On Thursday, Gainesville actively joined the national controversy surrounding the Confederate flag. Protesters came out to speak for and against the status of a statue depicting a confederate soldier, which has the words “In memory of the Confederate dead” inscribed along its pedestal.
We’ve got a story on the matter lying around somewhere if you’re interested in the developments, because that’s not what this particular editorial is about. On Thursday, there was shouting, there was chanting, there were messily scrawled signs.
But most significantly, there was an exchange, an exchange that we believe is more important than either camp’s stand on the controversy. Strong opinions have been raised on both sides regarding the Confederacy’s role in American history, but between the angry shouting, raised signs and debates, it’s important to recognize how both sides are expressing themselves as fundamentally American.
Freedom is an American ideal, and the freedom to voice how the world is influencing us is something that both sides have brought to the table. Whether you wish to bring the flag of slavery down or preserve a symbol of your state’s history, you’re addressing your grievances and letting it be known how events matter to you.
The freedom of speech and the freedom to stand by your views stand at the core of the American identity. Remember that while we may argue and fret over the standings of those around us, we are equal in our ability to be heard and no less for it if others disagree with what they hear.
The person proudly waving a Confederate flag may merely desire the ability to honor state and family, whereas the person trying to bring down the flag speaks in outrage against the worst of what that flag has represented in the past. Ultimately, neither of the individuals in question is any less for what he or she wishes to say.
It’s true, sometimes the people who disagree with your views can be honest boneheads with no damn clue about what they’re talking about, but you’ve probably been as much of an ignorant dumbass on other issues, and it’s important to remember that your concerns and your views do not make those of your peers any less significant.
As Americans, we have a privilege, and some would say a responsibility, to stand by our ideals.
At the end of the day, you’re performing your duty to the community, you’re bringing an issue of public debate into the public consciousness, and we salute you for it.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 7/14/15]
