Americans prefer a national and historic symbol of hate over the modern-day flag for civil rights and equality, according to the latest Public Policy Polling survey. Based on a story from October concerning a high school student who wore a confederate flag t-shirt in opposition to gay rights, the PPP poll asked respondents if they think either flag should be worn at school.
The results are horrifying.
According to the poll, 38 percent of Americans think it's totally okay for teens to wear confederate flags to school, whereas only 9 percent feel the same way about rainbow flags.
WaPo's Jonathan Capehart explains what a lot of Americans don't seem to understand:
Folks, the Confederate flag is no better than a Swastika. It is a symbol of white supremacy, hate and oppression that has no place in American political discourse. That Kanye West wants to co-opt the rebel banner is as noble as it is futile. Meanwhile, the rainbow that is the gay pride flag symbolizes inclusion and acceptance. Oftentimes, usually in other countries, the words “pace” or “peace” can be found emblazoned on it. The rainbow flag is the very antithesis of the Confederate flag. That the latter is deemed more acceptable than the former is deplorable.
The statement that ” The
The statement that " The Confederate Flag is no better than a Swastika", is itself unacceptable, biased, and prejudiced. It violates the memetic standard of Godwin's Law – whoever mentions Nazis first, loses. Not to mention the principles of "those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones", and "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". When the Confederate flag re-assumes its historical role as a respected and familiar feature of the civic landscape, it will cease to be a bogeyman misused by the extremists of both the NAACP and the KKK. Isn't that very like what we want for the Rainbow Flag? There are accepted and appreciated members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans who are gay, and who are trying to rehabilitate the Confederate flag in the face of Confederophobes as much as the gay community is trying to promote the Rainbow flag in the face of Homophobes. The two flags, and the two movements, have a lot more in common than might be thought.
You need a new headline
You need a new headline writer. The questions inquire about what should be "allowed" not what is "acceptable." Even Q5 asks about what is "appropriate" not "acceptable."
Many believe that wearing anything that might be a distraction from the purpose of schools, which is to educate, should not be allowed. The focus should be on instruction, not fashion.
As for the appropriateness of gay flags vs. confederate flags, the interesting thing is that a majority were not sure which or even whether either was appropriate.
As previous poster stated.
As previous poster stated. These questions were only asked of the republicans taking the poll. Given that, I'm actually surprised so many deemed the gay pride flag as acceptable.
That portion of the poll was
That portion of the poll was of republican voters, not of the whole population. Your summary is wrong.