Matt Bors for October 17, 2013

In typical patronizing fashion, the liberals in charge of those shows usually throw in a token minority.

Only the Progressive Left still fixates on their racism. For the rest of us we have moved on and no longer practice it. Progressives might want to try that some time…

and don’t forget sexual orientation and ableness. The combination does cover the diversity of humankind quite nicely.

Matt, is part of what you are saying “Everyone else seems to have better things to do on Sundays than waste their time on these shows” ?

mikefive: Except for six years in exile in order to feed my family, I have lived all of my 80 years in the South, and I can tell you, Yes it does, and you don’t have to be black, just human.

The battle flag, flown as it was at the demonstration, and elsewhere, is to me equivalent to the swastika, and yes, I spent some time (unhappy time) in the south. On the other hand, the biggest bigots I saw when in the military were from OHIO! The first segregated drinking fountains and restrooms I saw were in 1966, after the “Act” passed: IN FLORIDA! Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama were, for the most part, ahead of Florida back then, at least outwardly and publicly. But one of the guys in our unit did invite us to a Klan rally in Alabama, boy, glad I wasn’t a Jew or Roman Catholic!!!

What passes for racism is on a sliding scale, evidently. I personally was surprised when I moved to Boston and saw white folks marching in the streets to protest integration. In 1975.

Where I was raised, in Tidewater, Virginia, the Norfolk school system closed all schools, in order to avoid integration. But that was in 1958.

When I see a person flying the confederate battle flag and calling it “heritage, not hate”, my reaction is that when I see a Nazi flag, I think Oktoberfest.

But that’s just me.

People may use that flag just to see if they can get a rise out of people. And the English have a cheer they use at soccer games when they play the Germans: “If you won the war, stand up.” Helps to explain post-game rioting, but hey, they’re just having a little fun.

My feeling: if you think it might be offensive to someone, it probably is. If you want to offend, go right ahead; you’ll be seen for who you are.