Swastika. Cross. Rainbow. Symbols are powerful.

Images of bloodshed or camaraderie are evoked from the sight of them.

Many have multiple meanings but each of them carries a primary message.

The swastika has been around for more than 3,000 years. One culture used it to signify the sun; another used it to machine genocide.

I appreciate the sun, but I don’t see myself wearing the swastika in its honor anytime soon.

Being perceived as a Nazi isn’t worth it.

In applying this logic to all symbols, I have found there is one image about which some people seem to be out of the loop.

Imagine a family is tortured, murdered and thrown in a ditch.

A flag is placed over each of their bodies.

Would you like to be associated with that flag?

The “rebel flag” has been a popular symbol since its debut in the Civil War.

There were a handful of flags made in that era to represent the battle flag for those who pursued secession from the nation.

The third one, the “Southern Cross,” garnered the most success as it didn’t resemble the other team’s flag or the white flag of surrender. The meanings allotted to the symbol range from Southern heritage to white supremacy, just as the swastika represents the sun or anti-Semitism.

The Germans, to my knowledge, do not often wear swastika bandanas or parade them on their license plates while cruising down the Autobahn.

Why are so many Southerners donning the Confederate flag?

Is it acceptable for one person to use a symbol if it has been used – or is being used – to signify hatred?

What meaning is more important than a gesture of peace?

These questions are important to ask, even if you aren’t majoring in English.

I deeply respect freedom of speech, but there is a degree of hate speech involved in the use of the Confederate flag. (Not to mention how tacky it is to fly a losing flag in the first place – ahem, McCain/Palin paraphernalia included.)

Is it not enough to show support for heritage by being a decent person? The damage and isolation people feel when they see a symbol used to convey the murder of their heritage should nullify any sense of pride it may bring someone. It is about common courtesy and knowing our history.

East Tennessee voted to remain with the Union during the Civil War.

Of the 38 major battles in Tennessee, the Confederacy lost 25.

Each person who died because of the war was a human being who will never exist again.

I was born here.

When I think of those who fought against the freedom of their own species, I am not overcome with pride, I am disgusted.

I cannot help but feel the same disgust when I see the Confederate flag, be it on a car, classmate or cheap shot glass at a local gas station.

The conflict regards connotation.

Align yourself with a symbol of racism, and you may be perceived as a racist. We separate each other well enough without the abuse of symbolic gestures; too easily, we forget that behind the shapes and colors we are the same.

If a symbol does not call for the union or love of everyone, then it should remain in the past until it does.

Otherwise, we are simpletons choosing sides in a cave.

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