catgirl, on 03 October 2021 - 11:05 PM, said:
Sorry, I think you missed an important part of that tweet, he calls it the "General Lee".
General Lee was in the confederate army: https://en.wikipedia...i/Robert_E._Lee
Russ 100% retweeted racist confederacy flags. PGI is Canadian, but it's disappointing to see this on his profile in combination with his lackluster response to the community about trans rights.
Edit:
I appreciate Matt for reaching out about this issue. I encourage PGI to have an open discussion with trans community members about steps forward in the future.
"The General Lee" is a character in "The Dukes of Hazard"; the Dukes of Hazard is an old show about boot legging, southern pride, and car chases. The General Lee is an Mopar Orange Dodge Charger with a confederate flag painted on its roof, and is iconic of the Dukes of Hazard franchise.
The Confederate flag does not represent slavery and racism; in its time, it was symbol of resistance against the legislative oppression of the US's northern states, who pretty much controlled the US nation at that point, and could force the less populous and less wealthy southern states to adopt whatever policies the north saw fit; even policies that would devastate the southern states' economies.
Historical revisionism demonized the Confederate states because they were secessionists; they broke away from the Union, and for a nation concerned with its prowess, seceding is wrong think. So the US history books pretty much ignore all the bits and pieces that justified the south's secession, and exaggerate all of the bleakest parts of the culture and morally gray areas.
Claiming the Confederate Flag is a symbol of hate is just 150 years of ongoing oppression against a historical culture. Yes, certain hate groups adopt the image for their call, but resisting the misappropriation of the image is what gives it power. You really think anyone would use the Confederate Flag as a symbol of hate if everyone just stopped being so offended by the image?
Finally, I just have to say this much on the subject: In the US, hatred is a protected right. People have a right to feel strongly about a subject, and so long as those feelings do not incite violent or criminal activity, US citizens are allowed to hate whatever they want to hate, and even publicly practice that hate, provided it does not violate the rights of other US Citizens.
And as a US citizen, I can say this much: I'm not parting with any of my rights. I may not approve or appreciate how others practice their rights, but I will defend their right to their rights. So maybe reconsider why you are counter oppressing everything you hate; it's hypocritical, disturbing, and fascist from my perspective.