The symbol once known as the gammadion cross has been around for thousands of years, and it has a long history in Eastern religions and cultures. It can be found in a mosaic in ancient Rome, and it was once a common emblem of several Native American tribes. The American military even used this symbol during World War I, when it served as the insignia for the 45th Infantry Division of the United States Army.
Yet while it can be argued that this image is part of a long and storied tradition, its history has been forever tainted by its appropriation by the Nazi Party in Germany in the 1930s. Whatever positive ideas used to be associated with the gammadion cross — more commonly known now as the swastika — have been buried beneath this now-hated symbol’s indelible association with hatred, horror and genocide.
So it was with the swastika, and so it is with the Confederate battle flag.
In the wake of the monstrous church shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, many are astonished the Confederate battle flag still flies over that state's State House building. That flag flew at full staff this week, while the United States and South Carolina state flags were lowered to half-staff to mourn the slain.
Controversy over the Confederate battle flag’s place in images displayed and sanctioned by the government has been part of the national debate for decades. Critics have grilled Republican presidential hopefuls in previous election cycles because many GOP candidates have been unwilling to call for the flag’s removal. But with Mitt Romney — the party’s previous nominee — now joining the growing chorus of voices demanding that South Carolina remove the flag, the consensus is all but unanimous.
Put simply, it’s time for the Confederate battle flag to go.
In times past, defenders of the flag have argued it represents part of their cultural heritage, that slavery and racism shouldn’t entirely overshadow other aspects of the legacy of the antebellum South and the banner representing its ideals. But slavery is the greatest evil of our country’s history, and the Confederate battle flag’s association with that evil has only grown over time. Arguments about celebrating heritage treat the flag merely as a historical artifact or a museum piece. But its virulence is not confined to academic considerations. Bigots use it to rally the faithful, and they would not do so if the image had lost its potency. Indeed, most of the American people see it as a living emblem of subjugation and slaughter. As such, its display is deeply offensive and certainly ought not to be condoned or promulgated by public institutions.
After all, no one would ever think to adorn a state house or capitol building with a swastika. They ought to share a similar aversion to the Confederate battle flag.