Grand Ole Opry in Glasgow votes to ban use of Confederate flag

Lee Duna@lemmy.nz to News@lemmy.world – 353 points –
Grand Ole Opry in Glasgow votes to ban use of Confederate flag
bbc.com
48

If Nascar can ban the traitor towel, this should have been a completely trivial thing for Glasgow to pull off. That this decision caused this much stir tells you all you need to know about this place.

The club's website explained: "As the Southern states lost the war, and due to the fact that this part of America supplied us then, as now, with most of the trends that influence our music, dress and dance, it is the Southern flag (often called the Confederate Battle flag) which is folded."

The ceremony was accompanied by the 1972 Elvis Presley hit, An American Trilogy, a song which combines the southern Confederacy's unofficial anthem, Dixie, with the northern Union's Battle Hymn of the Republic.

The website added that the occasion "takes the form of a more traditional salute that encompasses both a flag folding ceremony and a number of shots fired in tribute.

"We dedicate the American Trilogy as a salute in memory of all those men and women lost from both sides," it said.

Jesus fucking Christ their explanation is so much worse than I imagined. Just say, 'it's just a show and doesn't mean anything'; lying about honoring the battle flag of the confederacy being "a salute in memory of all those men and women" who fought and died to stop those traitors from destroying their country and preserving slavery is fucking disgusting and a slap in the face to every single one of them. Or just say, 'we hate America and think it's funny,' whatever the actual truth is, just leave the loathsome lies out of it.

I think when you're more removed from the implications it's easier to treat symbols as fun, or to play act. Like how Prince Harry wore that Nazi uniform. It's bad, just saying it's not inherently surprising.

Not sure how removed from the Nazis Prince Harry was/is.

What was it, his great uncle, that is known to have ties to the Nazis? The one that abdicated the throne. If he hadn't, the outcome of that war may have been very different...

yeah it wasn’t a great example, I can see misappropriating symbols that are ancient or half a world away (like people with bad Chinese tattoos), but the Nazis happened on the same continent, a generation or so ago and he’s a f’n prince, you can’t tell me he doesn’t know who the Nazis are.

Well same you can't tell me people shouldn't know who the Confederates are or that they held slaves. More what I was getting at is when it's not a knife at your throat, it's easier to go "ha ha" and not think about the reality of the thing.

yeah I definitely agree that people who are less directly impacted will be much more insensitive about it. I think the distinction is when people who should know better don’t act better. I think a lot of confederate reasoning is bullshit, but they’re also happy to be thought of as too ignorant to be accountable.

I live in Glasgow and have had the misfortune of visiting the Opry once on a night out. The whole flag folding ceremony plus cosplay gunfight thing they do was all very strange and they took it far too seriously.

Needless to say, I did not return.

Sure, let's just completely treat the South like we are the districts from Hunger Games. This is some bullshit.

this isn't about the south, it's about treason. this is the flag of a nation that never existed.

It's a flag of a bunch of losers. Why would anyone want to fly the flag of some traitorous losers?

it's because they're racist, and the long for a return to the days of open, de jure racism. they believe treating anyone other than cishet white christians as fully human is a violation of god's intended order for the world. they're monsters.

And for many of us who grew up before Dylann Roof sparked the bans.. that flag just meant "of the South"

Nothing more or less, by demonizing it it looks like you're demonizing us and demanding you thank us for it.

you can be wrong about whatever you choose to be wrong about, but that's the flag of racist traitors. always has been, always will be.

No you labeled it that to scapegoat a people for ongoing racial issues.

no, it became a racist traitor flag when racists flew it during their failed attempt at treason