Why did we stop talking about the Confederate flag?

A few days ago, I started thinking about last summer and how big the Confederate flag issue was. I remembered how passionate people were about it. That’s when I realized it has all but disappeared from the general conversation.

I believe sometimes it’s tragedy that causes the controversial topic to be brought to the light again. The massacre in Charleston, SC, last June certainly reignited the conversation, as the South Carolina capitol building did not lower the Confederate flag to half-staff because it couldn’t physically be lowered. While the problem was a logistical one, many people wanted the flag removed from atop the building for good – and rightfully so.

That debate lasted a few months, but gradually, the number of times I saw the word “flag” on my newsfeed decreased substantially. But why?

I spoke to a few other college students about why the Confederate flag issue disappeared from public conversation.

Meredith from North Carolina State University agreed that other events magnify the issue, just like the Charleston shooting did last year.

“I think it’s a visible sign of an underlying problem, racism, when people commit racist hate crimes, it’s hard to forget that people really do hate others just because of the color of their skin.”

I also asked why she thought people stopped talking about the flag recently.

“I think it fades in and out because people selectively care about different issues and then move on. It’s an issue that has been heavily debated and not much has changed so I don’t think we’ll see much progress.”

Lauren, from Boston University but originally from the South, said she thinks the problem is general hype.

“At first when it’s new, which is why people are interested, everyone wants to weigh in and be passionate for 2.5 seconds, but it’s not necessarily substantiated by actually caring in a way that results in real change or action.”

I then asked Lauren what it was like living in the North and if anyone spoke about the flag in a positive light. Unsurprisingly, she responded with a resounding no.

From my point of view, the Confederate flag supports an entire population of backwards-thinking racists who wanted to enslave an entire population. Yet some folks still fly it proudly. Why? Is it really “Southern pride?”

If not pride, maybe you think it’s a “symbol of history.” Give me a break. Whether or not you deny it, a love for history can be equated to nostalgia. You should recognize what you may consider “good old days” were extremely terrible for a large percentage of the population.

And after all this, the reason why the issue fades is simply because we get bored. We move on to bigger, better, more controversial topics. Instead of constantly hiding behind other issues, this problem needs to be in the forefront, just as it is flying in front of far too many Southern homes.