I understand that.
If you truly live in Central Virginia, you must have black neighbors or know some blacks.
Have you ever asked them what they think?
I taught at big Southern University. I taught adult government IT workers over a 20 year period. I’ve talked about all kinds of things when we had breaks, lunch, etc., from hunting, fishing, history, and even politics. I asked some of them, people who were as bright as you or I, not Leftists, what they thought about the CBF and I tell you that’s what they said to me.
Now, I did ask about monuments and such, and they were clearly for keeping them and their Southern history. They don’t want that gone.
But it wasn’t the war, nor the KKK for the 20s, but the Civil Rights era fight that make them see the CBF as a symbol used against them.
A lot of it is fake; rumors and such of when they were kids and heard stories about white people with the CBF lynching them and burning crosses. No one I know actually saw that (the oldest of us were little children in the 60s) but it’s a pretty thick belief.
And yes, lynching and burning crosses did happen. How are they supposed to think about that?
I didn’t say it was right, just that it is true.
As one young man with a CSA battle flag tee shirt said to an agitated black with Malcolm X shirt, ‘You wear your x and I will wear mine. wear. I deeply resent the Malcolm Little cult and detest his vile countenance. The same for the fools who show up waving red flags some adorned with the hammer and sickle. However, people can wear or display what ever they want. If others don’t like it too bad, this is or was a free country.