I was pretty ignorant of what it actually meant: Tom Petty on using the Confederate Flag in 1985

Shared by the journalist, Shaun King via his Facebook page, the quote highlights Petty's view on the hypocrisy of using the flag today:

"Again, people just need to think about how it looks to a black person. It's just awful. It's like how a swastika looks to a Jewish person. It just shouldn't be on flagpoles", Petty said, when contacted by Rolling Stone after they had inquired about his previous use of the flag onstage.

"Beyond the flag issue, we're living in a time that I never thought we'd see. The way we're losing black men and citizens in general is horrific. What's going on in society is unforgivable. As a country, we should be more concerned with why the police are getting away with targeting black men and killing them for no reason. That's a bigger issue than the flag. Years from now, people will look back on today and say, "You mean we privatized the prisons so there's no profit unless the prison is full?" You'd think someone in kindergarten could figure out how stupid that is. We're creating so many of our own problems."

The comments came in the aftermath of South Carolina's decision to lower the Confederate Flag on the statehouse.

"I was pretty ignorant of what it actually meant. It was on a flagpole in front of the courthouse and I often saw it in Western movies. I just honestly didn't give it much thought, though I should have."

"Lowering the flag from the statehouse grounds was the right decision. That flag shouldn't have any part in our government. It shouldn't represent us in any way. The war is over. You know, it's a bit ironic: It's the only time that I know of where we defeated a country in a war and then flew their flag."