Brouhaha over Confederate flag- what's the point

I don't get what the whole point of this hubbub over the Confederate Flag is. Just because a lunatic was pictured "worshipping the Stars and Bars" doesn't mean that the Confederate flag is the cause of the mass murder in South Carolina. Yes it was a horrible shooting. But how will our lives be improved by tearing down this flag? Will hate and jealousy be removed from all of our hearts? Will more African-American kids do better in school and be in the National Spelling Bee or the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF)?