of course many will be offended by the rebel flag for what it represents - to them - which may well be the opposite of the intentions of the flag waver...how different is this from waving an American flag, which often gets knee jerk reaction that the waver is a war-monger, racist, or whatever other negative the labeler attaches to the symbol?
of course there are bigots and shitheads who could wave either flag, proudly and with purpose, just as there are really decent people who could do the same...
the key is symbolism, which may be important to us, but is also really friggin dangerous, given the fact that it makes reality even more difficult to fathom...how do i interpret your symbol, and you mine? what if our actions are in complete contradiction to the interpretation of the symbols we use, which are nearly impossible to decode when we are stuck with systems of interpretation based on as much belief as fact?
so a rotten bastard waved an american flag and did so because he hated his neighbors - does that mean you are a rotten bastard if you wave one, because you really love your neighbors? etc.
it would be a great world if the only physical manifestation of racism were a confederate flag, and we had no problem with corrupt, immoral, racist institutions which proudly fly the american flag... too much attention to the symbol and what it means to the symbol interpreter, often contradicting what it means to the symbol displayer, seems more like creating a social problem than a solution to a social problem...
it would be nice if we all agreed never to use symbols that offended other people, but if we ever get there, we'll have already accomplished the much more important, and difficult social task of learning to live together, respectfully and peacefully...
fs