I know I'll be attacked for this, but most southerners view it as a regional symbol of the South. I don't think anyone thinks Lynyrd Skynyrd was going around the country singing songs for the cause of slavery and white supremacy. The confederate flag did not mean then what it means now.
Granted, I'm sure many white supremacists have always looked at it as a white supremacy symbol, but they have always been so few and hard to find, it didn't matter. But, the Left is constantly looking for things to demonize as symbols of racism (Christopher Columbus statues anyone? MAGA hats, anyone? The OK sign, anyone? Standing for the National Athem?...next thing you know, "smiling for photos" will considered racist.) I think they have mostly succeeded with the confederate battle flag, though, so it may be time to give them the win.
Great songs, though. And I hope Neil Young will remember, a Southern man don't need him around, anyhow....
No better advice a parent can give their son:
"We thought Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two," said Ronnie Van Zant at the time. That's basically what happened to the flag, I think. The Left insisted it ONLY represented the one or two...and the media embraced it. But, it used to represent the entire South, and contrary to what Chris may think, there are some good people in the South. Interestingly, African-American singers are the background for this song. Interviewed about it, they said that they are a part of the Alabama story as well.