[Robert] Hurst walked into the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science this past week and saw an exhibit by [artist John] Sims, including a Confederate flag hung from a noose on a 13-foot gallows in a display titled “The Proper Way to Hang a Confederate Flag.”
Hurst asked the museum to remove the display, along with 13 other pieces by Sims.
[ . . . ]
Hurst, commander of the local Sons of Confederate Veterans chapter, said Friday he has lost respect for the museum, calling the display of Sims’ work “offensive, objectionable and tasteless.”
Perfect, really. Just perfect.
Update: Welcome, all. I go out for a run and come back to an avalanche. Click here for the main page.
Further update: a picture of what’s causing all the uproar. Also, if anyone wants to see what just kind of ugly it is attacking this art, check out the comments. Really quite lovely.
Lance
Some crazy southerner is goning to burn that there museum.
Camille
Any art that displays a noose is NOT art.
Jim
It is completely disrespectful to the beliefs and memories of many people in this country. You don’t see anyone disrespecting the African flag.
marie
IF YOU LIKE IT THAN HAVE IT…IF U DONT TURN AWAY….STOP FIGHTING OVER THE PAST…..LIVE AND LET LIVE
Dumas
Whenever any Flag is displayed or portayed without proper etiquete, it is a sign of disrespect to the Flag and is a disgrace to everything it represents. I dont care what Flag it is where it came from who salutes it or what its history is, all Flags should be shown respect, care and honor. A Flag is a symbol of its history, people and adversity. A Flag should be shown respect by everyone. A Flag is symbolic of the people who died, and the people who sacrificed their lives and family for what it standes for. I hate to see a Flag disrespected, and for the American Confederate Flag that was hung from a noose in the Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science, was disrespectful, tasteless and Sims should hang his head in shame for his poor work of art. He was outright disrespectful.
Gary Randall
It is just “wrong” to hang anything with a noose!
MB
I really wish I’d thought of this – it’s perfect, really. Just perfect.
Camille, it makes a statement and it makes you think – it’s most definitely art.
And Jim, there is no African flag. I guess that it’s not surprising that the same person who thinks there’s an African flag completely misses the irony of claiming that hanging the Confederate flag is disrespectful to people.
Freya
Flags in the U.S. are symbols of FREEDOM and all that it entails. However, with that FREEDOM, comes the laws that we must abide by. Breaking the law regarding displaying any flag should be TREASON.
“Making a statment” or “Provoking dialogue” is a copout that sselfish people use. They only think of themselves and not how their actions affect the general population.
Lynn
If the shoe (noose) were on the other foot, meaning a black foot here, and NOT meaning Native American, the noise would would be deafening and echoing and echoing. The battle cry would have been raised by every black spokesperson from jessie jackson/al sharpson to buckwheat. However,since a white, southern man has spoken, it is a racist slur of the worst possible kind. Know what? I’m so sick of hearing about every ethnic group’s ills for which the mean ole’ Caucasians are responsible. Boo f-n Hoo. Raise that Confederate flag – Stuff that noose up your ass, Sims.
Ron C
It doesn’t matter how you feel about it, that flag is part of our history. We teach history in our schools. We have Black History month. What if we had a Confederate History month. What would the outcry be then??
MB
Freya, if you don’t understand that freedom is very last thing the Confederate flag represents to most Americans, you really ought to talk to people different from you a little more.
And Lynn, comments like “stuff that noose up your ass” do a great job of illustrating the general thoughtfulness of fans of the Confederate flag.
Carla
The Confederate Flags are all a part of American History. (There are more than one) Unfortunatly there are some individuals that are using one of them as a symbol of racisim, and that is ignorance on their part, and I find that disrespectful not only to the flags but to the men and women who fought under those flags, Whites, Blacks, Native Americans, Cubans, Etc… It was not a war of racisim as some are led to believe!!! These flags should be treated with respect in honor of those who died fighting under these flags! These flags are as much a part of American History as the American Flag and like it or not, should be treated with due respect, and should not be abused in ANY way!!
Drew Gruber
It comes down to this and only this. One, the american flag flew over slavery for over 90 yrs. Yet we do not consider that racist. The confederate and american flags are used by neo-nazi and other hateful groups. Both flags are used. Yet we constantly pick out the confederate flag. This is very unfair to the soldiers who died under it protecting their families just as our boys protect our families now under the american flag. Just open your minds and dont let stereotpyical views of the confederate flag really hide what lays behind its true meaning. Equally dont let the use of the american flag distort its past. If anyone would like images of Union officers fighting under the american flag with body servants please ask.
Drew
Cathy
Waht I don’t understand is why people think that they still need to fly the confederate flag.It is not the American flag so let it go folks!
Lynn
MB, your general statement about ‘fans of the Confederate flag’ rather negates your point, no? Many fans of the Confederate flag would probably not find favor with my comment. Have you no original thoughts of your own? Don’t just bounce off the ones here.
Barry Goldwater
I think we should nuke the museum
Sharron
I’m not American but I live here. I am tired of how you all seem to either keep feeling you have to bow down for the past deeds of your fellow Americans or how you attach others because they are white. Its sad that this country is so politicaly correct that it insults whites and say that’s ok but doesn’t apply the same rule to everyone and forget the color. Flags are history and history should be learned and in some cases not repeated but in any case learned from. Respect for history doesn’t mean you agree with it just that you learned from it and hopefully became a better person because of it. Grow up and stir this pot you call America, either your a nation or your just a rable looking to score a buck at the other persons expence. Stop being African-American, Latin-American, Irish-American and start just being what you should be which is Americans.
penelope panatoski
Abusing the Confederate flag is playing dirty. They are not opening communitcation, they are trying to start a fight. Sims and the museum are bullies just poking poking poking people of Confederate heritgage. If the people of the Confederate culture were to stand up against this insulting display, they would get smacked down with lawsuits and personal cut downs. Its not the first time creeps have used this tactic.
Melvin C. Brown
The so called artist is an idiot as most artist are that use displays like this in the name of art. These type of people don’t know anything about what art is and what pleases the eye. I say rip the display of the flag and gallows down and wrap it around Sism neck.
Bob
First John Sims is a devout racist in my opinion. He wants to live in the past and never let it die. Anyone who, to this day, seeks to resurect the civil rights days year after year is a racist for not wanting to move on beyond those days. This is taught to the sudents in our public schools adding fuel to a long dead way of life. Now if you don’t believe black people are capable of racism I juggest you get you head out of your arse and have a look around. This display was insensitive and careless. It was designed as a slap in the face to southern white people, a provocation is a better term, who do not ever want to relive the past but move on beyond it. This Museum has monetary supporters listed on their web sight that I would suggest should remove their support lest they wish to be seen as supporting racism. I juggest a boycott of their goods and services until they publically post their removal of support and or reprimand the museum for the display. People, what if you were to walk past your public library one morning and find a noose around the neck of a statue of MLK or Medgar Evers. This display carries the SAME impact. Do you not think that this senario would cause an up roar? That display would best be view right beside the statue with a noose or a burnt cross. It is the same thing. Why would one be viewed as art while the other be viewed as hate? It is an unfair comparison. Is that not being a racist? If you believe black people uncapable of racism, then you would also say that Islamic radical muslim extremists have a God given right to openly kill anyone who is not a muslim. Wake up and get real people.
penelope panatoski
Lance says:
Some crazy southerner is goning to burn that there museum.
I believe its crazier to let the building stand as it is. Let them show off thier hatred to an entire culure. Let it be known that bigotry is alive and well in the United States. That the bigots in this case are Sims, the museum and anyone who is for this heinous hateful act that they are hiding behind what they call art.
Wendy
What would be done if that was the American Flag hanging from that noose?
The Confederate Flag was just one flag in a civil war. The flag itself did not have slaves nor did all of the people that lived & served under that flag. As a matter of fact there were southerners who helped to free slaves as well as northerners that had slaves. So when someone does something to the Confederate Flag it has an impact on the many different people that live under that flag. To me Sims said with his “art” death to all southerners. I am a southerner and have never owned a slave, nor has my family owned any and nor do I believe in slavery anywhere. Everyone should be free.
MB
Thank you, Lynn, for your stunning insight into my character.
And Lynn? It’s not very nice to try and break into my blog. Thank you for that insight into *your* character.
Connor
MB, you keep portraying fans of the confederacy as people who are ignorant, uneducated, and other wise a little lower in the social class than you are. Well, did you ever stop to think that the majority of us southerners are blue collar workers. You know, coal miners, construction workers, farmers, mechanics etc. Did you ever stop to think that without us, you’d be sitting on your lazy liberal ass with no house, no car, no electricity or even food. Think about it
Shaw Tulner
John Sims appears to be an untalented nothing whose looking to start trouble. The museum representative that refused to take the offending display down because he wants to spark dialog is also a troble maker. If the dis[play was a black person hanging from the noose, would it similarly be kept up to spark dialog would the display also be kept. I think not. Double standard abound in this country. Maybe the citizens opposed need to take the display down themselves…one way or another. The confederate flag is not a symbol of racism, except to those who choose to see it as such.
penelope panatoski
Whomever it was on this blog stating there was no Afican flag, check again. There are a plethora of African flags. Google it.
Wendee
I think the museum should be boycotted! Racist displays are not supposed to be in Art displays. There is nothing racist about the flag…It’s the people that are displaying it. I would never go into that place ever again!!
Beth
Holeee crap. MB, I think you done went and broke the internet.
Amanda
The confederate flag is a symbol of our past. We all need to remember our past. The civil was was about political freedom. Everyone forgets about all the persicution Americans were put there by the english. We dont go around disrespecting them or their flags. Apparently we forget about the revolutionary war. Why is it that we as Americans have to make such a big deal out of everything that happenes today. I do find the flag being hung from a noose offinsive because I had ancesters that lost their lives during the civil war. That flag has nothing to do with racism it was about political freedom. Cant we just leave it alone.
erica
The Confederate Flag ha nothing to do with the slaves as we all know the war didn’t start over slavery……and quite frankly I am sick of hearing about it.Why not ask a Jew about slavery because they were slaves for longer than anyone and ask the American Indian about rights,everyone was created equal but it seems that they don’t want equal rights they want to be better.I think it is a disgrace to the southern people to have their flag displayed this way.
JP
I agree with Sharron. We teach our children about all historical events, not because we want the next generations to repeat these events, but learn from them. A flag of ANY kind that is or once was American, is sacred. It offers us insights into our very rich and different past.
Alvin B
I agree that it is tasteless and offensive, but under the contistution we have freedom of speech and expression. I spent twenty some odd years of my life defending that right. So the display is within Sims right. I don’t agree with him though
MkG
I’m sure that there are some southerner that view that flag as a part of their heritage without the hate. as I am also sure those very same southerners who dislike the fact that hate groups soil their heritage by using the stars and bars as a symbol to be associated with them. though I’ve never seen protest by the confederate sons or any historical society when hate groups use the flag in their rallies as a symbol of hate and lynching….. I’m guessing that is the freedom of speech is the loop hole then.so lets see it’s ok if hate groups use the flag as a symbol of hate but it’s not ok to use the flag in the symbolism the arians made it most popular, associate it with. Interesting to say the least.
Shaw Tulner
To Alvin B.
I would agree with you, both have observed that frequently such rights, including the “right” to offend are extended only to the far left of our polictical spectrum. What’s fair or unfair for one should be fair or unfair for all. That is not the case. I think all hatemongering should be outlawed…period.
Eddy
This is all part of a ploy of the goverment education to make lincoln a hereo. If our great goverment education would teach the truth it would so that lincoln was more of a dictator than a great American. Tell everyone the truth he only wanted to free the slaves in the confeserate state but not in the union states, and then he wanted to ship them back home.He had no real intentions of freeing the slaves. unfortantly he was killed before his plan could be implemented and thus giving the goverment a chance to make him a hero instead of what he truelly was read history people he was not a great man stop falling for the ploy by the goverment to brain wash us into the mindless robots that they can control. but i would say most of you probally think we are living in a democracy to man if you really could bet a grasp on this before we in up in a socalist society we still have time to save this great nation that our fore fathers invisioned if we stop allowing our politicians to lead us down this road to socalism.
Antoinette
Can’t these southerners get it through their heads that they LOST the war. That would be like Mexican flags hanging in the state house in Texas.
That flag nearly tore this country apart. It needs to be relegated to a trunk somewhere!
Rick
I only wish the people of our country got a little more upset when our Stars and Stripes are burned everyday by someone, somewhere! Our country has a lot of ugly “past” but it’s time to throw out special interest and unite with pride and unity instead of partisanship! After all Americans of all color, race and religion have died for “OUR FLAG.”
ron r
When i see the stars and bars i see men who beleved in states right , and were willing to fight for it were there slaves in the south yes but also in the north boston was a hot bed of slavery. was slavery wrong yes both in the north and in the south i am proud of my countrys flag and feel pride when the stars and stripes go by during a prarade. but i am also proud of being a southerener and seeing the stars and bars flying for it stands for men who were willing to fight for what they belived. god bless the usa
kandy
People need to educate them selves there are many many different confederate flags. This one displayed is actually the battle flag. I am envolved in living hystory. Civil war re enactment. Many men and women died for what they belived at the time but it was at that time. There is nothing racial about the flag it is peple who make it racial. Time to grow up and get on with life people!
Rev. Richard D. Pifer, Th.D.
To that braindead madam Antoinette, Texas is full of Mexican memorabilia & the greatest influx of Mexicans in this great
country came from that same Mexico that is a part of our history. I might also note that the Confederate flag was NOT hanging in the courthouse, but in a museum. Surely you can see the difference. I might also note that a great number of those in uniform fighting for this country also love the flag their ancestors gave their life for, and the freedom it showed for one to believe his desires.A flag did NOT nearly tear apart this country, but it represented in their rights and position. We should also change the name of Ruby Ridge and Waco Texas, where the very children our Gov’t wanted to protect were murdered by that same government.
Rev. Richard D. Pifer, Th.D.
To that braindead madam Antoinette, Texas is full of Mexican memorabilia & the greatest influx of Mexicans in this great
country came from that same Mexico that is a part of our history. I might also note that the Confederate flag was NOT hanging in the courthouse, but in a museum. Surely you can see the difference. I might also note that a great number of those in uniform fighting for this country also love the flag their ancestors gave their life for, and the freedom it showed for one to believe his desires.A flag did NOT nearly tear apart this country, but it represented in their rights and position. We should also change the name of Ruby Ridge and Waco Texas, where the very children our Gov’t wanted to protect were murdered by that same government.
John A,
Remember folks Lincoln freed the slaves in the South with the Imancepation Proclomation (sorry about the spelling). Causes of the Civil War Slaves were low on the list sorry. It was a power struggle for states rights over the feds. Every race has had slaves (Romans, Greeks, Black, English, French you name it has opressed somone or group even Native American tribes oppressed others) So lets keeping fighting over the past. We are not the only country with slave issues just the only one not to get over it and move on. Need to hang the whole slave issue (notice ISSUES not hanging slaves or flags)
Ralph
It is true that the Confederate flag began as a symbol of resistance and an attempt to break away from a government that people disagreed with. I have no problem with that. Unfortunately, the ideals the flag stood for been tarnished by subsequent history. It has come to be a symbol of bigotry and ignorance. For that, it deserves hanging.
ralph
MB i think that maybe u should hang along side our flag, and so should the so called artist. your family background must be from the north or maybe from the poor slaves that should have never been over here in the first place. as long as we have people like you living there will always be hatred among us so please make the world a better place and go on to meet your maker.
BENJAMI N OLIVAS VASQUEZ.
RESPECT EACH OTHERS FLAGS. JUST LOVE THE AMERICAN FLAG.
scott
someone should go in that (museum)and take our flag down from that horrible display….. and dont ask permission either.
harold de lancey
as an african american male i do not find the confederate flag offensive
what offends me as that before the confederacy existed my people were subjected to the most in humane racist system know to man kind and an american flag was the symbol.i detest the american flag i’m half native american and we all know how well america
treated the native population
harold de lancey
as an african american male i do not find the confederate flag offensive
what offends me is that before the confederacy existed my people were subjected to the most in humane racist system know to man kind and an american flag was the symbol.i detest the american flag i’m half native american and we all know how well america
treated the native population
michael
hang a nigger by a rope ,
its racist.
hang a flag, we can discuss it
Frank
I watched the News the other day and mexican Flag was displayed OVER the AMERICAN FLAG, VERY little protest WHATS with U people. The Confederate Flag is Part of OUR Heritage, People in our country died for this flag BLACK $ White, NO matter what it is our Flag one way or the other. RESPECT is the WORD of the Day People thank you