On June 17, 2015, a 21 year old white male named Dylann Roof shot and killed 9 people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Roof reportedly claimed he wanted to start a "race war". In light of this tragic event, there has been a large controversy over whether or not the South Carolina State House should remove the confederate flag from the premises. Many Americans see the flag as a racist symbol of hatred, while most seem to believe it to be a symbol of southern pride. Although the popular conception of the flag is one of a non-racist meaning, does that mean it’s true? Well when it was first created, yes, it most definitely proclaimed racism. But over time, things change in their meaning. I personally am from the south (Tennessee) and I always looked at the confederate flag as nothing more than a symbol of southern pride. Morally, though, I believe that the flag should be removed from government buildings, as well as does most of America. We need to press on as a nation and put racism behind us as best as we can. Removing the confederate flag is a great start. I love to fall back on the principle of utility, which is: “When choosing a course of action, always pick the one that will maximize happiness and minimize unhappiness for the greatest number of people” (Rosenstand, 2013).

References

Rosenstand, N. (2013). The Moral of the Story: An Introduction to Ethics (7th ed., p. 232). New York, New York: McGraw Hill.

CNN. (2015, July 2). CNN/ORC poll: 57% see Confederate flag as Southern pride [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEPsfPSIFnw