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Comment by DougN7 | Hacker News Reader

I agree with you. Serious question: I wonder how far you take that. For example, for me, the Confederate US flag represented a favorite TV show as a kid (Dukes of Hazzard), the south (which meant cool accents and hospitality). Until 5 or so years ago I didn't know anyone still associated it with slavery. When will it be cleared for use again?

In other words, what is the bounds where a tainted symbol can or can't be used? Geopolitical border?

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I grew up with the Dukes of Hazzard on TV and I have pretty much always associated that flag with the racist elements of the American south. I have pretty much always had a negative visceral reaction whenever I see it. Most of the African Americans I know have the same feelings about that flag. What has changed is that recently, non-black people have been paying attention to how we feel.

The swastika has been used as religious symbol for millennia before the Nazis adopted it. The Confederate flag was created specifically to represent a secessionist movement aiming to maintain the practice of slavery. The two situations are not nearly the same.

The situation with the Confederate flag I think is much much more complicated than the situation with the swastika.

How so?

Southerners still cling to the notions of "states rights" and "war of northern aggression" and other bullshit.

it's a traitors flag. They committed treason to try to protect their institution of slavery.

Whenever I see the confederate battle flag it looks like the nazi swastika to me. Perhaps this is because I didn't grow up with it normalized.

> When will it be cleared for use again?

The south has been using it to celebrate their treason and slavery for a while. Only recently have people started to say "maybe don't use that".

It took the murder of nine innocent people to finally convince the SC General Assembly to remove the Confederate flag from the state house grounds.

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