This is why I also mentioned that I felt it was too soon to actually be able to reclaim (or even attempt) to reclaim that symbol. And with that, it may never happen. But take the N word for example: it is in the process of being reclaimed now. It will never be socially acceptable for anyone to use this word at liberty, but a large chunk of our population already feels pretty comfortable using it and isn't offended by it (given it is used in the correct context). Hopefully one day it won't be considered any worse than a mild slur friends use amongst themselves. This word 50 years ago was a HUGE insult; yet the Black community has been able to change the connotations of the word when used in certain instances. Can it still be used as an insult; sure. But that word has already lost a lot of power that it used to have.
Society is an ever evolving creature, and varies from region to region. The door example was simply a demonstration of how society can differ in various locations; it is not on par with the symbols we are discussing nor should it be. A mild (albeit extremely irritating) insult is never analogous with a(n arguably) symbol of hate. It's just an example of how our societies across the world differ.
To me, the Stars and Bars are no more synonymous with racism than the swastika is to anti-Semitism in Buddhist culture. I don't see any relation between the two anymore personally. I understand that other people do, but lots of people don't as well. And I also agree that the swastika/flag analogy is not a very good one at all.
I still think it'd be awesome if we could reclaim this symbol and take away its power over people. Letting it have power over people is just letting the hatred it provokes continue.
