When I was a child, you seldom saw anyone flying a rebel flag up North.   But then, they began to appear after I moved to Chicago after college.  That was  when residents of the Appalachian states were migrating to industrial cities in the north.    We called the newcomers  hillbillies, and poked fun at them.  The flags weren’t seen as  racist, because at that time, the term  wasn’t even in use.  A rebel flag symbolized a poor white  southerner thumbing their nose at  haughty Yankees.  But lately, I’ve noticed more Confederate flags flying from trucks and homes, right here in my hometown. Why fly rebel flags up North?

Confederate flag bearers insist their flags aren’t racist.  When interviewed, they  claim the flag is  a sign of rebellion against an intrusive government, and politically correct liberals. They feel it’s a protest of a political system that puts the needs of minorities before whites.   Some say they have Southern ancestors who died in the Civil War.

Often you will see the American  and Confederate flags side by side,  on either side of a truck.  Sometimes, there are two flags  flying proudly from residential flagpoles. You don’t see the Confederate flag  in upscale  neighborhoods in my city.   They seem to be  favored by middle class, working people.  Also,  you may see them taped to the windows of run down, low income housing . But confederate flags are often seen in rural areas in the western states.

You would be in trouble now if you flew a confederate flag in big southern cities.  There, too many people associate the flag with slavery and  oppression. You might even cause a riot or get your house burned down.

Retailers say sales of the confederate flags are strong and steadily increasing.  To me, those flags are a worrisome sign of divisiveness in our great nation.  And yes, I do believe the flags have a racist connotation.