I do the same when I see a house flying an American flag. It’s unfortunate, but that well has also been poisoned.
That attitude is a mistake.
Don’t let right-wingers appropriate the flag for pseudo-patriotic purposes.
Rejecting the flag or sneering at its display feeds right into their narrative.
We fly an American flag, right near that little peace flag.
Here’s a 2-month old 300-post thread on exactly the issue of Reactionary Wacko appropriation of the US flag (or not):
Not everyone who displays the flag on their house is a right wing asshole.
On the other hand, the ones who fly a giant flag in the bed of their pickup…
I am fully aware of that, but that’s my first thought when I see the flag in front of a house. Right or wrong.
I’m old enough to remember when burning a flag was a way to protest the Vietnam War and that the conservatives went crazy over the idea that free speech actually allowed this. They wanted a Constitutional Amendment to ban flag burning. Old Ronnie Reagan was big on this.
Of course they also wanted to ban the use of the flag in clothing, which they hypocritically have conveniently forgotten when it comes to their own displays.
I’m torn. I think it’s ridiculous to put our national identity into a piece of cloth. I also think that if you do, you have to expect and respect others protesting about that identity as a basic First Amendment right.
I also think that the U.S. lost any right to proudly display the flag because of Vietnam. We’ve never gotten over that stink; it lingers on all of us. That’s what people like Moms for Liberty are fighting, whether they know it or not. The flag, American exceptionalism, the nostalgia for olden times, the anti-immigrant rants, all their nonsense is another hypocritical exercise in trying to erase our past and eliminate those who point out our failings and work so hard to make them right.
Is that what they’re calling it these days?
Our name badges at work have an American flag on them. Whenever I have to get a new name badge, I cover the flag with a sticker because I don’t want to disrespect the flag by wearing it.
The Grateful Dead hung out with a skeletal Uncle Sam in “U.S. Blues,” singing
Wave that flag! Wave it wide and high!
Summertime done come and gone, my oh my
Appropriating the flag not for a party, but partying, man.
By the way, who’ll sign a petition to make “U.S. Blues” the new national anthem? And can you—can you imagine fifty people a day—I said fifty people a day!—walkin’ in, singin’ a bar of “U.S. Blues” and walking out. And friends, they may think it’s a movement!
I would vote for that, though I would also vote for the more obscure “Dead Flag Blues” by Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
It never fails to strike me that those who loudly proclaim “American exceptionalism” and wave the flag while chanting “USA! USA!” are the same folks who want to “Make America Great Again” – admitting that in their viewpoint America is not great now. I always want to call them out on it. There are many ways I’d like to improve my country, but I do think it’s pretty great right now (and better than it was in 1972, the first year I voted).
Yeah, but John Prine said,
‘Your flag decal won’t get you into heaven any more. It’s already overcrowded with all your dirty little wars, Jesus don’t like killing no matter what the reason for, your flag decal won’t get you into heaven any more!’
The classic example of this was Abby Hoffman in a flag shirt on the Merv Griffin show, blurred out, while Roy and Dale Rogers went onstage yodeling in matching flag shirts.
This is pretty interesting. It’s not something I had heard about, but I just found a NY Times article on this exact thing! Thanks for that nugget.
I’m sure all the free speech people who want Nazis and racists to be able to spam social media would have been up in arms about Hoffman and would have been shouting about cancel culture. Haha! I kid, of course.
Moderating:
This thread continues to be far afield of its stated topic. Let’s get back on track. If not, I’ll just close it.
Got you covered!
Police are investigating Christian Ziegler, husband of Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, over accusations that he sexually assaulted the couple’s alleged partner
They lead a wild lifestyle, these Moms.
Now we know why they want those books out of the libraries – they want them for themselves, get some new ideas.
Sexual assault, cuddling up to white supremacists…what’s not to love about these moms?
Hey, thanks! 