are still perturbed by the Confederate flag. While the number is slowly waning, many citizens were a part of the civil rights movement. They watched racist people protest against them using the flag as a symbol of racism, oppression, and hatred. To some, the flag may serve as a permanent reminder that racism is not truly dead in America.
“Symbol of a brave past or banner of treason?” Kevin Baker asks this in his article titled That Flag. This is the question that many people have tried to answer. The Confederate Battle Flag has been used to send many different messages to the public, and depending on who you talk to it holds different meanings. As explained in the article titled Political culture, religion, and the Confederate Battle Flag debate in Alabama written by Jonathan I. Leib and Gerald R. Webster. The article explains that, “Many traditional white southerners view the Confederate Battle Flag as emblematic of the sense of duty and sacrifice of their ancestors during the Civil War and Reconstruction. They argue that the Civil War was not about the institution of slavery
The removal of the Confederate Battle Flag. Was this a justifiable move made by South Carolina governor Nikki Haley or will this lead to more hatred among South Carolina residents and other United States citizens? The Civil War took place because of many disagreements between the Union and the Confederacy. One major disagreement, considered non-negotiable by both sides, was the ownership and sale of African American slaves. Now, the South Carolina Legislature has voted to remove the flag from the property of the South Carolina Capitol based upon recent events and the controversial opinion that this flag promotes racism. The Confederate flag and all other Civil War symbols should be removed because they convey the idea that racism is acceptable
Nine people were killed in a church in south Carolina. The killer a several pictures that showed him with the confederate flag. So the South Carolina government voted to take down the flag.This caused a lot of debate. I believe that the confederate Flag stands for bravery in what you believe in. I think that the government is overreacting with this whole situation.
Is the Confederate flag a symbol of Southern Culture or a symbol of racial injustice? Dictionary.com defines symbol as “a material object representing something, often something immaterial.” When the Civil War first started, the flag became a representative of the Confederate side of the war. After the war, it was thought to be rebellion. Now, it is a symbol of the Southern culture.
For decades, there have been disputes over the presence of the Confederate flag over the South Carolina State House. Some felt that the flag represented the tradition and culture of their state, as South Carolina was the first to secede from the Union. However, many others thought it was a symbol of the inhumane treatment of millions of people before the abolishment of slavery. Since slavery was such a struggle for so many people, many others feel that it is strongly offensive. Joe Davidson, author for the Washington Post and the Federal Diary, described the flag as treasonous. The United States Constitution states, “Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them” which is what happened during the Civil War.
The Civil War was a big part of our history which had two opposing sides The North and The South. The South flew a flag know as the Confederate Flag which has lately took the meaning of racist. T.V shows containing the flag have been taken of the air along with flag companies claiming that they are no longer going to manufacture the Confederate Flag and major stores including Wal-Mart claiming they are no longer going to sell merchandise containing the flag. The Confederate Flag is a part of our history and heritage and should be allowed to displayed where pleases or shown on T.V with out people getting upset and thinking that it is racist.
The Confederate Flag has been around since the nineteenth century. It was used by the Confederate Army to show that they unite under a different union, and not the one that will bind our nation as a whole. In the articles: “Executive Order Banning Confederate Flags, Memorabilia,” “Ban Backlash: Confederate Flag Backers Ready to Battle,” and “Everybody Has Suddenly Noticed Confederate Flag is Widely Available.” it is illustrated that the ideas about how the Confederate Flag are being used today as a racial integration; declaring that the discontinuance of the Confederate Flag is completely ethical and is a priority to ensure the end of riots.
Confederate flag should not be displayed because it is associated with slavery, which represents the 11 states seceded from the union before the war. The Civil War was a time in history where African Americans were held by plantation owners as slaves, which the United States needs to move past. In my opinion, allowing the Confederate flag to be shown in schools is immoral Although, the first amendment grants everyone the right to express themselves in any way they want in public, schools should have the right to set ground rules within their walls. In the bill of rights the first amendment states “ Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech” (Amendment 1, Bill of Rights). Schools all over the world ban students from wearing inappropriate clothing (example; sexually explicit material, curse words) because it offends people, and it is unacceptable in a school environment.
Another very common belief is that The Confederate Battle Flag represents racism. But that statement is false. The Battle flag today is in the middle of a lot of controversy about what it actually stands for in practically all of the
The beginning of Confederate flag controversy started due to the request of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) to remove the flag off the South Carolina statehouse. This request, based on the fact that the anti-flag groups, claim that the meaning of the Confederate flag as one of hateful and discriminatory views. On the other hand, there are other groups that believe differently which considered themselves pro-flag groups. They claim that the flag holds a sign of history of heritage and should stay on the statehouse. The Confederate Flag 's banning is not necessary nor appropriate. Its meaning can not hold a misinterpretation as what it used to fly over, that being the confederate flag. The confederate flag represented the confederacy just as any flag of any country would represent any other group or country, state, club, etc.
The confederate flag, a topic that has been the center of controversy for many years now, is an emblem of southern pride and heritage to some, while to some it is purely a symbol of hate and racism. After the shootings in South Carolina, it is clear that the flag should be taken down. Since it represents white supremacy and inequality and not Southern pride.
Changing attitudes and actions about the Confederate battle flag have risen since the tragedy in South Carolina with the shooting of 9 people in a church during a bible study. The confederate flag has been and is a symbol of hatred, oppression and even senseless acts of murder for many. The removal of the flag at the Capital are being called for by thousands of South Carolina protesters, politicians, both Democrats and Republicans along with South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley. She stated, “That flag, while an integral part of our past, does not represent the future. By removing a symbol that divides us, we can move forward as a state in harmony.” Even retailers such as Wal-Mart, E-bay and Amazon stood in support by pulling merchandise with the confederate flag on it. This is an ethical decision based on moral principles and demonstrates their changing
The first time the Confederate flag was flown in South Carolina was to mark the centennial of the civil war. In addition to that memorial moment, it also coincided with a slew of Jim Crow laws being overturned. While some considered the raising of that flag to be significant to the history of that state, there is sound reasoning to believe that the raising of that flag would be a reminder to minorities that the white race is dominant.
It is known as a flag for racism, but it is not meant to be racist at all. This flag was originally created to be a battle flag for the southern states; it is the Confederate or Rebel flag. Most people say that if somebody owns a flag like this, he/she is racist, but that is not true. It is a battle flag to represent freedom and proudly flown by Southerners because it is their heritage. People believe it symbolizes racism because the Confederates had slaves, but most of them did not have slaves and the ones who did owned a lot.