More Sensitivities : The Confederate Flag ~ Country Music

After last week's flurry of complaints and sensitivities over the Native American War Bonnet used in a fashion show by Victoria's Secret, another episode in the sensitivity wars has appeared, this one over images of the Confederate Flag.
A country singer, Trace Adkins, sported an ear piece decorated with a representation of the Confederate Flag when he took part in the nationally televised lighting ceremony of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. He apparently hit a raw nerve for some viewers. I can't find any close-up of the offending earpiece, or evidence that these are for sale (perhaps Adkins' earpiece was custom-made). Countless other items of jewellery and apparel decorated with the Confederate Flag are easily available - type the correct words into Google Image Search to see a selection.

As for Trace Adkins, I've written about him and his natal chart once before: here's a link to my 2008 post: Trace Adkins - Capricorn/Aquarius Mash-up.

The singer has responded to current complaints, via his own website :

As a proud American I object to oppression of any kind.
To me, the battle flag represents remembrance of my Southern lineage — I am a descendant of Confederate soldiers who followed that flag into battle.
I advocate for the preservation of America’s battlefields and honest conversation about our Country’s history.
To those who view the flag as a symbol of racism, that was not my message and I did not intend offense.

I think the large majority of members are people who don’t want history to forget the brave and gallant men who fought for the Confederacy,” he writes. “They’re our ancestors. Yet we as Americans have tried to erase them from our history books.

Adkins, in his 2007 autobiography A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Freethinking Roughneck wrote that he is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and states that his interest has always been historical, as opposed to some desire for the south to rise again.

From a string of comments under the relevant HuffPo article I note that to many the Confederate Flag is a representation of racism, the days of slavery and segregation. The South fought, and lost, a civil war in an attempt to preserve the right to own other humans. Among the overwhelming majority of objections to its use in a broadcast performance, even as decoration on an earpiece, the most common comment involved comparing it with a Nazi swastika. Both symbols have shameful histories, when seen in context of wars in which they were involved; but the swastika did have better symbolism centuries before Germany became involved in its use. That fact in no way diminishes the 20th century horror to which the symbol will forever remain connected. As to the flag: from infoplease

The Confederate battle flag, called the "Southern Cross" or the cross of St. Andrew, has been described variously as a proud emblem of Southern heritage and as a shameful reminder of slavery and segregation. In the past, several Southern states flew the Confederate battle flag along with the U.S. and state flags over their statehouses. Others incorporated the controversial symbol into the design of their state flags. The Confederate battle flag has also been appropriated by the Ku Klux Klan and other racist hate groups. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, more than 500 extremist groups use the Southern Cross as one of their symbols.

Flags. Strange things, flags, through the centuries, revered objects, symbols of patriotism. Flags, from their beginnings, have always had association with battle, the military, war, empire. As such, for me they fall into a category along with the Native American War Bonnet: not something to be celebrated. The Union Jack, or Union flag as I believe it's now called, carries echoes of many wrongs in its past, as well as a few good things. Likewise the Stars and Stripes, and most other national flags. All in all it'd be a very good thing if the use of national flags as symbols on clothing and other adornments were avoided completely, I'd best not say "outlawed" - first amendment stuff would be against that, I guess. Still, use of national flags would be far better limited to serious and historic ceremonial occasions....if used even then.

As for country music, my own love affair with the genre lasted for more than ten years and was, oddly enough, conducted from the UK, and in ignorance of certain nuances and connections I've since come to understand. I do still love some of the old artists and songs, those of Merle, Waylon, Willie, Kris. My interest in the genre ended soon after the time of Garth Brooks; a gaggle of new male country artists who came hard on his heels: Kenny Chesney,Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Tracy Lawrence and Trace Adkins among them, are little more than vaguely familiar names to me. We attended one country concert here in town, several years ago when Oklahoma-born Joe Diffie, performed. The only thing I recall from that is a song he sang praising and thanking "the troops". He ordered the audience to stand. I was the sole body in that theater to remained seated; "the troops" in question were not fighting in World War II, and those are the only troops for whom I personally feel gratitude.