Posted on 07/02/2015 1:55:51 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
If we’re going to purge “The Dukes of Hazzard,” we might as well get Confederate flags out of American car culture entirely, I guess.
For once, I think this is more than mindless corporate piggybacking on a social trend. According to a study done last year, NASCAR has a whiter audience than any other major American sport. Yes, really: At 94 percent, it’s even whiter than the NHL’s (slightly) and the PGA’s. Having the rebel flag in the infield won’t help change that.
“As members of the NASCAR industry, we join NASCAR in the desire to make our events among the most fan-friendly, welcoming environments in all of sports and entertainment.
“To do that, we are asking our fans and partners to join us in a renewed effort to create an all-inclusive, even more welcoming atmosphere for all who attend our events. This will include the request to refrain from displaying the Confederate Flag at our facilities and NASCAR events.
“We are committed to providing a welcoming atmosphere free of offensive symbols. This is an opportunity for NASCAR Nation to demonstrate its sense of mutual respect and acceptance for all who attend our events while collectively sharing the tremendous experience of NASCAR racing.”
The flag’s not banned outright but Daytona’s offering fans the Stars and Stripes this weekend in exchange for whatever flag they might happen to bring to the track. Given the scope of the overreaction these past two weeks, I wonder how many will bring Confederate flags anyway out of pure defiance.
Speaking of which, new from CNN:
The poll shows that 57% of Americans see the flag more as a symbol of Southern pride than as a symbol of racism, about the same as in 2000 when 59% said they viewed it as a symbol of pride. Opinions of the flag are sharply divided by race, and among whites, views are split by education.
Among African-Americans, 72% see the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism, just 25% of whites agree. In the South, the racial divide is even broader. While 75% of Southern whites describe the flag as a symbol of pride and 18% call it a symbol of racism, those figures are almost exactly reversed among Southern African-Americans, with just 11% seeing it as a sign of pride and 75% viewing it as a symbol of racism.
Among whites, there’s a sharp divide by education, and those with more formal education are less apt to see the flag as a symbol of pride. Among whites with a college degree, 51% say it’s a symbol of pride, 41% one of racism. Among those whites who do not have a college degree, 73% say it’s a sign of Southern pride, 18% racism.
That’s strikingly different from what YouGov found when they polled people on the flag last week. In that case, just 35 percent said the flag was a symbol of southern pride versus 41 percent who said it was a symbol of racism. Maybe anti-flag fever has cooled off or a backlash has begun in response to the dumber attempts to suppress the image, like in the “Dukes of Hazzard” case. Interestingly, despite the sharp divergence between CNN and YouGov on what the flag symbolizes, opposition to flying the flag on government property is roughly consistent in both polls. YouGov found that 65 percent oppose displaying the flag on government property; CNN has it at 55 percent. Both polls also found wide opposition to renaming streets that are named after famous Confederates, with even blacks splitting 33/63 against in CNN’s survey. (Removing tributes to Confederate soldiers from public places was a closer question, with blacks dividing 49/50 while whites divide 21/75.) The key division on each question, though, is less a matter of white and black than Democratic and Republican. For instance, whites narrowly support removing the rebel flag from government property, 50/47, but Democrats support it enthusiastically at 70/28 while Republicans oppose it strongly at 39/60. Whites also narrowly back private companies who choose not to manufacture or sell Confederate flag items, 49/47, but Democrats support them heavily at 62/36 while Republicans oppose them decisively at 40/56. Even the basic question of whether the flag is more a symbol of southern pride or racism splits sharply on partisan lines. Democrats say it’s racism to the tune of 34/58. Republicans say southern pride, 77/14.
One interesting wrinkle: Blacks overwhelmingly say that the flag is a symbol of racism, at 17/72, but among nonwhite voters generally the split is much narrower at 40/46. Who are the nonwhite voters who overwhelmingly think the flag is more a symbol of southern pride, offsetting the numbers among blacks? There are no crosstabs for Latinos here but I assume they’re the ones.
I would LOVE to see the infield at Darlington absolutely carpeted with various Confederate flags come Southern 500 weekend. It’s probably too much to ask for it to happen at Daytona this weekend.
}:-)4
If they come for my Rebel flag, they will come for your Gadsden flag.
They will not be satisfied until the stars and stripes are replaced by the Rainbow flag.
This is a fight that all rebels need to join. Don’t give into political correctness.
This is war. Which side are you on?
Jeez! Used to be just knowing that you went to a NASCAR race made women swoon over the rebel outlaw cred you acquired on Friday night that carried you over to Monday morning. You were the third Duke brother. A low-key cousin to Earnhart.
Now...Whatever.
Will they ban the homofascist flag too?
It’s neither new nor country.
The problem seems to be that there are plenty of NASCAR drivers who are similarly infected with this tendency towards PC conformism.
Not one black down here I know thinks it is a racist flag so not sure who they’re polling.
The southern poll is the exact reason the Dems are pushing this. They could care less about the flag, but they need black voters angry and divided. They need the votes for the election and that’s not cynicism, but political reality.
The Dems are a mafia group.
You are from the north and after working up there then you don’t surprise me in what you have said and you certainly don’t understand
I would like to see a push for the confederate flag to fly over the capital in Richmond. Terry the idiot will be gone soon.
Lincoln was racist. You want one of my bumper stickers that says so ?
Its the price of electing a yankee governor. He’s very. bitter. He realizes no body likes him so he’s like a child.
I won’t be getting home until sometime late Sat afternoon however rest assured that the glorious Stars and Bars will be flying on my flag pole as soon as possible.
I didn’t leave nascar, nascar left me.
I hate that carpetbagger.
welcome to america’s voluntary descent into totalitarianism.
Pussy
I am not a Southerner by birth but I suppose what I am is called a “damn Yankee”. One who came south and stayed.
That flag does not represent the politics of the Confederacy. It’s a battleflag belonging to only one of the many armies who fought on the side of the South. It represents the pain and the glory of what is termed the War of Northern Aggression.
It means a lot to the southern heritage and to ask/force it to be eliminated, is not helping and will create the conditions for something that can certainly be avoided..
About the time Obama was elected Prez, an effort to reach out to Nascar fans/voters was on the table. I’ve been to one Nascar race and saw the Confederate flags as southern pride, considering the spectator sport was southern born. At this point, I wouldn’t go if I had another free ticket. In fact, I think the word NASCAR should be stricken from all vocabularies and venues. After all, it was born in the south and the south was Confederate. NASCAR has caved, and I hope they feel the crunch in the pocket book. The Great OZ has spoken.
Does NASCAR think the people they are pandering to give a rip about them or NASCAR or would even come to a race and support the sport? They wouldn’t support the sport unless they start running ghetto cruisers riding on low pros filled with 28 plus size women wearing size 8 clothes twerking out the windows around the track. Is that what they want?
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