Is the Confederate flag a symbol of hate?

This is a longtime debate, and it's a topic du jour on JU. So I wanted to add my thoughts.

A symbol of hate is an interpretation by the viewer. The confederate flag is, to some a symbol of hate, yes. I won't deny that. But does their interpretation mean that the flag itself should be seen as on par with the nazi swastika, as it often is by ultralib revisionists?

My answer is, no. For you see, the Civil War was not primarily about slavery. That was just a major catalyst. To trivialize the Civil War as being about slavery is about the same as calling the American Revolution a "war about tea".

If we were to enumerate the flags that have offensive meaning for some, we'd have to do away with them all. To the American Indian, the US and Mexican flags symbolize oppression, torture and genocide. To many around the globe the British flag is held in equal contempt. To many Chinese, the Japanese flag represents all that they detest.

And ALL of these positions are reasonable positions, when the perspective of the individual is taken into account.

I DO question the confederate flag being incorporated into the flags of states, but my feelings have nothing to do with a perception of racial hatred. They have everything to do; however, with the fact that the Confederate flag represents a hostile nation.

But the "redneck" who flies a confederate flag from his truck is not usually doing so because of racial hatred. It is, to that individual at least, a symbol of his heritage.

And that is something we should respect as much as African Americans wearing the colors of their "homeland".