I grew up revering the Stars and Bars as a symbol of rebelliousness and defiance. I was not raised to be a racist and never grew into that way of thinking, but I would admit to having a bit of a chip on my shoulder regarding people from more northern areas who might have a completely unwarranted sense of superiority (was that diplomatic enough?). I am not ignoring the history of slavery associated with the Confederacy, just stating that the symbol was not about that to me. Eventually I had to very reluctantly give up the practice of displaying that image as it had been so universally adopted as a symbol of something ugly by people on both sides of the racial issue. It made no sense to cling to the flag and argue that it did not mean to me what they said it meant when I would find myself standing beside people for whom it meant exactly that.
So I no longer associate myself with the Stars and Bars, but I am pissed off at the people on both sides of the racial issue who stole it from me.