Totally understand. It seems like you read the comments on the other thread, which prompted my first post here. Lots of other comments referencing hateful actions towards POC that I was shocked to read alongside others’ experiences of the sweet old guy on Federal St. If there’s any truth to that stuff that I, as a white man, cannot corroborate, this whole thing feels a bit more gray to me. If he’s a confused man who has learned something, good.

Definitely possible!

I hear you, I really do. I don’t work exclusively with senior citizens and all my grandparents are long gone. I’m in my mid thirties and I’ve never met another senior citizen in New England who flies the confederate flag.

Enough time to feel like most folks in their 80s aren’t getting on a step ladder for a cause they don’t understand at all. FWIW, I live in the area, I’ve read the article on Geno, and before yesterday considered him a “cute feature” of Federal Hill. I assume either A: someone bought him the flag and told him to fly it or B: he knew exactly what it meant when buying it/taking it out of storage and felt it was worth the effort to fly on his property. Either way it’s unfortunate to see and at the very least I hope he’s learned something.

Why would anyone fly a flag without knowing it’s meaning? Why go through the effort of hanging it without a bit of research first?