As most of you probably know, I spend my time divided between a suburban Michigan town and Savannah, Georgia. I've grown up my entire life in Michigan and when I was preparing to go to college in the south, all I could think of was the horrible redneck trashy stigma that seems to follow the southern states like the plague. I was pleasantly surprised to find a place full of all sorts of people, many who were tolerant and kind. I do live in a more historic, maintained city, but my friends from southern states assure me that the stereotype isn't as widespread as us yanks would believe. The weirdest part of all of this? The redneck stereotype is more actualized in my northern hometown.

My hometown and its surrounding cities are all pretty similar. Lots of lakes, pretty trees, suburban homes, and quite a few Confederate flags. One of those doesn't really belong now does it? I saw more Confederate flags in my hometown within two days of being home for summer break than I did the entire school year down in Georgia. I understand that it may be a bit more taboo in the south, but still, why are they so prevalent in the north? Most people you ask here in the metro Detroit area will muffle "uh erm it stands for States' rights!!!!". Here's the thing, it's not.

The so called Confederate flag wasn't even the official flag of the Confederate states. The popularized one we see today is the Battle Flag of the Army of North Virginia. The real flag that represented the Confederacy as a whole was the "Stars and Bars" flag (second image below). Also, what are these states' rights that you Confederate flag wavers go on and on about? I'm not trying to be patronizing, I'm genuinely curious. Most people who wave the "Rebel" flag also seem to be very open and proud of their patriotism, so I don't understand why they would want the country to fall apart and have each state become its individual country.

I often hear people say the Confederate flag isn't about race, but let's be real: it so is. I'm aware slavery wasn't the only reason for the Civil War, but it sure had a hell of part in it. Historically the Confederate flag has been flown by southern Confederates who wanted to keep people in slavery and even by KKK members at rallies. American slavery and hate groups have nothing to with race though, right?

Lastly, I really do not understand why anyone would want to fly a flag from the lowest point in American history, when American men were fighting each other. The Civil War was so devastating it took ages for parts of the country to recover. Along with this, why would anyone from a northern state use a southern battle flag for decoration? It has nothing to do with their personal history, unless they have ancestors from the south (which most of the people I know who fly the flag do not). Maybe I'm getting worked up over nothing, but I just had to get these thoughts off of my chest. I'll stick with the American flag for now, I prefer all my states unified.