Why do people think that the Confederate flag ALWAYS represents racism?

Because that's the way that they want to see it. And if you ask those same people about the history and the causes of the American Civil War, these same people will answer slavery, nobody in their right mind will deny or contradict you when you say, slavery was deleterious. But we mustn't forget that may of those that fought for the South were not fighting to defend the issue of slavery, but the issue of States Rights was what they were fighting for. I'm beginning to think that schools have stopped teaching all of the issues that caused the American Civil War (political correctness you know).