General Discussion

markpkessinger

(8,401 posts) Tue Jun 30, 2015, 01:28 PM Jun 2015

So, about those shootings in Charleston. . .

. . . Seems as if they've completely fallen off the radar. We allowed ourselves to get so wrapped up in the Confederate flag issue, which, while important, does nothing substantive towards either combatting the underlying racism that led to the shootings, nor about addressing the proliferation of racial hate groups throughout the south, nor about the role played by the easy availability of guns. I posted something to Facebook last Wednesday about this:

I couldn't be more pleased to see the sudden push among a number of Southern states, and Southern Republican politicians, to begin considering the removal of symbols of the Confederacy from public grounds, flags, etc. Public symbols are important, and it is important that symbols used represent all of the citizens whom the government serves, and that they not show partiality towards a particular constituency. It is something that is long overdue, and none of the arguments made in defense of the continued display of those symbols stands up to historical scrutiny.

I am a bit concerned, though, that THIS conversation is being permitted to overtake and supplant the conversation we still very much need to have in the wake of the Charleston shootings: the conversation about the availability of guns to violent, troubled individuals. That remains a critical discussion, and one we continue to try to avoid. And I cannot help but wonder if the hope that the Confederate flag controversy will absorb much of the energy of the conversation about guns is what is driving the sudden change of heart by so many Republican politicians.

And it is looking more and more like my fears were founded. I see the entire, virtual overnight "come to Jesus" moment for Republicans on the Confederate flag issue as nothing more than a cynical ploy to both divert the public conversation away from the more substantive issues that need to be addressed, and at the same time to provide an opportunity for themselves to cast their party, in the eyes of younger voters, as not being the racists that in fact they are.

Much as I hate to admit it, we were totally outplayed on this one.

6 replies

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So, about those shootings in Charleston. . . (Original Post) markpkessinger Jun 2015 OP

DU was onboard as well. brer cat Jun 2015 #1

Taking down the flag is an important piece of the puzzle. Orsino Jun 2015 #2

But probably not the most critical piece of the puzzle n/t markpkessinger Jun 2015 #4

Well, it's a symbol of the most critical pieces... Orsino Jun 2015 #6

For them... scscholar Jun 2015 #3

Well the 24 hour Christianity bash-break was nice. B2G Jun 2015 #5

brer cat

(24,578 posts)

1. DU was onboard as well.

Reply to markpkessinger (Original post)

Tue Jun 30, 2015, 01:39 PM

Jun 2015

It was hard to find anything else among the zillion threads on flags. Symbolic victories don't cure many ills. Removing flags will not change racism, gun violence or church burnings.

Orsino

(37,428 posts)

2. Taking down the flag is an important piece of the puzzle.

Reply to markpkessinger (Original post)

Tue Jun 30, 2015, 01:43 PM

Jun 2015

Wherever it is demoted as a symbol of privilege, we learn a bit more about how to live in peace.

If all the official displays ended tomorrow, it is perhaps inevitable that we would lose momentum. But that's a pretty good trade'-off for having marginalized hate a bit further.