imho, the fact the Stars and Bars was not removed proves that this is nothing but reactionary to a groupthink mindset that gets offended easily.
Flags don't oppress people. SYMBOLS do not oppress people.
If that was the case, the Christian Cross should be the most hated symbol of all time (and it appears in Disney in several places) because, throughout one point of history or another, the Cross has been "used" to oppress pretty much every group you can think of, even other Christians. And, it is still used that way today by many groups.
But, that's not the case. Why? Because SYMBOLS do not oppress. No sir.
People oppress people, and utilize social structures to do so. Don't be offended by the symbol, be offended by the people and their actions.
If the issue is the Confederacy (which actually DID all these things people are blaming some flag for, instead of blaming the people who DID them and not the symbol they adopted), then the Stars and Bars should be banished as well.
It's the same mentality as those who are offended by Tom Sawyer and think it should be pulled from school reading lists and bookshelves (yet probably happily bounce along listening to Lil Jon albums without a care in the world...probably with their kid in the back seat soaking up that dreck as well).
But then again, many people love to use the phrase "Uncle Tom" as a slur as well, I mean, it's well known what that means, right? It means a "sellout", a "tattle tale", all with a racial angle, right?!?
But, I bet they haven't read the book. Because, if they had, they would realize that the man was a hero (for those unaware, in the book's climax, Uncle Tom is confronted by his masters to find out where two slave women who ran away were hiding. Uncle Tom knew their whereabouts, but refused to tell. He was threatened with beatings, but he still refused, because he knew the truth and why they ran away. Aside from just the abuses of slavery, these women were being raped by their masters. Uncle Tom kept refusing, and his masters kept asking, and beating him. And they kept beating him, and he never told. Why? Because he refused to tell, and as a result, he gave his life to protect those girls. His masters beat him to death.
That is some straight up heroic stuff right there. How it became a slur? Well, because the masses are ignorant and love to repeat things they've heard instead of actually researching things themselves. Everyone is guilty of it in one way or another (I'm not claiming any moral superiority here). But, the point of education and critical thinking is to learn how to recognize it and hopefully rise above it at some level.
This relates to the flag in the sense that I stated waaaaay back on the first few pages. Context is key.
