A Modest Proposal for the 4th: Take Back Old Glory
In Dr. Seuss's The Sneetches, there were two kinds of these odd beach-dwelling creatures -- those with stars on their bellies and those without. The ones with the stars saw themselves as inherently superior:
When the Star-Belly Sneetches had frankfurter roasts
Or picnics or parties or marshmallow toasts,They never invited the Plain-Belly Sneetches.
They left them out cold, in the dark of the beaches.
Then along came a stranger, one Sylvester McMonkey McBean, who had a contraption that applied -- for a price -- stars to the bellies of the decoratively challenged:
Then they yelled at the ones who had stars at the start,
"We're exactly like you! You can't tell us apart.We're all just the same, now, you snooty old smarties!
And now we can go to your frankfurter parties."
Then the snobby Sneetches had their stars removed -- yes, McBean's machine could do that, too -- and starlessness became the coin of the realm, after which it all descended into on-again-off-again chaos until it was impossible to keep track of who'd been who and they decided to just all get along as equals -- albeit impoverished equals, as they'd given all of their money to the con man who'd repeatedly applied and removed their stars.
But enough, for now, about Sneetches.
Of all the stupid things done by the anti-war crowd, the most gratuitously moronic was allowing the sanctimonious hypocrites of the right to co-opt the nation's most basic icon, its flag. The emblem of the country's highest aspirations was mindlessly ceded to the holier-than-thou zealots who used it as a bludgeon against the less fanatical.
Having unburdened itself of patriotism, the left proceeded over the years to also give away religion, national security and, finally, the elections themselves, but this devolution, into the pathetic puddle of unprincipled, acquiescent wimpiness that the Democrats have become, started with -- or rather, without -- the flag. It's hard to remember a presidential election in which that cavalier surrender hasn't exacted a serious price.
Eventually the lapel was established as the battlefield, and the degree of one's patriotic fervor is now presumed based on whether or not said lapel sports a flag pin. The flag pin wearer clearly loves his country -- for Christ's sake, he's wearing its flag! -- and as for the flagless, well, one can only wonder why they hate America so much that they won't allow its proudest symbol on their persons.
Republicans love to demagogue the flag, and this year that and fear-mongering are all they have. The presence or absence of the mini-Stars 'N' Stripes has the potential to erupt into a weeks-long October distraction, with the contemptible castrata of the media not just providing the stage but also trilling in the chorus. But we can prevent it, and so easily that there's really no excuse not to.
All of the conventional political wisdom of decades is mere rubble in the wake of the Bush-Cheney catastrophes. Whether or not they have health insurance or can afford the gas to drive to their jobs is more important to many past "values" voters than whether or not homosexual couples can call their unions "marriage." Significant numbers of previously intolerant evangelicals are now focusing on saving the earth instead of merely hating hordes of its occupants. Formerly dark red states are purple and may well turn blue. The right is reeling, they can't find a single thing to point to that's better than it was before Bush, so while they're busy dealing with issues of basic survival, let's just slip in there and take back the damn flag. Take it back from the war criminals and their apologists and enablers that have wrapped themselves in it even as they've been methodically destroying the republic for which it stands.
Barack Obama, who earlier took some flack for his empty lapel, is on the cover of the latest Rolling Stone with flag pin gleaming. We should follow his lead. Everyone who's voting for Obama -- and especially those who are public figures (i.e. Keith Olbermann, Jack Cafferty, Rachel Maddow) must immediately procure a flag pin and not be seen without it before November 5th. If you can't do it with pride, do it as an act of subversion.
When everyone's wearing the flag it will be neutralized. It will cease to provide cover, and then all those with a need to display their moral superiority will have to find a new symbol to set them apart. A new image to mount on a pin and attach to fabric that says, "I am, in my essence, better than you."
I suggest the Star-Belly Sneetch.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
To me, wearing a flag pin is often a sign of insecurity a person might feel about his/her sense of patriotism. It is begging for approval/a
Of course, this is not the only reason why someone would wear a flag pin. However, I cannot think of a single reason why wearing a pin would be considered either an act or proof of patriotism.
.
Apart from the aging veterans, I think many people wear flag pins because they think that doing so will help to keep things simple. Perhaps they are baffled and threatened by the issues and overwhelmed by the vast complexity of a world that appears to be breathing down their necks due to globalization. It's a way of separating themselves from the "others" and also a kind of magical thinking.
And let's not forget the guiding principles of "the Republic for which it stands", including the importance of free speech. Honor the flag by having the courage to let it be burned or otherwise desecrated before allowing the right of free, unfettered political speech to be abridged.
See: http://mem
Sorry, while I understand the argument, I just can't go with it. The right has bastardized the flag to the point where it no longer means what it used to. Just like I have no desire to be friends with a Limbaugh or Hannity fan, I have no desire to associate with the type of person who hangs/waves/sticks flags all over their SUV.
I just finished watching John Adams (on the 4th of July, natch). The hypernationalistic flag fever of today bears no resemblance to the flag of yesteryear. The pride of our union and our LITERAL fight for freedom has been spun into something entirely different, and a bit frightening.
I love my country but I will not mindlessly wrap myself in its flag.
"I love my country but I will not mindlessly wrap myself in its flag."
Perhaps doing so mindfully would be better. To consciously transcend your pride and become part of a larger thing. the retrieval of what was once the property of sane and good people.
HuffPost's Pick
My problem with our flag, and really any nation's flag, is that it becomes a symbol of nationalism, not of values. And unbridled nationalism inevitably leads to war. What makes America great is what we value here -- freedom of speech, religion and the other rights enshrined in our Constitution. Today I heard Pres. Bush say again, "America is the greatest nation on earth". Really? Let's see the comparison chart. Why can't we just feel lucky to live here and help every person on earth to live a better, happier life.
There is nothing wrong with nationalism and pride in country as long as it is the service of the ideals of liberty. The Swiss have pulled off this trick successfully for many decades, being fiercely nationalistic, yet eminently peaceful and lovers of liberty within their borders.
What we've allowed to happen is that we've converted our sense of nationalism into little more than the rabid devotion of fans to local sports teams, with boasts of superiority based on nothing more than living nearby. It's an us vs. them mentality which is tolerable as a bit of fun during football or baseball seasons, but which is murderous when translated to the international stage.
On the other hand, I"m not going to give up my pride in what is left of the greatness of our country, nor am I going to cede the wearing or display of the flag to one political faction. The ideals of America are still there, if only we snatch them back from the brink.
Today, I'm displaying the flag and I'll be wearing my flag pin often between now and November.
You make some good points. You are probably correct we should not cede "the flag", and thus patriotism, to one political faction. However, I worry that taking such an action for shorter term political gain will not snatch back our nation's core values, but lead us and others more into the jingoistic camp. In the long run, the changes we need to make to survive as a country and a world go far beyond who is the most patriotic. Rather, our political parties and candidates should be challenging each other to see who has the greatest understanding of our interdependence with other nations and peoples.
Impeach the criminals Bush and Cheney.
That'll never happen.
Don't we have more important problems in this country than who is or is not wearing a flag pin? Why aren't we worried more about whether Bush is going to attack Iran and start another war than something like this? Why are we falling for the Republicans' "politics of distraction"? And why is the media going along with this?
"Of all the stupid things done by the anti-war crowd, the most gratuitously moronic was allowing the sanctimonious hypocrites of the right to co-opt the nation's most basic icon, its flag."
Of all the fallacy-laden bombast built into that sentence, the most annoying locution is the word "crowd." Anyone using the word "crowd" to refer to someone whose opinion he disagrees with is guilty of several propaganda techniques at once: the straw man argument, guilt by association, argumentum ad hominem, a subtle form of namecalling, and more.
That's the kind of thing Rush Limbaugh does every minute of the day. If you noticed the logical fallacies in my previous sentence, you will probably notice the fallacies in the rest of the piece, including the questionable analogy that opens it. But is the author aware?
I agree, especially in view of the fact that the "anti-war crowd" proved to be right, down to the last detail, and those with "non-moronic" views proved to be wrong, every step of the way.
I am curious as to what is on the list of "all the stupid things done by the anti-war crowd".
.
I'm not clear on what 'last detail' you're referring to.
During the mass protest marches in DC, I observed the front group for the Workers World Party marching under the moniker "International A.N.S.W.E.
The thieves don't want us to take back what is ours!
Nobody should expect them to be happy about it.
Rush only says something when he needs to create a tactical effect. The flag blurb was because he does not want confusion when neo-cons get to bash the "unpatrioticals" for not having a flag. He is SCARED of Liberals, Progressives and Democrats all claiming their property again. Let him fear it. These symbols belong to us all. We want them back!
It's too late; the flag was irretrievably lost at least 40 years ago. To start wearing it now would simply validate the mindless jingoism it currently represents. And, personally, I like the present arrangement; the flag pin is to me a useful indication of the wearer's arrested development.
No jingoist here. Grow up!
The flag means what you make of it. Today I celebrate the American Revolution. I fly it on Labor Day to celebrate my class, the working class. I fly it on Veteran's Day too. My neighbors know my politics are left and that I am gay.
I fly a big well-made flag bought by my Saudi friend for me (Wouldn't make this up); he wishes he could live here permanently.
Left and Religion? AJ Muste, Rev. ML King, Jesus
appleknocker
Knock off the selfish routine, while you're at it.
You are in no way being helpful. Just grousing. Nothing in the positive. My development is arriving at the conclusion that we need to put our personal issues aside and show a united people now. I am a Progressive who would like to see some actual progress.
Do as you choose, though. I will defend you right to it.
already done. happy 4th.
The LAST THING anybody should do to prove their patriotism is wear a small, meta, or plastic pin, probably made in China, to express anything - especially patriotism.
You want to express your patriotism? As a former President said: "Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country." (President Theodore Roosevelt, 1908).
Therefore, if Bush and Darth Vader wear pins, it proves only that they are cynical, pejorative, condescending, and bigoted people who have no appreciation of what the term "patriotism" means, and the last thing that proves one's patriotism is some stupid lapel pin!
Enough said.
.
Enough said?
That is one opinion.
Here is another.
The right uses the flag as a weapon against the Left.
Take the sword back and return it to a plough-share again.
Or not.
Some people's pride will not allow them to do it.
Back when the loony right was frothing at the mouth about making failure to respect the flag a go-to-jail offense, I could never get a good answer to this question: In the land where everybody's supposed to be equal, why is it OK for pretty girls to have their bikini bottoms made out of the flag, but if a gay guy wore the same thing, he'd get the crap kicked out of him?
I had a friend back in the 60's who had an American flag shirt.
The Cops beat the crap out of for no other reason than wearing it.
Land of the Free INDEED!
Wear something that can't be questioned, but confuses the heck out of people. In my denomination (Jeremiah Wright's) we wear commas ("Never place a period where God has placed a comma"). Then people ask us about it and we get a chance to tell what we stand for.
So the tiny constitution pin is a good idea. What could be more American? Yet it's arcane enough that people would still have to ask us what the pin means. And wouldn't we just love explaining to them the meaning of the constitution?
I put my flag up and my front door sports a large Obama sign. Happy Independence Day!
Thus has it always been. We had heated arguments with protest organizers in the '80s when we showed up with American flags to march against nukes and Contras.
What a no-brainer.
I'm finally going to hang my flag today. I've been thinking along these lines for a long time. The right has constantly been claiming that they hold the moral high ground simply because they are willing to wrap themselves in the flag. If that's all it takes to win the arguement then I can afford to blow $50 on a flag set to put up on my house.
I'm not displaying the flag simply to spite the right. I've come to realize that the co-opting of patriotic imagery is one of the reasons that I have come to reject that same imagery. It's time for people on the left to realize that these symbols really do hold power and regardless of what the right says they don't own them or the values they represent. Displaying the flag isn't about caving to the right, it's about retaking the sacred symbols of our country and making them stand for the ideals that make America great instead of the ideology that has nearly sunk our country.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
