We Interviewed the Guy Wearing Confederate Flag Shorts at Ottawa’s Bluesfest

Photo via Twitter

This article originally appeared on Noisey Canada.

Recently at the 21st annual Ottawa Bluesfest, the conflict surrounding the United States and the Confederate flag came up north in an odd and unpredictable way. The Confederate flag—a representation of the history of racial oppression and violence in the United States—came down from South Carolina’s Capitol building after much controversy. Now, Confederate flags may not fly from the buildings of Canada’s government but that doesn’t mean we don’t have any redneck pride! The flag still lives strong up here in the cold white north as a design on terrible clothing for middle-aged white men. A twitter user and concert attendee snapped this glorious pic of a man named Robert Rusaw who graced Canada’s capital from Massena, a small New York town, to see country singer Jason Aldean. Members of the Ottawa community were shocked to see this, considering the already tense climate in the city’s music community. Surprisingly, no one subjected him to a flag lowering ceremony by lowering his pants and exposing layers of fanny packs.

Adding to the irony and the tenseness of the situation was the fact that Kanye West, who has always been vocal about racism in America, was also slated to perform that night. Furthermore, Kanye has also attempted to appropriate the Confederate flag for his tour merchandise which, of course, freaked out white people. Many people failed to understand was that was an effort on the part of Kanye to reclaim that symbol and empower himself while doing so. This was also going to be Yeezy’s first show in Ottawa in a number of years, and some self-absorbed citizens took it among themselves to try to stop Kanye from performing which had a bit of a racist tone to it. So the fact that someone was walking around with Confederate flag shorts was a clear act of inciteful, hateful and moronic behaviour. Noisey attempted to contact Robert for an interview, but instead engaged in an enlightening and riveting intellectual dialogue on racism, free speech, and Kid Rock via Facebook Messenger.

Noisey: Hi there, I’m a freelance writer. Can you comment about your shorts? Are you press for the event?
Robert: Get your facts straight I am not and never have been a member of a Bluesfest organization.

How’d you get in with that camera? It looks like you have a pass? I just want to make sure my city isn’t represented as some PC knuckleheads.
There were a lot of people there with cameras

What prompted the decision to wear those shorts? Was it a statement?
And by the way, the reason I wore those shorts is simple; I wore these same shorts last year and nothing was ever said. This year I wear them and this blows up. The only difference between last year and this year was some nut job in South Carolina went and killed black people, which was a tragedy. He was a racist and lord knows we need less of those.

Some radicals think the flag is racist.
There was a poll on CNN and most people said it has more to do with southern heritage than racism. I do say not to fly the flag at government buildings, but that is about as far as I will go. First amendment is a slippery slope.

Continued below…

I’m from Canada so I don’t know much about the south. What’s southern heritage?
Southern heritage does have to do with plantations, but it’s more than that, where do you think the roots of NASCAR comes from or, moonshiners. It’s more than just being used as a flag in the civil war and the fight over state rights.

I’m confused. So the flag isn’t racist?
Is Malcolm X racist? What about Louis Farrakhan or the Black Panther party or even The Nation of Islam. People throw around the confederate flag but then support these types of organizations.

Yeah, that whole X-Men franchise is pretty messed up.
And you can even look at Al Sharpton as being racist.

Do you think America is a white supremacist police state?
I think that when Obama became president race relations went right down the crapper. I’m not saying it’s his fault but when you have people tell you that if you don’t vote for Obama you are a racist… well, you tell me.

Good point. I always say Obama stands for One Big Ass Mistake America.
I agree.

Are you seeing Kanye tonight?
No, I live almost two hours away and I work tomorrow. Besides I have a lot of friends working security at Bluesfest and I wouldn’t want them to have a problem tonight. I work on a Native reserve so being racist is not a possibility for me. I’m not worried for me I can handle my own it’s just a matter of respect for them. By the way, some of my friends are black and have no problem with me wearing those shorts.

Do you say racial slurs at all? They say them in the rap songs.
Never, I respect people too much for that BS and yes even blacks using the “n-word” is not cool I don’t care what they say I find it offensive. Look at it this way if Kid Rock ever came to Bluesfest there would be a riot.

Because “Bawitdaba” shreds too hard?
No, he flies the confederate flag and when Al Sharpton said he shouldn’t he said that all the people that have a problem with the flag can kiss his ass.

Is that the stance you take?
No, I’m more of anti-political correctness. I like my freedom of speech.I might not like what you have to say but I will defend your right to say it.

No I mean, that people can kiss your ass?
You either like me for who I am or you don’t I won’t lose any sleep over it. I have no tact

I like who you are Robert. Thank you for your time.
I just don’t like the spotlight. Like Popeye once said, “I am who I am.”

Mitch Jackson is still not sure what he took away from this conversation – @gladstoned