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Sometimes, we should forget

Recently, a group of 6,000 South Carolinians held a rally in defense of flying the Confederate flag over their state Capitol. It is the topic of the moment, with people like George W. Bush and others being asked to weigh in on it. Many people seem to think there is something that should be done legally. But as much satisfaction as banning the flag might give to people, it would be unconstitutional. However, taking the flag down from the South Carolina's state Capitol would be the only decent thing to do.

The "Confederate flag," in question is actually a flag that originated in Virginia unit of the Confederate Army, starting in 1863. It was carried thereafter into battle by Confederate soldiers, because some Civil War historians believe that the original Confederate flag, the stars and bars, looked too much like the Union flag and had caused fatal errors. It was adopted in South Carolina in the 20th century and has flown over the state Capitol for years.

Often times, people romanticize the past. Preserving and glorying in the past has long been a Southern tradition. Southern tradition includes holding a great deal of pride in the fact that the southern states once rebelled against the Union over matters of principle. Many white Southerners, when asked why they would want to defend their flag, state a need to preserve the past so that future generations know the sacrifice and loss that their ancestors made for them. Unfortunately, many times people also romanticize fighting on principle.

Many great battles were fought on principles, but we must also remember that men like Hitler fought on principle, too. When Southerners take a really deep look at what the Civil War was fought for on their end, they should feel sadness, not pride. The academic answer is that the South fought for states' rights, but it is known that protecting their states' rights to enslave people was the real issue.

At the time of the war, the south had trafficked some 10 million to 20 million enslaved people. The very institutions it fought to preserve were built by the people it imported. South Carolina, before the war, is estimated by itself to have had 40 percent of all enslaved people pass through its borders. People who want to preserve that past ought to look at it objectively. It is not really something to be proud of. Even after the Civil War, the battle flag was used by pro-white groups as a rallying point, a cultural symbol of the way the war should have turned out. It is not simply a flag, but a symbol with a bloody and racist history. Many black people have correctly identified it as a symbol of oppression. It is not an inclusive symbol for all Southerners to rally around, but rather a symbol of a faction of people whose society made a profit from excluding certain men from its citizenry.

It is, therefore, not surprising that groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have decided to boycott the state of South Carolina. I support them in their effort to do so. However, I do not think that they will have a legal victory. It would not really be a victory anyway to remove the symbol by force, if the state of South Carolina does not see that what they are doing is wrong. Decency really cannot be legislated and forced, it is something that has to be learned. The pro-flag supporters in South Carolina have failed to realize that the Confederate flag is much more than a flag to many people. To many people, it is an ugly reminder of an enslaved past that is only about three generations removed from themselves.

When pro-flag supporters fail to see the social context of their symbol is totally indecent and insensitive. It is not, however illegal. As hard as it is for us to hear, we cannot force people to do the right thing, and our Constitution allows for even the most vile forms of expression to exist so that we all may speak freely when we are called to do so. If the only motivation of the pro-flag supporters is to remember the past, flying a flag with the numbers of men that fell, or people who were enslaved would serve as a far better memorial to one of the most divisive and ugly periods of our nation's history.

Lora Mackel is a history junior. She can be reached at editor@wildcat.arizona.edu.