flags
30 Mar 2006An interesting emergence from the immigration debate is the topic of flags. In this post, Rev entions Aztlan, while Aunt B notes the parallels between this flag-flying and the flying of the confederate flag.
So, I ask:
Is flying the Mexican flag at an immigration rally:
the same as flying a confederate flag in the United States?
Answer: No.
What does it mean for an immigrant to fly the Mexican flag? Does it mean that they are a warring nationalist activist seeking to re-instate the former glorious state of Aztlan? No. It means they are proud of where they come from, and they’re using a flag to represent it.
Conversely, does someone flying a confederate flag mean that they are a warring nationalist activist seeking to re-instate the former glorious Confederate States of America? Well … yeah, actually, kinda. The Confederate flag was a a flag of rebellion. It represented a revolution, not a nationality. It represented a cause, not representation. Advocates of the confederate flag like to preach about “heritage, not hate”, but as I’ve noted before, when using symbols to communicate, what is important is how that symbol is interpreted, not how you interpret it. To most people, the Confederate flag represents ignorance, racism, and a terrible period of American history.
Flying the Mexican flag is not even remotely comparable to flying the Confederate flag.