Confederate Flag Pros And Cons

While the Civil War ended around one-hundred-and-fifty years ago, there are still remnants of the Confederacy today. The recent debate over the harm caused by the Confederate flag has sparked arguments by adamant advocates both for and against the display of the flag. Advocates for the flag, such as Christopher A. Cooper and H. Gibbs Knotts, argue that the flag is an innocent display of heritage for many people. Opponents of the flag, such as Joyce Ehrlinger et al., claim the flag is a blatant symbol of racism that incites hateful conduct toward blacks. To find a solution to this dilemma, these two sides must decide whether the Confederate flag is merely a symbol of southern heritage or if the flag is a subliminal message calling for a return

to a terrible part of the United States’ history.
Some people believe the flag invokes a negative disposition toward black people.

While at first this statement may seem vague, in their article “How Exposure to the Confederate Flag Affects Willingness to Vote for Barack Obama” Joyce Ehrlinger et al. found “exposure to the Confederate flag led White participants to rate a hypothetical Black male character more negatively than those in the control condition . . . These findings support the argument that exposure to the Confederate flag activates racially biased responding” (143). Additionally, they claimed that exposure to the flag could have even affected the outcome of the 2008 presidential election because “Combined with Study 1, these findings suggest that exposure to the Confederate flag might have decreased willingness to vote for Obama specifically because of his race” (Ehrlinger et al. 143). Based on these findings there is respectable evidence pointing toward the Confederate flag as an extremely provocative symbol. Ehrlinger et al. do believe some citizens may truly hold the flag in high regard simply because of southern pride; however, they conclude with “Exposure to this flag evokes responses that are prejudicial. Thus, displays of the Confederate flag may do more than inspire heated debate,” ultimately condemning the flag

(144).
Others declare the flag is nothing more than a display of southern heritage, and the only reason officials even brought up the flag was to use it as a tool to gain political popularity.

In their article “Region, Race, and Support for the South Carolina Confederate Flag” Christopher A. Cooper and H. Gibbs Knotts found “that 69 percent of blacks find ‘the Confederate flag is offensive, serving as a symbol of racial hatred and a reminder of slavery,’ leaving a proportion who do not,” which means almost one-third of the black population does not find it offensive (Qtd. Clarion Ledger). This information proves that persecution of the flag is not based solely on race but may be affected by region. Christopher A. Cooper and H. Gibbs Knotts discovered “that region is vitally important in forming attitudes about the flag, but that region works differently for blacks and whites. White southerners are more likely to support the flag than white nonsoutherners, while black southerners are less likely to support the flag than black nonsoutherners,” which backs the suggestion that attitude toward the flag is based on region and not so much on race (152). Another interesting point brought up by Christopher A. Cooper and H. Gibbs Knotts is that this recent debate over the flag is likely related to politicians trying to gain popularity with certain demographics. It would not be shocking to see politicians use shady methods of gaining an advantage in government. As Christopher A. Cooper and H.

Gibbs Knotts state “Given the divisive nature of this symbol, politicians who use the flag as a political issue are likely to draw ire from voters regardless of region,” he demonstrates his belief in this notion.
While in their article Joyce Ehrlinger et al. seem to prove that the flag has harmful effects, Christopher A. Cooper and H. Gibbs Knotts propose the flag is “a more complex phenomenon where region and race exert important influences” (153). Given the information presented in these two articles, I believe the Confederate flag is not innately harmful. While Joyce Ehrlinger et al. do provide evidence that “exposure to that flag might promote negative judgments of and behavior toward Black individuals,” I do not believe that exposure to the flag is the most imperative factor in determining one’s racial attitudes (144). Moreover, both articles agreed that there are non-racist advocates of the flag regardless of race or region. Ultimately, if the United States wants to strengthen race relations it should look to other areas such as creating and enforcing stricter laws on racial violence and discrimination.
To conclude, the Confederate flag alone is harmless. Ultimately, it is just a symbol. For example, the swastika was originally a religious symbol of peace; however, today this benign symbol has an extremely negative connotation due to its association with German Nazis. The symbol has never changed but people’s perception of it has. One could say the same for the Confederate flag. Some people perceive it as a sign of a southern heritage and pride, while others see it as a reminder of slavery and racial discrimination.