Disclaimer: I am not fond of flags or other symbols simplifying messages.
From my observation:
People tend to unite behind such a symbol and attacking the symbol does not resolve anything but tends to increase the rift between this group and the opposing group.
I don't think that applies here. The anti-blacks will not get worse! They will respond to strong resolved Federal Government action. when jobs are at stake, they will compete to show who loves minorities the most. Americans always like to get contracts for their cities. Politicians rise or fallibly getting Federal Dollars!
I am here with Charlotte - attacking the symbol does not resolve anything.
We will not attack the symbol, individuals can be idiotic if they wish, hate speech is projected under the US Constitution! But we are not attacking individuals. The can have 11 flags on their porch, LOL! We can avoid them then.
The State Capital, however is for all the people, blacks included. States do not have, under the Constitution any such protected right to insult blacks!
Here is an
interesting article and here is the
related book (found
here).
The most interesting quote is: "fear comes from ignorance"
It's not fear of blacks, just discounting their humanness at play. Do you really believe the shooter or the gun toting cops were ever "fearful" of the blacks they shot? On the contrary, they were shot because they are have no value to us, like stray dogs wondering on your property and worrying your sheep.
The idea these shooters have in common is that blacks are merely garbage, to be trashed. But, there's no fear involved to have meetings about, LOL. They don't "fear" trash they burn, just don't want it around!
Michael,
I speak from a special position. I had to go to school in London under police escort or else had to map a different route each day to avoid being attacked as Jews. Our home was attacked regularly, my mother had rocks thrown at her when she opened the front door. Evert journey was a walk through as nightmare of hate.
First one secures the street and the right of a little boy to go to school. Teaching acceptance is another matter entirely. I owe my education to the police protection and a few good teachers that saw in me a child worth helping out. I was raised in a world where Christ-murderer was a common epithet in the school yard, or dirty Jew. I don't want any other child to face such daily humiliation and hurt!
That's my reason for demanding that first, the flag's that demean blacks in State buildings be removed.
I felt the same way seeing young Catholic School girls, about 5 years old, with their neat school uniforms and tiny backbacks, spat on and called "Catholic Whores" and "Mary-lovers" as they had to make their way through the daily terror of the gauntlet of screaming young and middle-aged "Orange" Paisley Protestant supporters.
Here's my strong conviction: First stop the humiliation and enforce
the law! Down the road, look for long term solutions, However, the
latter, is no excuse for tolerating inhumanity to blacks right now.
As for "re-education", that will take another 100 years and that's
far too long to allow daily public humiliation of blacks to continue!
FURTHER COMMENTS
Michael,
In order to not miss anything from your detailed response, I am inserting in blue, my considered thoughts for each of the topics.
"Disclaimer: I am not fond of flags or other symbols simplifying messages.
From my observation:
People tend to unite behind such a symbol and attacking the symbol does not resolve anything but tends to increase the rift between this group and the opposing group."
There are two parts of response: 1. Education, 2. but in the meanwhile, remove symbols that demean others from public places.
In the U.K., incitement to racial hatred is a crome in itself. So perhaps waving a swastika in a rally against non-whites would be classed as a crime. someone who knows might comment on this.
"Using a symbol to unite is also an easy way of dumbing down the cause as good or bad as it might be."
I do not see this as a generally obviously true statement. Can you give examples. I only see the opposite, that symbols unite disparate factions in a contest.
"Present the flag, repeat the message, modify it slightly over the time, shift the goals while repeating the basic keywords over and over and twisting the meaning of it and the mass of followers will follow because it is 'the flag'. Dangerous."
Agreed, yes the flag can have memic properties like religion and politics and then evolve.
"Symbols can be re-branded, the importance of what it represents can be diminished, symbols can become a ridicule of its former meaning."
That's much harder to do in one's living memory. Germany is rebranded., for sure! Germany but not the 3rd Reich's Swastika! Germany is without question, in my mind, one of the most noble states in Europe. Not the Swastika! That, thank goodness, has not been rebranded.
Germany underwent a heartfelt self-education. Austria and Baltic states didn't, as their philosophies and sense of reality were not utterly defeated. They just went with the political flow, LOL. Austria, for example acts as if it was a "victim" of the 3rd Reich, when one could argue humorously that Germany was to some extent a victim of Austrians' Nazis!
"I am here with Charlotte - attacking the symbol does not resolve anything."
It's not meant to resolve any attitudes, my friends, just protect blacks from insults when visiting public buildings!
"Just an imagination:
Imagine a large barbecue at the very flag pole to celebrate the end of slavery as outcome of the civil war with the POTUS present and descendants of former slaves invited. This with ragtime, blues, jazz, gospel as music and everybody having fun...
The people count - not the symbol!"
The African Americans would no doubt boycott such an event, demanding changes first! They's want any black teenager to be safe walking past a police officer while holding something! The black community is more sophisticated than one might imagine. They would say, "First things first! Make out kids safe!"
"If you want to resolve things you have to make people talk to each other and you need education, education and if I forgot to mention it - education."
That can happen with Orthodox Jews and Orthodox Muslims in adjacent neighborhoods in New York. They can share kosher butcher shops, police interactions and a special "orthodox only" bus service! There, in New York, there are no existential threats obstructing their inter community conversations and note they're both "outsiders" in New York, on a level playing field.
For blacks, they are not on the same power or privilege level as the white cops. Just being black, even if you are an emergency room Dr. is grounds for suspicion and being pulled over and harassed. One gesture or movement in error and the doctor would be shot and the cop would claim he was in fear for his life! Here, re-education of the police is what is needed, and if their jobs were on the line, they would simply do the right thing. No big social debate needed. That black boy stopped does not have to chat with the policeman. The government should simply take over the investigation of all such incidents of unarmed black men being shot by police and it would be controlled fast!
Here is an
interesting article and here is the
related book (found
here).
The most interesting quote is: "fear comes from ignorance"
I don't think we're actually talking about "fear" the discussion of which will lead to some remedy. There's "claimed" fear on behalf of the police, after an unprovoked shooting, for sure! That's like a "Twinkie" defense for the son who shoots his father after eating two Mars Bars, LOL!
There is fear, however, on behalf of the parents, brothers and sisters of young black men. That's a given! But they don't need to be engaged in conversation with them about it,. They already do that in their homes.
I hope I have covered your thoughtful comments faithfully now.
Asher