In what seems like a knee-jerk reaction to the debate regarding the usage of the Confederate flag in contemporary America, Apple has begun removing all content from the App Store that makes use or mention of it — even Civil War games.
For those of you unfamiliar with the controversy, the Confederate flag has been at the center of attention since last week's shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, which is believed to have been racially motivated. As a result of the ongoing debate, many U.S. companies, including Walmart and Amazon, have already begun to ban the sale of any Confederate flag merchandise.
Apple appears to be following suit, as Touch Arcade reports many Civil War games and other apps featuring the Confederate flag have been removed from the App Store, regardless of context. The reasoning Apple is giving developers is "…because it includes images of the confederate flag used in offensive and mean-spirited ways."
And that right there is the center of this ongoing debate. While many see the Confederate flag as a reminder of the injustices served in the pre-Civil War, others view it as a way to honor soldiers who died for the Confederacy.
I definitely understand removing apps or games that use the flag in a racist or offensive way, but to deny the usage of the flag in historical Civil War games seems a little extreme. I mean, the Civil War and the Confederate flag is a part of United States history — should we just act like it never happened? How can we be expected to grow and mature as a nation if we just ignore the wrongd oings of our past and pretend things like the Confederate flag never existed?
It's unclear if this decision is a permanent one or just Apple overreacting as the company tends to do when faced with public pressure. If this is the new norm, Apple needs to start removing a lot more than Civil War games because I'm sure I can find quite a few references to things that offend me.
