re: American Flag Burnt By ‘Trans Power’ Activists in San Francisco

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Back in 1942 my Grandpa went to war for this piece of fabric. Leaving my Father as the oldest kid to help my Grandma take care of my aunt's and uncles. My Grandpa sacrificed his family for this flag motherfricker. My father lost his childhood for this flag. Thousands of people have died for this flag. Millions more have put their lives on the line for this flag. Watch your mouth.

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lol no he didn't, he went to war for our country. Conflating a symbol of our country with our country itself is pretty silly. When you burn the flag, you do not literally burn the country.

It's pretty hilarious that you're getting all butthurt, using your grandpa's service to protect our Constitution as a weapon against people who are exercising their Constitutional rights.

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Do statues fit into the same category?

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That is slightly different in my opinion, although I could see where someone might argue their respective comparability. There is a component of rarity and uniqueness pertaining to most statues. While there are millions of American flags in existence, there are only a few, if not one, of each statue.

But more importantly, the majority of statues are usually direct representations of specific individuals throughout history (the Statue of Liberty being an obvious exception). Their "value" and "meaning" is a little more finite because it is obviously easier to evaluate their life's work as opposed to something that represents a massive populous or some concept as relatively arbitrary as a nation.

I liken it to removing or destroying a piece of art. By doing so, you are removing a part of history. The only statues I support the destruction of are those revering or supporting "universally despised individuals" (e.g. dictators such as Hussein, Hitler, Stalin, etc.). I understand that such an assessment might not always be a black/white matter, but I have faith that the contemporary populous, through the decision of a solid majority and not through political coercion or executive orders, will determine whether or not these figures evoke too painful of memories endure.

While some people might get their panties in a bunch over the sight of a Confederate statue, there is a vast difference in denouncing the evils of Nazism as opposed to condemning military figures who you think might be wicked. If you are going to argue that their evil is evident by their ownership of slaves, then I suppose a number of the Founding Fathers should be equally critiqued with such a harsh gaze.

Hitler, and dictators similar to him, advocated for the murder and persecution of millions of individuals. They stood as political figures attempting to propagate and spread such hatred throughout their respective nations. While Confederate military figures might have resided in a region which supported the barbaric institution of slavery, their decision to go to wage war against the Union is not the equivalent of a political figure championing such hatred and bigotry.