Published: October 06, 2008
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May be a contender for worst cartoon yet. For one thing, it’s too reliant on the comment board from the online version of the O’Colly. I assume this cartoon is in the print version of the paper, but when the cartoonist is using the online rants and raves for inspiration, it leaves a lot of print readers completely in the dark. Also, as usual, it’s simply much too long, and when forced to actually read through this entire cartoon, which is more like a column than a cartoon, it begins to feel like reading one of those rants on the online comment boards: tiring, irksome. The political or historical value of the cartoon’s message is lost, buried beneath the muck of the cartoon itself.
I had NO IDEA the original CSA flag was different. Is this true? Then where did the flag with the X come from?
Your first objection is easily solved with a note in the paper about white power visiting the discussion board. The rest of it sounds like you are complaining about having to look at the cartoon to understand it. Oh noes!
Why don’t we replace the cartoon with a blank square that explains whatever the cartoonist wanted to say in 3 words or less. This way Justin Akers’ attention span is not exceeded. (”Racism is bad.”)
We get it! Justin Akers hates the cartoonist!!! But what alumnist loser seriously gets up everyday and checks the student newspaper and rants and raves about things that shouldn’t matter to him anymore? Newsflash this is a college newspaper!!! If people cannot be outspoken and free to show all different types of opinions in college then where can they. I challenges Akers to draw his own cartoons and submit them and see how many people like your screwed up views.
Aww looky there… Ain’t that a cute drawing :-)
Lemme see now.
1607 Jamestown. No Klan No Slaves.
1620 something… Dutch drop off a load of Africans. No Klan No Confederacy. Slaves.
1655 Black man Anthony Johnson gets court sanctioned “Lifetime Servtitude” of Black man John Casor in Virginia. No Klan No Confederacy No Confederate Flag. Legalized Slavery.
1776 Declaration of Independance. No Klan No Confederacy No Confederate Flag. Slavery.
1784 Ratification of Constitution. No Klan No Confederacy No Confederate Flag. Slavery.
1861 - 1865 No Klan. Slavery in both United States and Confederacy.
1865 Slavery ended No Klan No Confederate Flag.
1866 Klan founded. No Confederate Flags No Slavery. Klan adopts US Flag.
2008 Klan almost non existent. Official Klan Items are US Flag, Bible, Cross.
Sir, I believe your silly cartoon lacks any historical accuracy, while only feeding into Hollywood stereotyping
I agree with Amie. Justin Akers attention span must only be able to handle a short mindless cartoon. Maybe this site will help. http://www.familycircus.com/
Whitney,
Great question. Here is the thumbnail version answer.
The original Confederate Flag - aka 1st National, aka Stars and Bars - was used for both the Confederate Govt and Military troops. During the Battle of 1st Manassas (Bull Run) the 1st National at a distance thru smoke and dust looked like the US Flag causing friendly fire and confusion.
General PGT Beauregard called for a new military specific flag for his troops. Being that a huge chunk of southern men hailed from England and Scotland, the Cross of St Andrew was chosen (also seen in flags of Scotland, England, Hawaii, Alabama, Florida, and Jamaica)
Thus, with the creation of this special Battleflag, it was free from any Govt policy, judicial actions, political affiliations, political party and constitutional issues.
The Confederate Battleflag holds the same meaning of a military unit shoulder patch or regimental identification symbol (like patches today showing 3rd Infantry /4th Infantry/ Cavalry/ Armor / etc…)
To add to my point above, I forgot to mention that the famous Klan March on Washington in 1920 had millions of participants and not a single Confederate Flag - but thousands and thousands of United States Flags were waved by the Klan.
A picture is worth… http://www.georgetown.u47.k12.me.us/grade6.01/kv/T790871A.JPG
Throwing out a picture of the KKK holding the confederate flag is pretty meaningless. Just because a racist organization has used the flag doesn’t immediately mean the flag itself is a symbol of racism.
It would be akin to posting a picture of members of the Westboro Baptist Church and saying they are Christians. A group can create negativity surrounding a symbol or idealogy, but that doesn’t mean the symbol is inherently negative.
It’s obviously a touchy issue, the posts to this article prove that. For a lot of people, it is a symbol of southern pride, and to others it is a symbol of slavery. That’s the way it is. Those who display the flag should not be immediately construed as racist.
Personally, there are greater problems in the world than worrying over a flag. And as it is in a person’s constitutional right to display it, there’s nothing that can be done about it. Just move on and concentrate on something more important
I simply showed a case where it is being used to represent racism. Is that meaningless? There are many other pictures of KKK members or neo nazis using the flag for this purpose. If it were meaningless, they wouldn’t do it. And sadly, the Westboro Baptist Church members ARE Christians.
Touchy subject? Yeah. Meaningless? No. But regardless of what you think, I’m not going to defend white power advocates, Aaron. They can rally elsewhere.
I’ll preface my comment’s by saying that I fully support an individual’s right to display the confederate flag as such action is clearly protected by the 1st Amendment to the U.S. constitution and individual state constitutions.
That said, I find it hard to believe that the confederate flag is about southern pride, not racism. The fact that a particular symbol has multiple meanings or has been co-opted by a few misguided souls does not invalidate the very real and well justified belief on the part of the vast majority of Americans that the confederate flag represents one of this nation’s darkest chapters. It is a farce and a distortion of history to argue otherwise. And I am shocked that so may people at this university insist upon this revisionist version of history wherein the confederacy was a helpless victim of Lincoln’s tyranny.
On a separate note, does anyone else find it strange that there are no flags that represent northern, western, or mid-western pride, etc? If the confederate flag is all about regional pride, one would expect to find similar banners representing other regions. So, either the people of every part of America except for the south do not have pride in where they are from, or the confederate flag isn’t primarily about southern pride.
Amie,
I’m not advocating white power advocates either, but to show a picture of any extremist group holding up a sign, symbol, flag, whatever and say “hey, they also use that flag, therefore, the flag is a symbol of racism” is an invalid argument. That’s my point.
If you’re going to argue points against the flag, maybe talk about how the south got its treason butts whipped and the flag could be seen more as a sign of anti-American sentiment rather than straight up racism.
Regardless, while it doesn’t make much sense to myself or anyone else who wasn’t raised in the south, the confederate flag has become a symbol more of the pride in where they’re from and not of racist beliefs. No amount of arguing is going to change that view, so why try?
The confederate battleflag was carried into battle against US troops. To display it today means that someone would willingly do the same thing now. The flag doesn’t represent racism, it represents something much worse: treason against the United States. Even though I respect anyone’s right to have a set of beliefs or to wave a flag that represents those beliefs, the idea that some people think that this country should be torn apart by infighting again just makes me mad.
I guess the state of Mississippi is racist because they have the Stars and bars as part of their state flag, or “Heritage” if you will.
As Amie would Say… Oh Noes!
As I’ve said elsewhere, including the poll, people have a right to fly that or any other flag. I’m not arguing against the flag, just the ignorant racists that stand behind it saying “Heritage Not Hate.” The sad part is that their slogan might hold true if they didn’t also use defenses for racism, and I wouldn’t have said a thing if that was where it stayed. But they crossed the line, and Campbell’s cartoon reflects that.
Enjoy defending them, Sean. Maybe they will invite you to a rally?