I don't understand; why do people defend things such as the confederate flag

[Jackalope]

From the perspective a a Midwesterner it doesn't make much sense. They lost the war. The Confederacy no longer exists so there is nothing to celebrate. However, it was explained to me this way by a Southerner.

The South's defeat was extremely humiliating. That defeat was followed by a pervasive and unwanted injection of Yankee culture. The only way for some to salvage any sense of dignity was to celebrate the nobility and courage of those who fought and died even if they were ultimately doomed. It's a kind of Beautiful Loser mentality - you can knock me down but you can't take away my pride.

"pervasive and unwanted injection of Yankee culture" sounds a lot like "they told us we can't own black people any more", tbh.