> Have you never been to rural NY? The Confederate flag flies all over the place there

Many times, and I can earnestly say I've never seen that. Nor in rural Pennsylvania for that matter, which I would otherwise characterize as slightly less sophisticated than NY. Are there racists in that region? Certainly. But I can't recall ever seeing somebody in those states flying the confederate flag.

I'm sure it's happened before, I'm sure you can find me local news reporting on instances of it. But it's definitely not a common sight.