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Hummmm. I beg to differ about the word nigger and the confederate flag being comparable. Nigger and all of its multi-faceted nuances and usage is a word rather than an image. It is an abstract amoeba. Is there a poster boy who could universally represent the word "nigger". The confederate flag is a tangible visible immediately recognizable object whose appearance is always the same. There is nothing subtle about it. You either approve of it or you disapprove of it. If you are neutral about it, then that silence conveys approval. It represents one thing; pride in a bygone white supremacy culture that upheld slavery of black people. The word nigger has many variations and the "beauty" of this is that no black person ever misinterprets what another black person means when using the word. Black folks rather than abolishing the word nigger have made it their own and given it exclusive status. It is a pass word that initiates them into the bond of blackness that is a centuries old cult of people who, if nothing else, were creative. The word nigger is also a powerful weapon that keeps white people in check because the public use of it can make or break high profile ones by branding them as racists. For once in their long history of oppression, usage of the word nigger has now put black people in the position of saying: "Don't do as I do. Do as I say do." Rap on. The confederate flag is the pathetic last hurrah of a people who lost the Civil War. Nigger is a word whose versatility is a reflection of a people who won the semantic war. Yes this word's past is associated with a painful era in American history but it should be noted that one of the most feared person among white overseers were the legendary "Bad Niggas" and their close relatives the Crazy Niggas. NOBODY messed with them. And don't underestimate the manipulative skills of the House Niggas. Southerners liked to portray their darkies as childlike and ignorant. But they were the gullible fools because this was what their servants misled them into believing in order to surrepticiously get over on them.

I've been thinking about this and the argument for removing it is the exact same argument Blacks use for justifying the N word. The flag is offensive and Blacks don't use it or care for it. Whites say that it represents history and no longer has the negative attributes associated with it's use. The N word is offensive and Whites may use it in private, but Blacks say that it is a word of brotherhood and no longer has the negatives attributes associated with it's use. * Here is my problem with both. I don't give a hoot about a flag. Not one damn bit and I'm from the South and I lived in Southern Cali where people are unaware that there is one of the biggest groups of Neo nazis and bigots in the country in Santee and El Cajon. There used to be flyers for joining the Aryan Nation on the ground at every bus stop in these areas east of San Diego. I don't use the N word. Does it show up in my life in music and discussion? Yes it does. It is still jarring to me no matter who is saying it. I try to buy "clean" records to avoid it, but some records the word is used as I think the situation calls for... kind of like the flag. If people want to fly it, who gives a damn. I pretty much avoid the discussions on shootings and all of the racist stuff going on. I don't really get into the discussions, but I'm jumping in here because I just jumped in and gave my thoughts on Facebook and I would never give Facebook more effort than I give a platform that is Black owned. All of the things happening in America are problems with capitalism and how the system was put into place and how its flaws have contributed to every problem we have in this society. Should people run around waving the flag and putting it on state buildings? No, but it is a part of history and has it's place in museums and as an item that can be purchased. Does the N word need to be sold on records and in mainstream media as a term of endearment, no. It does represent something significant to Blacks though and trying to ban it is a waste of time. What should be discussed is the state of economics in the US. Why? Because that is something we all can affect and change. If Blacks simply became more conscious consumers (which isn't that simple) racism would be the least of our worries as racism doesn't affect those who have fiscal control over their surroundings/situations.

It's not about the effect the rebel flag has on you, a black man, Troy. It's about how near and dear it is to those who cherish it. When this banner is besmirched and reviled and exposed as being a symbol of treason and racism and degradation, then this deeply offends those who believe it should be honored. Having this banner negatively characterized and yanked from it place of prominence is a moral victory for Blacks because it deflates the pride of white southern die-hards, and reduces the rag they revere into a national disgrace. Maybe we can't kill it, but we can maim it. . The American flag represents many things to many people. So does the Cross. But they are both symbols of power. The confederate flag is a symbol of defeat and inhumanity.