I live in the lovely borough of Conshohocken (Con-show-hock-en), PA. I know sarcasm is tough in writing, but trust me that statement is sarcastic. While I like living there because of the relatively low taxes, central location, and the city-like atmosphere - Conshy is an interesting paradox - a yuppie enclave, that is also a blue-collar stronghold. $400,000 condos across the street from some of the grittiest bars you can find. City council meetings where fist fights break out. Once a guy waved at me while driving - one hand on the steering wheel, the other hand clutching a beer. You get the idea.
The blue-collar home owners have been selling their homes at a pretty profit over the past few years (good for them - it’s made windfalls for people that normally wouldn’t get them) which leads to some interesting situations; one of which is the subject of this post. For as long as I’ve lived in Conshy there’s been an idiot on Hector street that has a confederate flag hung over his porch. Last week their neighbor put their house up for sale. You have to feel for any realtor trying to sell someone into this house. At least you know what you’re walking into if you do buy.
I find the confederate flag more insulting when it’s displayed outside the south. To me it is a blatant, bigoted statement. It’s the American version of the swastika. For it to be prominently displayed over the front door tells me all I need to know.
Of course as bad as this all is, I wonder about the person that will sign on the dotted line and move in knowing that their neighbor is a bigot.
Ostensibly A Rubber Door is about anything that's on my mind. Mostly that seems to be about politics, music, sports, and arguing with others about all of the above. I took the name of this blog from a Michael Penn song called Me Around. Check out Michael - he's about the best singer/songwriter there is.
Scarlet
August 8th, 2006 at 3:42 pm
I honestly can’t decide how I feel about the Conf flag. I really do think some people display it as a “heritage not hate” thing, but, of course, some people display it in a racist way. I’m in the south, I guess, so I see it a lot. Hmmmmmmm.
Howard
August 8th, 2006 at 3:51 pm
Sorry for being deep here, but isn’t it strange how powerful symbols are to us? I grew up in South Carolina (yes, the state that had one flying over their capitol building from 1962 until July 1, 2000 - oy!) and saw dem dar flags all the time and didn’t think anything of the flag except for its use in history.
(Kinda grew up in a sheltered Morman household)
It wasn’t until I joined the Navy and began the murder of my naivety that I discovered what that flag meant as a symbol to the vast majority.
…or maybe they’re just big fans of “The Dukes Of Hazzard”.
Spencer
August 8th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
I can almost accept it (or at least understand it) in the south, but I’m a few states north of the mason-dixon, just outside of the liberal enclave of Philadelphia - so I’m going to assume it’s not a heritage thing.
I also find it interesting that Conshy is an overwhelmingly democratic town, but democrats aren’t always liberal minded.
Scarlet
August 9th, 2006 at 8:59 am
Yah! Dukes of Hazzard!!!!! I live near Cooter. HAHAHAH!
chris
August 9th, 2006 at 11:24 am
It’s not a heritage thing when you live in fucking Conshy.
Spencer
August 12th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Especially when the flag is torn and tattered like the one I’m speaking of is.
The Web Pen Blog » Blog Archive » Roundup - Week Of Aug 5
August 24th, 2006 at 11:45 pm
[...] Spencer has a great story about a neighbor who flies a Confederate flag on his front porch. …in Philadelphia. [...]
Celebrating the war of southern bigotry | A Rubber Door
May 10th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
[...] written before about confederate flags flying here in Conshohocken, and the one I wrote about before is now gone. But on East 9th Street here in Conshohocken, another one appeared. To me it’s as bad as [...]
Da Man
May 11th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
It’s about treason. It was never about ‘heritage.’ Heritage is culture: food, art, etc. A flag is an official symbol of something. In this case treason, betrayal, bigotry. The Confederacy was about all things base and vile. It shouldn’t be illegal to fly it, but it should be cause for ostracism and open mockery.