# Confederate Flags in West Virginia? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederate-flags-in-west-virginia/620590 "2012-05-02T00:52:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederate-flags-in-west-virginia/620590/61 "2012-05-09T13:32:43Z")
How large a segment? ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederate-flags-in-west-virginia/620590/62 "2012-05-09T14:46:54Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > As is your right, this being a free country and all. But this is GQ, not Great Debates, and we are discussing possible reasons for displaying a Confederate flag, not our personal reactions to it. Correct, my apologies. I’ll restate the theory that a lot of folks who claim it as a matter of historical pride or whatever the reason may be, that racism may be an underlying issue. Pride in the CSA equals pride in the institution of slavery, though many seem to handwave that away. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederate-flags-in-west-virginia/620590/63 "2012-05-09T16:47:19Z")
> [@Tristan](#): > > I’ll restate the theory that a lot of folks who claim it as a matter of historical pride or whatever the reason may be, that racism may be an underlying issue. I actually agree with that. For _some_ folks, displaying a Confederate flag is intended to convey a whole constellation of ideas, and one of those ideas may be racism. On the other hand, for other folks who display the flag, they intend to convey nothing more than generalized rebelliousness or pride in being Southern. That second group, I will also grant, has grown much smaller proportionally in the past couple of decades. I think that is because people tend to be polite. People who might otherwise display the flag for innocuous reasons tend not to do so these days because they don’t want to give offense, or to have folks misconstrue their intent. Back in the 70s, the Confederate flag was ubiquitous here in Georgia (and really, nationwide — see _Animal House_), and I think that was mostly for innocuous reasons. (Symbol of rebellious spirit. _Dukes of Hazzard_ stuff.) These days, it’s so unusual, I do a double-take whenever I see one. And like you, I tend to harbor dark suspicions about anyone displaying one. Which may _or may not_ be justified. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederate-flags-in-west-virginia/620590/64 "2012-05-09T17:04:50Z")
Why do you think the Georgia legislature thought it was so important to display the Confederate flag above the state house? I’m guessing they aren’t big on rebelliousness as a general concept. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederate-flags-in-west-virginia/620590/65 "2012-05-09T17:18:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Why do you think the Georgia legislature thought it was so important to display the Confederate flag above the state house? I’m guessing they aren’t big on rebelliousness as a general concept. Have you actually read [my](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15042420&postcount=51) [posts](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15043477&postcount=53) in this thread? At any rate, this is not a general debate on the Confederate flag. This is a GQ thread on what the motivations might be of some folks who are apparently displaying the flag in West Virginia. ---
**Author:** ![Dufus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@Dufus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dufus)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederate-flags-in-west-virginia/620590/66 "2012-05-09T23:34:05Z")
> [@ZPG\_Zealot](#): > > West Virginia was formed when the people of that area choose not to join the rest of Virginia in the Confederacy. So what’s the reasoning behind Confederate flags in West Virginia? My inbox is full of notifications from Colibri that I have trespassed over political lines. So I write these words while standing on egg shells, in hopes of being sensitive. I’m thinking that the people of West Virginia may be having second thoughts about the whole situation. They may not have fully realized what was going to be required of them, during the first go round. Namely, the whole “white guilt trip” that they have to play along with; affirmative action, hate crime laws, legal aid in bringing lawsuits against everybody and everything that _might_ look like discrimination, generations of people living on welfare in free housing projects, subsidized housing in expensive neighborhoods, school systems that have become cesspools, children who are indoctrinated to chant “that’s racist, that’s racist, that’s racist”. I pray that this post does not offend Colibri. No, wait, I forgot, praying is not allowed, since we must now all be atheist. What’s the new pledge of allegiance in the new world order? Come on over for anal sex? Anyway, I can see why the people of West Virginia are beginning to have second thoughts and fly Rebel flags. Just for the record, Dufus does not fly any flag, does not wear any school colors, any gang colors, and oddly enough, is with Michelle Obama 100 percent when she says “All this for a flag?!” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederate-flags-in-west-virginia/620590/67 "2012-05-10T02:31:55Z")
> [@Dufus](#): > > My inbox is full of notifications from Colibri that I have trespassed over political lines. You have two warnings, actually, not a mailbox full. > [@](#): > > No, wait, I forgot, praying is not allowed, since we must now all be atheist. What’s the new pledge of allegiance in the new world order? Come on over for anal sex? > > Anyway, I can see why the people of West Virginia are beginning to have second thoughts and fly Rebel flags. **Moderator Warning** As you’ve been told repeatedly, political commentary like this is not permitted in General Questions. It’s also apparent that at this point you are very deliberately and intentionally violating this rule, as well as the rule against trolling. This is an official warning. Keep this up and you will find your posting privileges under discussion. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederate-flags-in-west-virginia/620590/68 "2012-05-10T02:34:17Z")
This thread drifted out of GQ territory some time ago. Those who wish to further speculate on the motivations of people in West Virginia for flying the Confederate flag may open a new thread in Great Debates. Colibri General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confederate-flags-in-west-virginia/620590.md?page=3)