Well, that disagreement ended this weekend in Charlottesville, VA. Anyone who sees that flag will soon see it as nothing but an extension of the swastika.

Southern rebels, the last people in the world who should have marched as brothers-in-arms with literal Nazis, did just that this weekend. With torches lit like the actual KKK rally it also was, they surrounded and threatened peaceful counter-protesters and a black church. They called for white supremacy, for white nationalism, for the murder and/or deportation of anyone non-white. They shot at and beat people of color. They murdered 1 and injured 19 when they plowed a car into a crowd of counter-protesters. It was far more than free speech.

The chance to educate the world on the full meaning of the battle flag is gone. It’s now a symbol of racism and fascism to the world over whether it means that to you or not. Nazis and racists took that away from you this weekend.

Let your loved ones know. Keep them safe. Fight Nazis.

I wrote this article and sent it to my friends and family because I care about them. I also care about keeping the meaning of words and symbols intact — I deplore semantic diffusion outside of slang. Though I really couldn’t care about the “rebel flag”. The South’s reasons for going to war were very clear in the Articles of Secession: profit from slavery. Nothing about that effort or its leaders should be glorified. Rebels have better symbols. Families can honor the memory and bravery of their forebearers without glorifying the political effort they supported. We don’t need that flag flying any more than Germany needs the Nazi flag. We have better ways.

Originally posted on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2wL4m3M

Featured Image: Confederate Flags and Nazi Flags March Together in Charlottesville, VA. Found the image in various Twitter accounts, @jk_rowling in particular, but couldn’t trace the origin. Resized and assumed fair use. Contact me if otherwise known.

The post The Rebel Flag: Another Symbol Stolen by Nazis appeared first on Jason MacDee.

The middle ground burned, raged, and drove over people in Charlottesville. Silent politicians will soon be considered sympathizers at best. The hateful brandished KKK and Nazi clothing, flags, salutes, and chants. They applauded GOP silence as support, especially Trump’s vagueness. The alt-right set this ultimatum, not the general public.

We need to marginalize this absurdity again while most if it can still be a 1A issue. If they have legitimate issues to bring to the table, then they will need to first drop the radical hatred. Until then the rest of Americans have no cause to listen. Until then, the entire alt-right might as well be literal Nazis on American soil and treated as if it were 1945. Tolerance doesn’t extend to violence or its rhetoric.

Supremacy in any form is a disease to be cured. Nationalism is a poison to be treated. Any racial nationalism or separatism are an attack on our nation’s body. The body must defend itself.

America is strong because it’s a mixing pot. Because we work through our problems. We resent and hate, then we listen and accept. We even love sometimes. Hatred won’t be heard. Separatism and supremacy can’t be accepted — specific problems will and can. Together we triumph. Together America is exceptional.

x-posted on Medium: https://medium.com/@jasonmacdee/the-alt-right-wake-up-call-63319f68b8c3

Featured Image: Various white supremacists unironically carrying Polynesian-style torches in protest of the removal of a statue celebrating the violent and subversive defense of a belief in the moral and Godly correctness of white supremacy, racism, and slavery. Image from USA Today.

The post No More Middle Ground: Silence is Support appeared first on Jason MacDee.