Looks Like the Backlash Against the Confederate Flag is Going Too Far

[Ultimate Paragon]

http://toucharcade.com/2015/06/25/apple-removes-confederate-flag/

If you've been watching the news recently, you'll know of the huge debate in the U.S over the role of the Confederate flag in contemporary America. Many see it as a reminder of the many pre-Civil War injustices while others see it simply as a way to honor the soldiers who died for the Confederacy. Many large US companies, like Walmart and Amazon, have already banned the sale of any Confederate flag merchandise as a reaction to the recent events. Now, it appears that Apple has decided to join them by pulling many Civil War wargames from the App Store. As of the writing of this story, games like Ultimate General: Gettysburg and all the Hunted Cow Civil War games are nowhere to be found.

You have got to be fucking shitting me.

[mellenORL]

A is for Apple asinine.

[RavynousHunter]

Its just like Germany and Nazi symbolism.  Because burying your problems and pretending they don't exist works out so well in the end.

[Art Vandelay]

Has Apple been bought by Paradox now?

[RavynousHunter]

Oh please.  Apple is going to be a blight on computing for generations to come.

[ironbite]

I understand the reasoning, I really do.  But this is in a historical context which makes it ok.

Ironbite-most people aren't going to get too upset about a game set in the Civil War that has a side identified with the stars and bars.

[Sleepy]

I hate knee jerk reactions like this. Yeah, I don't want to deal with assholes screaming and waving confederate flags claiming it's only about their heritage, and that any criticism is a blow to their first amendment rights. But pulling Civil War games is just plain idiotic.

[MadCatTLX]

I was about to come and post a topic just on this. You see, I just logged on to the steam discussion boards to check a question I asked earlier about Kerbal Space Program, but as soon as the page loads BAM, I get blindsided by this shit.

Off topic, but why the hell does the steam discussion thing always load in like Swedish in my browser?


https://steamcommunity.com/app/220200/discussions/0/530645446312736857/

Ok, short version for those who don't know the game, it's a game that is more or less a cartoony but realistic space program simulator focused on building and flying often ludicrous craft with absurd amounts of solid rocket boosters strapped on. Of course since the planting of the flag on the moon was an iconic moment, the game lets you plant flags on the places you land. You can use the game's stock flags (mostly themed after the game, the fictional parts companies, or the developers logo, etc) or you can upload any image of your own to the game's "flag" folder and use that. (Just in case anyone wants to know, my custom flag is the New Lunar Republic Air Force)

Now we get to the more relevant part. Someone made a pack of properly pre-sized files of various flags from US history, and uploaded it to a mod hosting site. This pack of course includes the CSA flag since it was important to US history. Fast forward to a few hours ago and someone posts on the KSP discussion boards either going full SJW or trolling in that they call for the developers to remove it from their game, apparently too stupid to know what a mod is(or trolling).

Now this starts a heated discussion on the board about companies kneejerkedly removing the flag despite often appropriate contexts (historical games). then someone posts a bollocks article that Obama made an executive order banning the flag outright, which OP supported, someone else got pissed about Obama and the government and screamed conspiracy shit, and everyone else quickly noted the story was indeed a load of bollocks.

I love how one person tells OP to shove his idea of banning the flag up his ass, and how despite him not liking the flag, his principles regarding free speech make him want to go and plant the flag on the Mun (in game moon) to spite OP. Another person notes how all this stuff is going to make sales of anything confederate flag related go through the roof. Streisand effect and all.

Of course there's the usual points made about how banning it outright is stupid and censorship and trying to plug your ears and ignore history and so forth.

My personal opinion is that yes it should not be flown at the state capitals nor be part of the state flags. Other than that, I give no fucks if people want to waive it about or plaster in on their car. I think trying to ban it is stupid, and that like most attempts to ban or discourage something will do the exact opposite.

Edit: Damn, that was longer than expected.

[SCarpelan]

Well, it is historically inaccurate to use the famous version of the flag since it was never officially used by the Confederates so I'm actually happy if games start dropping it as long as they use one of the historically accurate designs instead. Of course, this idiocy by Apple isn't motivated by historical accuracy and is not going to lead to this change.

[SpaceProg]

The Confederate naval jack was expanded and used as the battle flag of a regiment, then as a general battle flag toward the last third or quarter of the war.  While it may not have been the only flag flown in battle, it was one of them.

Mostly the reason it was decided upon was the amount of Scots-Irish that fought in the Confederacy (the St. Andrews Cross base design), and the fact that it didn't look like the Union flag when it got wrapped around its staff (like the national flag of the Confederate States), and it didn't look like a flag of surrender (The Stainless Banner).

[Askold]

*snip* ...and it didn't look like a flag of surrender (The Stainless Banner).

That would have saved a lot of time, since they did spend so much time surrendering to the North. Why not just skip the battle and use the white flag all the time?

[Art Vandelay]

*snip* ...and it didn't look like a flag of surrender (The Stainless Banner).

That would have saved a lot of time, since they did spend so much time surrendering to the North. Why not just skip the battle and use the white flag all the time?

Early on, they actually kicked quite a bit of ass. As I recall, the Union and their larger manpower pool won the day once they got their shit together.

[Sleepy]

The North had plenty of incompetent generals before we finally got Grant on the field, hence the South seemingly emerging as victorious for awhile.

[guizonde]

[Askold]

The North had plenty of incompetent generals before we finally got Grant on the field, hence the South seemingly emerging as victorious for awhile.

Yup. The problem is that you really can't tell if someone is going to be competent at commanding a massive army until they've tried it. North had to go through people like the cautious/cowardly McClellan (he thought up as many excuses as possible to throw away every opportunity to do something. Also, he trusted Pinkerton more than military intellegence and Pinkerton, being a corporation, gave his client what he wanted rather than the truth. Mainly more excuses and massively exaggerated enemy counts so that McClellan would have an excuse to stay on defensive.) and hilariously incompetent Burnside (to be fair, the latter had resisted being put in command and rightly said that the task was too difficult for him.) before they got to Grant.

Someone wrote that Lincoln was basically pulling names out of his hat to see which one of them he would pick next, simply hoping to find someone who was up to task.