History vs. Heritage

Fresh from a relaxing week in the Atlantic Ocean, I read this bumper sticker on the back of (what else) an old beat-up pickup truck: "Preserving my Hertigae is Not a Hate Crime" This slogan was accompnaied, of course, by the Confederate Battle Flag (or Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, or whatever the hyper techincal name is). In my ever-complex mind, this simple sticker raised three thoughts...

First, the driver of this truck was (and is) entitled to paste whatever he wished onto the back of his truck and fly whatever flag he wishes over his private property. There is no question that he has the full freedom of expression granted under the 1st Ammendment. However, much like school prayer, it is not enough just to privately express your opinion. For some reason, many people feel the need to have the state or federal government endorse their beliefs. Thus, you have the fights we have had recently in southern states. Of course, many of these fights are entered on both sides with little knowledge of the actual history behind the Confederate Flag and its current placements. The historical truth is this - the Confederate Flag was relegated to virtual obscurity on state and federal property throughout the country until the mid-20th century fights over school integration. Whatever the flag may have stood for, its current manefestation on public property is a rebellion against school integration plain and simple. While the fight was ultimately lost, the flags remain. This is the reason they should be removed - because they were flown in support of racial segregation.

Second, what kind of Heritage is this guy presserving? The ownership of human beings? The deaths of tens of thousands American soldiers who died fighting this very flag? The time in which half of this country engaged in an illegal and guerilla war against the duly elected goverment of our country? The principle of Nullification which directly contradicts the Constitution? Or is it the more recent Hertiage of this flag - the KKK and other white supremicist movements? At this point, it is impossible to seperate the past from the present, even if the past held something worth venerating. The swastika was once a symbol of good luck, peace, and prosperity. What kind of reception would I receieve if I started pasting swatikas across my car, even if I claimed they were for good luck? And furthermore, since when is it acceptable to fly the battle flag of a sworn Enemy of the United States of America? Could I fly the North Vietnamese Flag, the North Korean Flag, or the Hammer and Sickle of the U.S.S.R. and claim it was my heritage?

Third, what is Hertiage anyway? Here is the Axis of Evil definition (far more accurate than Noah Webster): 1. Hertitage - noun - history with all moral implications removed. Thus you have Southern Heritage which dictates that Slavery was a minor motiviation in the Civil War, that Slaves actually enjoyed their servitude, and that brutal killers who raided innocent northern towns from 1861-1865 are Amercian heroes. We also have American Heritage which dictates that Indians were aggressive savages who relentlessly attacked innocent white settlers, that the African tribes that sold slaves are MORE complicit in American Slavery than the Americans who bought them, sold them, beat them, raped them, and worked them to death, and that our country has never had a motive in armed conflict other than than the betterment of all mankind. The whole point of studying history is to understand how we got to where we are today and how we can best move forward. If we continue to scrub the past clean of all our imperfections and misjudgments, how can we possibly learn anything worthwhile. Perhaps this is why many high school students show such little interest in history. We've reduced it to either rote memorization of seemingly meaningless facts or bland vanilla antecdotes of mythical figures with no personal faults. Is it any wonder that over two thirds of the population were esaily duped into supporting the current war. They had no idea that we've been down this road many times before - Mexican War, Spanish-American War, Vietnam. Now only 40% support the war - but what has changed? Nothing. It just wasn't as easy as they were led to believe. But any basic knowledge of history would have shown them the truth. And so we're stuck with Heritage until a majority of Americnas are willing to face the past without rose colored glasses and realize that America's failures actually magnify its success rather than detract from them. The Constitution is an amazing document BECAUSE it was flexible enough to permit the abolition of slavery. The sacrifce of WWII is even greater BECAUSE the motive was purer than the Spanish-America War. The fact that we strive toward ideals we have yet to reach makes us unique because we are in fact striving toward them.

So I close by saying that preserving your Heritage may not be a hate crime, but it is often a crime against the truth. And if you really need a symbol on the back of your truck, why not a peace sign, or a white dove, or even a Jesus fish. Or, better yet, what's wrong with Old Glory instead of the flag of her enemy?