Ok this is now officially stupid. Pulling American Civil War computer wargames from the app store because the confederate side is indicated with the stars and bars is downright stupid. What's next, rewriting textbooks to say that the Army of the Confederacy carried ISIS black flags? This is taking retro PC to a ridiculous extent.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/artic...featuring-the-confederate-flag-from-app-store

Personally, The Bonnie Blue Flag has always been one of my favourite songs. Am I politically incorrect?
I won't put my name down because I fear PC retribution.

Please don't jump to conclusions:

This was initiated because an individual using the flag as an excuse, walked into a southern bible study group in a church in the south and shot 9 people to death.
http://www.religionnews.com/2015/06...ton-church-bible-study-decried-as-hate-crime/

John

Fundamental change you can believe in.

Better stock up on those confederate rebel figures now while they're available. No telling where this is gonna stop.

Oy!

You missed Colins point. What does one have to do with the other? Do you realize that because of this we at the Artists Preservation Group are worried about our website because we helped restore a Confederate flag that was captured at Gettysburg? Are you implying because of one nutball ALL Confederate references should be eradicated, even historical ones?

Bob

No, maybe just relegated to a museum, like the one you restored
John

Bob

It's in the works.

There's talk of removing busts and statues of confederate generals and statesmen from statehouses and parks, not to mention the move to rename any city parks, streets, lakes, schools, etc. currently named in honor of the aforementioned generals or statesmen.

Another step deeper into the rabbit hole we go.

Mike

Sorry John. It's stupid and a mindless over reaction. I support removing the flag from government sites as the symbology has moved on from what it originally was. But to ask a programmer to reprogram a historical wargame to remove confederate flags is indefensible and has nothing to do with the issue at hand. Its mindless PC crap. Next they will be recalling all copies of the movie Gettysburg to blank out the offensive flags....and maybe generals. We shall have to agree to disagree on this one. And I am a freaking liberal!

Flagship Models which makes ironclads from the Civil War was notified by Amazon that their products were being reviewed for "appropriateness".

No problem with flags in the museum but video games are not in a museum.

The shooter also had Rhodesian and South African apartheid flags but so far no action has been taken against those countries.

Bob

We will know when the Twilight Zone has been reached when the CSA flag becomes less welcome in US Arts products than the Swaz is in Germany.

Sorry,
Just pointing out what started the ruckas for the European members who may not have heard about it. The flag is still an important part of the history.
John

No worries. I was focused on the target of the Apple action being ludicrous. Sadly I think those shots were heard around the world.

Frankly, it's absolute BULLSHIT!!!!!

Colin

Well- what to say? As a German the belief that the evil comes with a flag is not alien to me and I am used to hysterical reactions about flags and not about mindsets which are the true source of evil IMHO.
When I occasionally played the WWII-aircraft-SIM "IL-2" the swastikas on the German planes were automatically blanked out (legal demand in Germany) and you had to download an extra game manager developed by a group of enthusiasts and press the button "show historical correct markings" to look at your Messerschmitt like it was. You better did not show the game this way to visitors that were not into computer games/ aircraft history so you could deactivate the button of the manager anytime. I guess it was riskier than watching a porn to press the "historical correct"-button.
Don`t worry - I guess a "Reb-manager" will become available.
The tragic incident that led to this political correct behaviour is well known in Europe but I understand that John underestimated the interest of our media in the situation abroad.
Slavery/racism are not linked just to the Southern Cross as evil is not a sole matter of Nazi flags. Lots of work for political correct gamers and producers.....
Cheers, Martin

The Confederate battle flag is not a symbol of systematic racism... most of the men that fought under it were so poor they could barely subsist nevermind own slaves. The flag represented the freedom to govern themselves as individual states free of federal interference.
I see the flag as a symbol of individuality and rebellion against the status quo... not racism. Sadly, the flag has been wrongly tagged by the modern world , by the PC Stormtroopers and radical rednecks. Both groups might want to read a book.
As far as the ban.... it's this kind of zealous knee-jerking that makes me wave the battle flag even higher. Don't tell me what I can or can't look at.... I don't need big brother to protect me from the big bad wolf. About 20 years ago, Harley Davidson pulled the same stunt... they used the Confederate flag in alot of their merchandise in the spirit it was intended... individualism and rebellion against straight society. They even had a confederate model painted grey with Austrian knots on the tanks and fenders. Some holier than thou PC crusader raised hell and HD caved, pulled the model and anything with the flag on it and issued a heartfelt apology to all the poor folk they offended.... that's why to this day my vest sports a rebel flag over an inverted HD bar and shield and I can't remember the last time I darkened the doorway of one of their dealers.

As far as the games, do they have to make up a symbol to identify "the bad guys? Does hiding it mean people with racist ideas will change their minds without the evil flag to rally under? Foolishness. Idiocy. Hiding a historical symbol won't change history. For that matter, in general, the North didn't treat blacks much better than the south. Selective recall.

The only reward for sticking your head in the sand is that you get sand in your ears... Makes it hard to hear what others have to say.

That's just my opinion

Colin

Man, I'm just seething over this!
I certainly don't want anyone thinking I'm some kinda rabid racist. My issue is with the PC types that want everybody to be free to express themselves... as long as their views follow the mob. The urge to supress anything that might offend is what I find offensive. Here in Canada, there are even city councils that won't play our country's anthem before their meetings because it has the word "God" in it and may offend people... ARE YOU F--KING KIDDING ME???? Since when is Canada's national anthem offensive in Canada?

Maybe the Stars and Stripes should be banned because the past treatment of native tribes may offend some people. Ban the Union Jack because aggressive colonization in the 1800s may offend some people. Ban the Tri-colour... well obviously Napoleon was a bad cat. The Iron Cross or Knight's Cross was an award for courage and valour for over a hundred years before the Reich put a stink on it that tarnished the symbol forever more... it's now connected with Nazism not valour, how sad. Maybe we ban the crucifix because of the Inquisition.

Political Correctness I my mind is the latest Facism that needs to be dealt with.

Colin

John

It's got lots of coverage here and we're as sick of political correctness as it's become ridiculous. The flags - confederate,nazi, Rhodesian etc have a place in history - but trying to eradicate them, say that any display even in a computer game is nuts. Anyway the confederate flag is associated in my mind with the confederacy and not the issue of slavery or racism, both of which I abhor. The swastika is different especially if you ever visit a camp or have met a survivor.

The real problem is gun ownership in the U.S. Here in Switzerland we've a higher ratio is arms per head of population than the U.S. and Canada is similar I believe. The difference is we overall discuss and not kill or hurt people who look or believe something different. Until the U.S. properly studies this and modifies the law (against their traditional right to bear arms) and peoples' behaviour this problem will continue.

There the perspective from one European

I'm 100% with you on this one.

Cheers

Huw

Companies going for brownie points. Quite silly really.

Nice publicity for these games... What were their names again?

Good point Huw.

What does it say about the US that after this horrible event all the attention goes to the issue of the flag, and not to the availability of guns?

Just a question.