From now on, any Forza vehicle containing a Confederate flag image will be marked as "notorious iconography" and the responsible users will be banned. Nearly 160 years ago, the American Civil War was fought over the rights of the southern states to own slaves. They seceded from the Union and formed their own nation where slavery was legal. After their defeat in 1865, the Confederate battle flag, the "stars and bars," has since been repurposed as a symbol of southern pride, but to many it is only a grim reminder and celebration of chattel slavery.
In recent years, the Confederate flag has become increasingly controversial, especially as race relations have quickly worsened in the United States. In the midst of the Black Lives Matter protests that continue to advocate for equal treatment of Black Americans in the criminal justice system, the inherently treasonous flag has been banned from NASCAR events, and the State Legislature of Mississippi has taken steps to begin redesigning their state flag to exclude its central Confederate imagery.
The latest institution to take a stand against the use of the Confederate flag is Microsoft's Forza series, one of the most popular Xbox-exclusive franchises. In a tweet published on June 26, the official Forza Support account stated that any use of the Confederate flag, as a car decal or otherwise, will be cause for an instant ban in whichever game(s) a player offends. Thus, any players looking to make their Dodge Charger look like The General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard need to come up with their own design to replace the one that adorns the roof of the Duke boys' prized vehicle.
For better or worse, the Confederate battle flag has long been associated with car culture, from its prominence at southern NASCAR events to the legendary Dukes of Hazzard television series, which ran for seven seasons between 1979 and 1985. It's a symbol that many auto enthusiasts from all over the world employ, even without knowledge of its historical relevance and continued controversy.
There's a misconception that the Confederate flag doesn't represent racism. The term "heritage, not hate" is often used in association with the "Lost Cause" myth of the Civil War being fought over the concept of "states' rights." In truth, the Civil War was fought because wealthy Southern plantation owners refused to give up their Black slaves, human beings forced to into servitude based solely on the color of their skin. There will always be those who insist that the admittedly iconic "stars and bars" can serve as a symbol of southern pride without being racist, but, at the end of the day, it's the flag of a failed country that took on the United States of America and lost.
Source: Forza Support