December 30, 2010
-
A Symbol of My Culture
A few days ago on Beef Gravy's site, he talked about his dislike for the Confederate flag. I don't so much hate the people that display the flag but I hate the meaning behind it. That was a symbol for people who raised arms against the United States. I hear people say that it is a part of Southern culture but sadly included slavery and sedition. Well there is a flag from my culture that maybe I should fly even though slavery and atrocities are associated with it.
I'm German and this flag is part of German history so therefore you should respect my desire to fly this flag even if it brings up memories of pain.
Maybe it's the swastika that's so offensive to people even though it is a Hindu symbol for good luck and peace and was clearly seen in the center of the Metrodome roof.
But then maybe that's why it collapsed.
They look like a racist bunch. Oh wait that is the Edmonton Swastikas women's hockey team.
I always knew they were up to some crazy shit out at the Corn Palace.
But when people see the swastika they think of this:
OK history students, what's wrong with one of these photos?
Here's a list of why we should fly the Nazi flag using the logic of why people want to fly the Confederate flag:
1. Much like the Confederate flag, it's a part of our history. We need to embrace history so we don't repeat it. I am a student of history and when Obama was elected I about ejaculated all over my TV when I heard governors from Southern states talking about potential secession.
2. All the bad things associated with the flag happened in the past to people who aren't me so who cares, get over it and it shouldn't be hidden.
3. It's just a piece of cloth.
4. It represents freedom of speech and I have freedom of speech to fly it and if you're offended that's your problem.
5. It reminds us that people died for their ideals.
6. Obama's election could be a rallying cry for more flags and this could create jobs and boost the economy.
7. It's a symbol of pride. I am proud to be white and German.
8. The Nazis had multiple flags so disallowing one is stupid.
9. It's a rallying symbol for people who think alike.
10. When I see the flag I think of my homeland and ancestry
11. It's just a symbol used on a TV comedy show so it can't be that bad.
12. It represents my struggle against reverse racism.
13. To some people, the American flag represents genocide.What is the harm of this flag? It was clearly part of culture and history.
I remember going on a date with this girl a couple of years ago. She brought up her ex which raised a red flag...LOL...she said how she felt he was unjustly persecuted in this area because he was from Alabama and flew a Confederate flag in his truck and front yard. I asked if he was a racist. I know I stereotyped the guy and she called me on it. She went on to say how he stuck up for his Southern pride but that didn't mean he was racist or that she was. Eventually she started talking about how she even bought him a Confederate flag at a social gathering. I asked her what type of social gathering it was that they attended.
"A Klan rally."
"Was he a member of the Klan?"
"Yes."
"Did his use of the flag have anything to do with him being in the Klan?"
"No, his hatred of niggers has nothing to do with the Confederate flag."
There was no second date with that lummox.I guess this all makes me wonder why we are even debating flying another country's flag in the United States. I have issues with this in the small town where I live because for a week every year it turns into a Czechoslovakian village and people fly the Czech flag. Why the fuck are we flying a Czech flag, a Nazi flag or a Confederate flag when we are citizens of the United States? I want to don my brown shirt and march through the streets demanding appeasement that they fly my flag. If we fly the Confederate flag because we want to remember the people who gave their lives for their ideals then we should fly the Nazi flag because I and probably most of the people of German descent had German relatives die in the name of their flag. I had one relative who managed to live through the war while serving at a place called Buchenwald but after the war he was sentenced for following orders and was executed for being a soldier loyal to his cause and flag. I only know this because of the shame I feel. In no way am I proud of this. Why should I be proud of family members who said, "Ich schwöre bei Gott diesen heiligen Eid, daß ich dem Führer des Deutschen Reiches und Volkes Adolf Hitler, dem Oberbefehlshaber der Wehrmacht, unbedingten Gehorsam leisten und als tapferer Soldat bereit sein will, jederzeit für diesen Eid mein Leben einzusetzen"? Why should I be proud of family members who fought for their racist ideals? Why should I be proud of a family member who oversaw the extermination of a race of people?
So what am I saying? Just because you are from the South it doesn't mean you should be ashamed of your region's past but be aware of what people see in your flag. I hate to see a Confederate flag because my family fought for the Union but then the victors right history, don't they? If the Germans can still fly the Nazi flag over the capitol in Berlin, then people should be able to fly the Confederate flag and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane ought to teach those Duke boys a lesson for ruining a perfectly good Dodge Charger but right after Colonel Hogan teaches Kommadant Oberst Klink a lesson...seriously, how did a comedy set in a Nazi prison camp last 168 episodes?
Maybe if the Confederate flag apologists displayed their flag like this...just saying.
Oh and if you want to see what one of my family members is up to these days, visit him at his site and realize I can't attend family reunions because of this guy.
Comments (53)
I used to believe the swatiska was all Hitler and stuff until i met friend who was german like yourself. She told me to look up the history of the symbol. I found out its origin wasnt from hitler,so unless i see or hear the word Nazi or Hitler with to the swatiska symbol on a flag i dont automatically assume anything horrible.
I think it's sad that Hitler and the Nazis had to bastardize that symbol.
Arizona also used to have the swastika on their state highway signs. Of course, they changed them during World War II. Also there was a controversy a few years ago when someone bought a pack of Japanese Pokemon cards and one of the cards had the swastika in the artwork. After that incident, the swastika was removed even though the card had nothing to do with Hitler.
Also, my disdain for people flying the Confederate battle flag (which was never an official flag of the CSA anyway) outside of an historical area (like a museum or battlefield) involve how many of them are racists (some of em are even proud of it).
I don't recommend posts very often, but this is definitely worth of a rec.
Very good, very very good.
of course it's a symbol that predates the nazi party (as opposed the confederate flag which was derivative, but otherwise pretty much a made to order deal). but those wacky nazis did SUCH a bang up job with it that, well, i think maybe it's time to retire the number.
why is the nazi flag so much sexier than the union jack or the confederate flag... that dont tread on me flag is super hott though
THANK YOU.
I see Confederate flags a lot. I live near where at least one battle took place, and the Civil War plays a huge part in the history here. People insist that it's not racist, that it's just part of culture, and it honestly makes me sick to my stomach. Like your date, they INSIST that their hatred of blacks and their love of the stars and bars are unrelated. I hate it. >.<
I see you are absolutely in love with that flag. lol. It is in every post you make. I think it might be some kind of subliminal messaging.
that swastika is actually a symbol of peace. Hitler misused it. My grandma keeps one on the coffee table.
My grandpa fought in WW2 and stole a coffee mug out of a Nazi's house that he keeps on display.
That's true. It may be part of history..but the meaning behind those flags are devious and quite evil. People put those meaning behind it and thus twisted it. Like you, I have german, austrian descent in me through my mother's side. I'm also jewish so that strikes a chord in me. Unfortunately, none of that history is talked about. I wouldn't imagine why. Yeah, I do agree with you and even chastised my friend who even raised up that Confederate flag. It has bad meanings of sedition and even slavery, like you've stated. It's not a matter of pride at all..but ignorance of the masses. Believing that they can wipe away that history, when it can't be. I completely agree with you.
This is worthy of a rec' indeed.
Now, I'm going to watch Oh, Brother Where Art Thou? (one of my favorite movies =D)
@Colorsofthenight -
I believe supposedly (from my study of world history in high school) that there was a class called the Aryans in India. So I'm not surprised he took it up from that. He even sent out expeditions out to Tibet etc; to prove his theories or whatnot.
@Hinase - aryan comes from the word "metal" and it means noble. In sanskrit, aryans are known as the nonconformists of society.
Well done, dude!
@Colorsofthenight -
Wow, a stolen swastika coffee mug displayed proudly....that seems really odd to me! LOL
good post.
@Colorsofthenight -
So I was partially right =D
OMG the Wehrmacht took D.C. back during the war? I guess they totally censored that one out of the history books, talk about massive cover-up.
@Hinase - aryas is "metal." I would guess that they were probably rulers who wore precious metals as status symbols, but that's just me. In the epics, they just refer to them as the nonconformists.
@Colorsofthenight -
Yeah, I did study a bit of them in World History...See!I learn something new everyday =D
@LadyMira -
I remember a teacher in high school telling us that and then when I got to college I took a minority studies class and one of the questions was how to react to a family from India that moved in and there was a swastika on their front porch. The teacher only assumed that it was a racist symbol and didn't know anything of the Hindu origins which made me question why he was teaching that class.
@crazy2love -
You ever want to see it used positively, go out to the Lower Sioux agency near Morton, MN. They have an incredible museum there. So much history occurred there as well.
@Rob_of_the_Sky -
I knew about those highway signs because a classmate in college was Apache and she always told me about that the symbol was part of their tribe. I had no clue about the Pokemans. I wonder if The Dukes of Hazzard could be a popular new show these days with the Confederate flag on their car.
I wouldn't mind the flag being flown under a U.S. flag at a historical site but nowhere else because Robert E. Lee surrendered the flag to Grant so it should be null and void and this is why I am shocked that is flown on state houses throughout the south.
@ShamrockLover -
thank you, and I saw you respond to another comment about displaying swastikas. One of my grade school classmates had a grandfather who fought in World War II. He took many "souvenirs" and this included Nazi flags and guns. He displayed them in his house because they were symbols of his struggles and victories in the war. Well one of his kids, my classmate's dad, got in trouble with the law for phoning in a bomb threat back in the 70s. Well the FBI got involved because some county deputy sheriff saw the Nazi stuff and thought they were dealing with extremists.
@obamawatch -
Thank you
@complicatedlight -
Those wacky Nazis...when I see them in The Producers and Hogan's Heroes I always wonder how they even got outside of Germany's borders.
@anth0nyc -
I remember back in the mid 80s when I was in grade school, all the older kids wore clothing with the Union Jack. To this day I can not figure out why that was such a hot item to wear. Maybe it had something to do with the shoe line British Knights.
@emily_shannon -
There was a guy down the street from me that flew one in his front window. People complained but he insisted it had nothing to do with racism despite him constantly referring to President Obama as the HNIC.
OMG I just saw that you have a santa hat on Paulie!!! I actually laughed out loud!!
@WondersCafe -
Well I have been thinking lately about socialized health care and wondering why we have to pay for universal health care for the residents of Iraq and Afghanistan when we Americans aren't even offered this from our government.
@Colorsofthenight -
One of my grade school classmates had a grandfather who fought in World War II. He took many "souvenirs" and this included Nazi flags and guns. He displayed them in his house because they were symbols of his struggles and victories in the war. Well one of his kids, my classmate's dad, got in trouble with the law for phoning in a bomb threat back in the 70s. Well the FBI got involved because some county deputy sheriff saw the Nazi stuff and thought they were dealing with extremists.
We always pay for other people's goods and services. America to your service.
@Hinase -
I know people that think that we hear too much of the Jewish perspective of World War II and this has led so many people to doubt that the Holocaust ever happened and was merely an invention to garner sympathy and money. It seems so outlandish to even type that but there are so many that believe this. I overheard people speaking of this at a restaurant and they were "citing" all sorts of evidence. I really wanted to say I was happy to have a relative executed for his part in those war crimes.
@my_little_niche -
Thank you so much.
@Tallman -
Thank you
@UR_MUSE -
Read The Man in the High Castle by Philip Dick. It's an alternate history of World War II. Pretty interesting. As for the White House...I think that comes from a video game called Turning Point: Fall of Liberty. It's about the Nazis invasion of America.
@crazy2love -
Complicatedlight made that one for me.
@godfatherofgreenbay -
I completely understand about that.
@godfatherofgreenbay -
You're shocked that some southern states fly the Confederate battle flag? The state flag here was mostly the Confederate battle flag when it was first implemented in 1956 as a protest again desegregation until 2001 when the flag was changed to a blue piece of barf that still had the old flag design on it (though much less prominent). The flag was changed again in 2003 to the pre-1956 flag (even then, it still has something to do with the Civil War but at least it isn't a common racist symbol).
@Rob_of_the_Sky -
Well what has shocked me is that one some state houses it is the only flag flown.
I can see your point in changing the symbols to something else. Like the Rebels (old miss) now becoming the Black Bears (which i think is a little funny in a way). My state flag (can't remember if it's the confederate flag in the corner or all the way i think it's just in the corner of it now). I really don't see a point in having a state flag. Or state bird or flower etc.
I don't think however that just because the symbol is frowned upon means it should be taken away. Let everyone vote on the new one (that's how we got the black bears as replacing ole reb as a campus mascot).
@NightlyDreams -
Well I can see a point of state birds and mottoes and stuff like that but the thing with the flags...when the U.S. first started each "state" was a country so the United States was a group of countries coming together for a common good. If you go to Europe usually they call their countries states.
There was an episode of South Park that really hit this topic hard but I can't remember what the name of the episode was.
I learned a lot about you from this post. It's too bad there's so much idiocy polluting and convoluting ideas and meanings. It truely is a shame.
You used the word lummox. My friend, you are alright in my book.
Excellent post. This is why I prefer boobs as symbols. Who doesn't like boobs? I would like to elaborate on the validity of your post, but then you might start taking me seriously and then I would have to start meeting a whole new set of expectations.
Aloysius_son use a mystery coated coating each in the bottom and on top. A silly replica comprises the standard tock and moment capabilities alongside having a attractively made mere seasoned island. The island is impressively made utilizing dunkelhäutige and sand as nicely as the condition is of macamadamia nut trees.
Ahhhhhh that feels better....
@Dust_to_Dust84 -
I hope what you learned wasn't bad.
I have brought out the word lummox to describe most of those girls and guys on the 16 and Pregnant shows on MTV.
@Aloysius_son -
I probably could think of a couple groups of people that don't appreciate boobs but that's neither here nor there.
But is the dunkelhäutige the current zeitgeist or maybe my weltanschauung is distorted.
@godfatherofgreenbay - not at all
I'm not sure how I feel about 16 and pregnant. It's a confusing emotion. A cross between rage, depression, disgust, and outright amusement.
@Dust_to_Dust84 -
I feel such anger that MTV would air it and brag about how much money they give those young girls so now there are all these young girls around here trying to knocked up because of the money. Most of those "moms" and "dads" blow the money on proverbial magic beans and don't use any cents (or is it sense) for their children.
@godfatherofgreenbay - Too young to have children and too young to responsibly handle money. Absolutely.
@godfatherofgreenbay - i know what you mean. i still think it's a little silly.
Good post man! Unfortunately some folks who wave their Confederate flags just still won't get it. *Doh!*
It makes me sad that thanks to the Nazis, the swastika will always be associated with evil. If people bothered with history and facts they would know that the swastika use to represent something pretty cool before the Nazis got a hold of it.
@ExposedWrists -
True but people tend to skip over the major points of the instruction manual.