Proof In The Patches: For anyone wondering whether this was a hate crime

[BrotherIvan]

15. The adjective used was "backwater" meaning remote and rural

I did not say all of SC which I did like and found the people to be very nice (mostly because they were plying me with delicious food which always works). And yes, I did see many, many confederate flags on that three hour drive. My jaw dropped for the first few, and then it was so many I lost count.

I drove through Georgia and Tennessee and did not see them because I was on a main highway. But when I got off the highway in SC and took the back roads, I saw them. Why do you think this kid could walk around with the patches on his jacket and his license plate cover and no one really thought it was a big deal? Do I think SC is more racist than other parts of the south? No. Do I think that every red state is full of racists? Yes. What other explanation could there be?