I have some problems with her statement--it sounds like it was written by a committee of political advisers. And I believe that Clinton is swiftly gaining the reputation of being a major triangulator. She really needs a Sister Souldjah Moment soon.
But.....solidifying her African-American base, even with a weak and watered-down comment on the CSA flag is not so difficult to understand. I will give her a pass on this one. I would like to know, however, what happens when the Iraq War ends (if ever)? Does the old rebel flag go right back up the pole?
By the way--most of the left has actually criticized the NAACP for overemphasizing the Confederate flag matter. Mother Jones wrote in 2000 that the this was a “side-show” and was accentuated at the “expense of meaningful activism on issues that really matter to African-Americans.” Z-Net agreed in 2002 arguing that the flag issue was a “near textbook example of the NAACP’s strategy of elevating peripheral issues…and taking minimal action on the piles of crisis that devastate poor and working class black communities.”
Here is my complaint--it's not with Clinton, it's with our nation's inability to adequately examine this issue. I understand politics as well as the next person. I know that Senator Clinton cannot say what needs to be said about that flag. But when is someone going to be honest? Here is what needs to be told to the the pro-Confederate flag crowd:
"We are truly sorry that your Uncle Cletus died in the Civil War--we understand that he fought gallantly at Bull Run and Gettysburg. But here are the facts—the Confederate flag stands for hatred and racism—it does now; and it always has. It is a symbol of white supremacy and white power. It is a symbol of bigotry and anti-Semitism. The Confederate flag stands as a powerful statement against racial diversity, against communities of color, and against religious minorities. And while not everyone who raises that flag is a racist—that is what that the stars and bars represents. Your ancestors started that war, not for states rights, but to keep humans in bondage. And that fact can never be denied. This is why the Confederate flag should be taken down….and it should be taken down forever.”
2 comments:
Who is the "we" that is asking for consistency? Isn't consistency the hobgoblin of small minds? I say "rant on, dew, rant on." Well, actually, no I don't. What I say seriously is that dew clearly indicated that this remark is directed at the "pro-Confederate flag crowd," which, the last time I checked, was most definitely NOT "the whole South." Let's remember that racism isn't something "that happened" to people (passive voice) but rather is something actively inflicted on people by, well, racists. And no, we don't have to be nice to them for the sake of peace, love and harmony. Non-violent resistance is not the same thing as keeping your mouth shut.
Ha ha, Ligon Thomas, you crack me up. I don't believe that Dew was talking about love, peace, and harmony for all. I also don't believe he was speaking out against 'hate' in general. The hate that springs from racism is different than the hate that springs from people who want the world to be a better place. Being racist means being unfair, while hating racism and the symbols that perpetuate it is reasonable and even honorable. Hate may never be 'right,' but we are only human and therefore have human emotions.
Also, I don't think anyone wants a law banning the confederate flag. I think we just want people to admit why they're flying it rather than make excuses to validate it. Then maybe they'd decide of their own accord that it's time to take down such a negative symbol.
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