Chase: Confederate flag means different things to different people

We deal with two types of reality. Objective realities are those that we all agree with: Two plus two equal four; most elements exist as solids liquids and gas; etc. Subjective realities are based on opinions, attitudes, perceptions and religious and social pressures.

Dylann Roof’s actions convinced us that he considers the Confederate flag a symbol of hatred. I don’t want to follow the dictates of a mass murderer and have him tell me what my attitude toward the Confederate flag is. That would be an intellectually slippery slope to stand on: I can think for myself. To suddenly become emotionally misguided by a mad man is not my cup of tea.

Most Southern heritage supporters say the flag is a symbol of bravery, conviction and loyalty to the cause of states’ rights, as Robert E. Lee, the great Southern general, did. He freed all of his slaves before the Civil War. He put his money and his sense of morality where his mouth was. He saw slavery as an evil institution. I do, too.

Some Southern heritage supporters, like the KKK, consider the flag a symbol of white supremacy, truly a racist perception. I refuse to think like they do.

Most African-Americans interpret the flag as a symbol of the misery, suffering, inhumanity and death that slavery stood for. But our black brothers and sisters could have adopted the flag and displayed it as a symbol of what they had to endure to reach full rights and equality with their fellow citizens.

That is not an absurd concept. One has simply to see how Christians adopted the cross as a symbol of their faith. Jesus Christ was nailed to one, suffered and died on it. Christians could have hated the cross and tried to erase it from display anywhere, but they revere the flag as a symbol of their faith.

Is the Confederate flag, an inanimate object, to be viewed from only one viewpoint? Of course not. I view it as a symbol of the sacrifice that my African-American brothers and sisters made to achieve their full-fledged citizenship in this great nation. I view it also as a symbol of my Southern heritage. Thus, I see in the flag respect, love and compassion for my fellow brothers and sisters and the South.

I will never let a madman do my thinking for me and tell me what something means. How about you?

White Oak

This story was originally published July 8, 2015 at 7:09 PM with the headline "Chase: Confederate flag means different things to different people."