African-American “flagger” says Confederate flag isn’t about race: “Slavery was a choice”

[acri1]

African-American “flagger” says Confederate flag isn’t about race: “Slavery was a choice”

She quoted Patrick Henry and said if slaves weren't given liberty, they always had another choice: "Give me death"

SCOTT ERIC KAUFMAN

Karen Cooper ("Battle Flag")


A member of the group known as “The Virginia Flaggers” — who claim as their “weapon…the Confederate Battle Flag” and their “enemies…those who worship ignorance, historical revisionism and Political Correctness” — declared in a recent interview that despite being black herself, she believes the Confederate battle flag “represents freedom.”

In the interview — which is part of an ongoing documentary project about the meaning of the Confederate battle flag — Karen Cooper claimed that she was raised in the North as a member of the Nation of Islam, but “felt more welcome in the South” where, she said, “the races are more together.”

She said that she was introduced to the “flagger” movement by friends of hers in the Tea Party on Facebook. “Most of the people in the Tea Party had Confederate ancestors,” she added as if most people would be surprised to learn that.

“I know what people think about when they see the battle flag — the KKK, racism, bringing slavery back — so I knew it would be something for people to see a black woman with the battle flag.”

Cooper insisted that she’s not “advocating slavery,” because she isn’t. Moreover, slavery “wasn’t just something that happened in the South, it happened worldwide.”

She added that she believes “slavery was a choice, because of what Patrick Henry said, ‘Give me liberty, or give me death.’” Slaves, she argued — in a serious manner, unlike Eddie Izzard’s famous “Cake or Death?” routine — should have opted for “death.”

Given that she just declared “death” the only viable response to slavery, it is somewhat odd that she then referred to herself as a “slave of the federal government,” saying that “I can’t smoke what I want to smoke, I can’t drink what I want to drink. If I want to put something into my body, it’s my body — not theirs. That’s tyranny!”

And yet, for reasons that Cooper can’t seem to understand, “it’s only Southerners and the battle flag that has all the weight and guilt on it,” and “it’s not right — [the flag] represents freedom, it represents a people that stood up to tyranny, and by me being out there I hope you can see this is not racist.”

Cooper said she wanted to convince people that the Confederate battle flag isn’t about race — and that foregrounding her status as a black flagger is the most effective way to do that.

http://www.salon.com/2015/06/30/afr...te_flag_isnt_about_race_slavery_was_a_choice/





From the "Nation of Islam" to this? That's like a straight up cartoonish face-heel-turn.

 

[Barnett114]

From the "Nation of Islam" to this?

What happened with the N.O.I.?

 

[Milk N Cookies]

Yeah our ancestors sure did choose to get on that boat. They sure did choose to do strenuous work for no pay. I guess the whippings were a bonus. i cant get beyond her saying slavery was a choice and her saying that flag represents freedom...

 

[acri1]

What happened with the N.O.I.?

According to the article she was raised as a member of the NOI.

 

[keond]

I hope another sista smacks the shyt out of this c00n

 

[agnosticlady]

What trips me out is that these die hard c00ns fail to realize that if they were in that church that night Dylan would have shot them down too. It's ok let them believe what they want. The moment they get out of hand they get checked by the whites they love. She thinks white daddy is going to protect her.

 

[Westcoastnative]

Unfortunately, there's plenty of blacks like her.

 

[John Hull]

It pains me to see people like this so caught up in their own delusions that they do the white supremacists work for them by opening up their stank ass mouth.

 

[lKarukera]

What a dumb piece of trash ..

 

[AJaRuleStan]

Kek, that's some absurd logic, "Slaves didn't commit mass suicide therefore they must have not wanted freedom". Than in the same breath she claims to be a slave under the gov't, kek. Not only is her logic irrational, but she herself contradicts it. Hmm, either she trying to take advantage of this issue and get a quick buck, or she is just stupid. At any rate, she should be ignored at all cost.

 

[Skooby]

The meaning of the Confederate flag is best discerned in the words of those who bore it.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics...his-cruel-war-was-over/396482/?fb_ref=Default

 

[BaggerofTea]

We continue to eat L after L after L

 

[Samori Toure]

This chick is straight up bat shyt crazy and dumb and incredibly uniformed. Slaves killed themselves all the time, which is why they were kept chained under ships.

"She added that she believes “slavery was a choice, because of what Patrick Henry said, ‘Give me liberty, or give me death.’” Slaves, she argued — in a serious manner, unlike Eddie Izzard’s famous “Cake or Death?” routine — should have opted for “death.”"


Here are just a couple of excerpts:

The Story of Igbo Landing in Georgia:

"...The group of 75 Igbo slaves were bought by agents of John Couper and Thomas Spalding for forced labour on their plantations in St. Simons Island for $100 each.[5] The chained slaves were packed under the deck of a small vessel named the The Schooner York[2][1] to be shipped to the island (other sources write the voyage took place aboard The Morovia[6]). During this voyage the Igbo slaves rose up in rebellion taking control of the ship and drowning their captors in the process causing the grounding of the Morovia in Dunbar Creek at the site now locally known as Ebo Landing. The following sequence of events is unclear as there are several versions concerning the revolt's development, some of which are considered mythological. Apparently the Africans went ashore and subsequently, under the direction of a high Igbo chief who was among them walked in unison into the creek singing in Igbo language "The Water Spirit brought us, the Water Spirit will take us home", thereby accepting the protection of their God, Chukwu and death over the alternative of slavery

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_Landing




"... However, not all slave resistance was as violent as the revolts. Some slaves used other methods to impede the voyage and the daily routines aboard the slave ships. Often slaves would harm or kill themselves, and thereby reducing the number of slaves the slave traders could sell or reducing their value. Many jumped overboard or tried to take their own lives in other ways, like for example cutting their throats or refusing to eat. Then again the crew had means to force feed the slaves, so hunger strikes were rarely successful. To force food down the slaves` throats the crew on some ships used a device called the speculum oris, which was a wooden instrument which forced the mouth of the slave to open when the legs of the instrument were screwed open like a pair of pliers. Slaves would also be punished if they refused to eat, and some captains would pour melted lead on slaves who did this... ."

https://sites.google.com/site/dnscbaspnet/tst-passage

 

[calixprynce]

That's why I pray for doom . That's the only way to cull the c00ns .

 

[The_Truth]

She added that she believes “slavery was a choice, because of what Patrick Henry said, ‘Give me liberty, or give me death.’” Slaves, she argued — in a serious manner, unlike Eddie Izzard’s famous “Cake or Death?” routine — should have opted for “death.”

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