And who gave it that connotation? Was it the Confederates themselves who fought bravely under it in its many representations? Absolutely not! It was the modern day professional offendees who are dependent on racial devisiveness to justify their continued existence.
Polybius has given an excellent, and in my opinion, unbiased view, of the flag issue as a Cuban American immigrant. Here is another excellent view given by someone who never had a personal agenda to serve: