THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 7, 1994 TAG: 9409070045
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: LAWRENCE MADDRY
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
IN LAST WEDNESDAY'S column, I argued that the South Carolina Legislature was unnecessarily offending its black citizens by continuing to fly a Confederate battle flag over the Statehouse in Columbia.
Blacks view the battle flag as a symbol of slavery and white oppression and have been holding protest marches in South Carolina. The column argued that it is bad manners to offend large numbers of people unnecessarily whether you agree with their view of the battle flag or not. It said that, in keeping the flag above the Statehouse, the South Carolina legislators were behaving like poorly raised schoolboys, thumbing their nose at people who deserved respect.
The column has offended many readers, and they have expressed their opinions to Lynn Feigenbaum - the newspapers' public editor - and to me.
Here are a few excerpts from their complaints.
An anonymous woman: ``I am very offended. . . . I'm a Southerner and I am proud of that flag, and if anybody thinks that flag is something of their slavery days, they need to go back to their history books. I am sick and tired of people saying that flag has anything to do with slavery when it doesn't. I am sick and tired of going back 300 years and using the excuse of slavery. . .
An anonymous man: ``I know for a fact that the first slave trade was in Massachusetts in 1642. Ninety percent of the South didn't own slaves. The reason they fought was because the people who did not own slaves were tired of being stereotyped for the people who owned slaves anyway.''
Letter from a reader: ``You poor little wimp. So you would remove the Confederate flag even from your walls if your Afro friends were offended by it? . . . You stink!
Phone call from a reader:
``There are other symbols which could be offensive to white people such as the flag of the African National Congress. . . . The Civil War was not a race war . . . as the conflict in South Africa was. Slavery was an issue in the Civil War but not the only issue.''
Anonymous message on my answering machine: ``You are a real dumb ass, Maddry.''
Letter from a reader: ``What do you know about the Confederate flag? I don't see that it is any worse than some of the other flags that are flown or displayed. Some people would complain about anything that was flown.''
Phone call from an anonymous reader: ``Sounds like you don't know nothing about history. . . . Ain't nothing wrong with the Confederate flag. I will fly it and fight for it because my ancestors fought for it. I can tell you right now people are getting very upset about everybody cutting the Confederate flag. The South was more right than the North was.''
your walls if your Afro friends were offended by it? . . . You stink!
Phone call from a reader:
``There are other symbols which could be offensive to white people such as the flag of the African National Congress. . . . The Civil War was not a race war . . . as the conflict in South Africa was. Slavery was an issue in the Civil War but not the only issue.''
Anonymous message on my answering machine: ``You are a real dumb ass, Maddry.''
Letter from a reader: ``What do you know about the Confederate flag? I don't see that it is any worse than some of the other flags that are flown or displayed. Some people would complain about anything that was flown.''
Phone call from an anonymous reader: ``Sounds like you don't know nothing about history. . . . Ain't nothing wrong with the Confederate flag. I will fly it and fight for it because my ancestors fought for it. I can tell you right now people are getting very upset about everybody cutting the Confederate flag. The South was more right than the North was.'' by CNB