Tipping points are funny things. There have been arguments over the Confederate battle flag for decades, and if you'd asked me a week ago if suddenly Wal-Mart, Amazon, Etsy, and eBay would ban that particular item, I'd have laughed ruefully.
Yet, here we are. States are looking to drop the symbol from officially sponsored locations and license plates, and major retail outlets are kicking the symbol to the curb. I'd oppose any federal (or state) law trying to ban it — free speech, even loathsome free speech, is important to protect. But that it's being suddenly made so socially unpopular is … interesting.
See also: http://boingboing.net/2015/06/23/amazon-and-ebay-ban-confedera.html, http://boingboing.net/2015/06/23/virginia-governor-take-the-co.html
Some folks are concerned that simply getting rid of the flag is only (not ironically) symbolic, and doesn't deal with racism proper, or gun violence, or any of the other aspects of the Charleston killings or their echoes around the country. But symbols are important, and that the Confederate flag has become, for the moment at least, socially persona non grata, is nothing to sneeze at.
(h/t +Les Jenkins)
Walmart to remove Confederate flag from stores
America’s largest retailer is to rid its shelves of flags and other tat sporting the popular symbol of slavery and racism. Nationwide chains Sears and Kmart will reportedly do likewise. The moves f…
Remove all the Nasty Racial Black Rap Music.
+Dan B. If the companies in question decide that it's a problem and it alienating customers, that would certainly be their prerogative.
I'm curious which songs specifically +Dan B.?
Walmart actually has banned some music items. As of 2012, Prince's Lovesexy album, a Green Day album, and all Marilyn Manson albums were not available in Walmart (as was a Sheryl Crow album that contained the lyrics "Watch our children as they kill each other/with a gun they bought at the Walmart discount stores"). http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/18/walmart-banned-products_n_2324382.html
It's important to remember that Walmart is a huge company that needs to appeal to as many people as possible. Such companies are usually timid, doing whatever they can to please a large number of their customers.
So the shifting of the Confederate flag to the "this scares us" list is significant, symbolically.