Comedian Jason Selvig asked a Confederate flag-wearing member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) whether he is for or against slavery and the man's response left many on the internet shaking their heads.
Selvig is one half of The Good Liars, a comedy duo known for lampooning American politics with digs at Chick-fil-A, Scientology, Fox News, QAnon, the Trump family and former New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie.
While at the NRA's annual convention, Selvig approached a man wearing a Confederate flag T-shirt that said “Keep It Flying" and asked him just why the flag—which many associate with racism, slavery, segregation, racially motivated violence, White supremacy, intimidation of Blacks, historical negationism and treason—should keep flying at all.
You can watch what happened in the video below.
\u201cAt the NRA Conference, we asked a guy in confederate flag shirt if he was pro or anti-slavery.\u201d— The Good Liars (@The Good Liars) 1654130279
The man defended the flag as a symbol of Southern pride and heritage.
When Selvig pointed out many consider the flag a symbol of racism and slavery, he responded associating the Confederate flag with slavery was merely an opinion.
But things got weird after Selvig asked him if he was “pro-slavery.”
Replying he has "no comment" and thanking him for the interview, the man began to walk away, which prompted Selvig to follow him and ask again.
"No comment," the man said again, before Selvig asked him once more:
“I’ll give you one more opportunity to say if you’re pro- or anti-slavery.”
To that, the man said:
"No, I don't... no comment."
For many, the man's refusal to answer the question was an admission in and of itself.
\u201cInconvenient truth: \nIt\u2019s millions of people who think like him\u201d— \ud835\udc04\ud835\udc31\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2f\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2b \ud835\udc0f\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc29\ud835\udc1e (@\ud835\udc04\ud835\udc31\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2f\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2b \ud835\udc0f\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc29\ud835\udc1e) 1654173972
\u201cHe's pro slavery, but didn't have balls to come out and say it...cowards then, cowards now, cowards forever.\u201d— Caw_nspiracy Rayven (@Caw_nspiracy Rayven) 1654178654
\u201cI cannot think of an easier question to answer than \u201cDo you support slavery?\u201d\n\nS L A V E R Y.\n\nTHREE CHANCES to give the super-obvious answer, and he STILL couldn\u2019t find a single shred of human decency.\n\n#PureEvil\u201d— Chuck for Texas HD-128 (@Chuck for Texas HD-128) 1654179716
\u201cI can\u2019t even come up with words for this so I\u2019ll just do this: \ud83e\udd26\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u201d— \ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\udf0a \u2744\ufe0fIamRaefordusMaximus\ud83c\udf0a \u2744\ufe0f\ud83c\udf3b (@\ud83c\udf3b\ud83c\udf0a \u2744\ufe0fIamRaefordusMaximus\ud83c\udf0a \u2744\ufe0f\ud83c\udf3b) 1654185735
\u201cThis really highlights that there is no interpretation of the Confederate flag as \u201cheritage\u201d that does not involve defending American slavery. The two are inseparable, even if the proponents won\u2019t admit that in public.\u201d— \u201cAll Cops? Bastards.\u201d -The Negro Subversive (@\u201cAll Cops? Bastards.\u201d -The Negro Subversive) 1654191283
\u201cScary that humans like this are out there\u2026 and can vote \ud83d\ude35\u200d\ud83d\udcab\u201d— Kendall Rae \u2728 (@Kendall Rae \u2728) 1654232622
\u201cThe confederacy lasted less than 4 years. There is no heritage.\u201d— Caucus Characters \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (Save Soil) (@Caucus Characters \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (Save Soil)) 1654177789
\u201cA coward and a racist!\u201d— R Griffith (@R Griffith) 1654172502
Selvig has been sharing his encounters and interviews at the NRA convention all week.
Earlier this week, Selvig received plaudits online after he trolled Wayne LaPierre, the head of the NRA, following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Selvig thanked LaPierre for all of the times he’s offered his “thoughts and prayers’ following mass shootings, pointing to the organizations abject opposition to stricter gun control measures that could limit the number of mass shootings taking place nationwide.
Much of the crowd did not realize that Selvig's appearance was a prank–and even applauded.
@coyleray/Instagram