Posted on 10/06/2015 11:36:47 AM PDT by LonePalm
Southern pride.
In the heated debate surrounding the Confederate Flag, the defense offered by many has been that the symbol isn't representative of a culture built on slavery and racism but is, instead, a banner representing that Southerners are simply proud of their home, their people and their culture.
"What other symbol immediately lets the world know you are from the South?" they argue.
To tackle the problem, Studio 360, a national public radio program, commissioned a Texas-based design firm to design a new flag to represent the modern South. With a diverse team of designers with ties to both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, 70kft embraced the challenge with an understanding of the importance of their task.
"The South is unique as a region in that it already has an informal definition," Gus Granger, founding principal of 70kft and a lead creative on the redesign project, said in a conversation with AL.com. The problem is that, obviously, this community that people feel so passionate about "has out of date visual assets to help define its identity."
He's right. The South is the only part of the country that seems dead set on having its own particular brand ethos – you don't see the West or New England rallying around a regional flag. And if we are going to define ourselves as a region, maybe it is time for an update. After all, for 150 years, we've essentially maintained the same branding even though our product has changed.
The surprising history of each of the 50 state flags
Could a new design offer Southerners the chance to embrace Southern pride, without embracing a symbol that hurts so many of our friends and neighbors? That sounds the toughest uphill battle since Pickett's Charge.
Granger said their goal was to "bring a modern visual language into the space for people that want to celebrate their legacy as Southerners," not by eliminating or ignoring cultural differences but by respecting them.
In an online presentation, 70kft suggests: "the Confederate battle flag is a divisive symbol. Some see family and honor. Some see bigotry and hatred. If we can't agree on the meaning, we can never be unified by it."
Their new flag is representative of "the diverse array of backgrounds, opinions, values and perspectives now found throughout the region create the very fabric of the modern South."
Where is there anything in the design that is emblematic of the South?
"Ceterum censeo 0bama esse delendam."
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
That’s got to be one of the ugliest flags I’ve ever seen. Even uglier than Libya’s flag.
What the flying f*** is that s***!?
Looks like those cylindrical shaped barber shop signs that I still see.
Definitively a girley flag.
What’s being proposed to replace the menorah?
First of all, it has red white and blue in it. It’s as racist as the other flag.
Yeah, that’s right, take your pick.
Will they be redesigning the Cross and Star of David next?
Will they be redesigning the Cross and Star of David next?
No, to any change.
Something only a neoyankee would love.
And certain NASCAR Fans....................
Heh...great minds think alike!
The liberals excoriated a country singer for showing antebellum dresses on the internet.
Of course we "know" that all good music was developed only by Black people and stolen by whites so jazz, the blues, etc. belongs to Black people and not the South, at least according to liberals.
So what's left: Mint Juleps?
We need to create a flag for NPR.
Some possible items on it: aborted babies, little Mexican flags, a rainbow, a fish on a bicycle, a sickle & hammer...
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