You’re going to see the title of this and have a reaction. You’re going to make assumptions based on your political leanings. I hope I don’t prove those assumptions right. If you’re more liberal, you might assume I hate the American flag because it’s a symbol of America, and America as we both know is extremely problematic. If you’re conservative, especially after hearing about how I believe America is problematic, you probably have this picture of an ungrateful flag burner. I personally would not classify myself as that. I use to have a huge problem with those who don’t recognize the privilege of living in America. I now see a lot of that was propaganda, but some people still hate on our country for non-legitimate reasons and I hope I can make a distinction between myself and those people.
So what does the American flag mean? It’s a symbol for our country. That’s what flags are. Is a symbol for a country inherently bad, no. I don’t believe even the Swastika is inherently evil. Does that mean I can look at a Swastika without a preconceived notion of the history behind the symbol? No. Symbols take on meaning from our society. The Swastika is almost universally seen as a symbol of hate. So what about the American flag?
The American flag represents America. So what is America? Land of the free? Home of the brave? Leader of the western world? To some, yes. I don’t think those who believe that are inherently wrong. To many, America is a positive thing, and not even to just people in America, but some people in third world countries see us as a positive force on the world. To some others, we’re seen differently. We’re seen as a powerful force for capitalist propaganda and violence to some in countries we’ve interfered with. We’re seen as a non-caring force of death and destruction to people who have lost homes and loved ones to our army’s indifference.
“We’re not perfect, but the idea and the ideal of America is good.” I agree. I think the general idea of what America is, is good. I love democracy (even if we aren’t one, but that’s a different topic). I love equality. I love checks and balances. I love the idea of “freedom”. The ideal of America is good, but we all don’t have the same idea of the ideal of America.
With the rise of Trumpism, many people were captivated by this self-proclaimed patriotic figure, Trump. Now Trump himself aside, what he meant to many people in our country is clear. He was endorsed by the leader of the Ku Klux Klan. That’s all that needs to be said in my opinion. You don’t need Trump himself to be a racist to find that horrific. Trump emboldened white nationalists and that’s all that needs to be said. To be clear, I think white nationalists have a different idea of the ideal of America.
So many hateful people were energized by Trump. Trump also had a hilarious relationship with the American flag.
So these hateful people are emboldened by a man who treats the flag like that… Obviously, not everyone who loves America loves Trump, but those who love Trump also love the flag. So, when I see someone wielding the flag, there’s a chance they love Trump. That alone isn’t something I fear, but then the point I made earlier comes into play. Trump emboldened a bunch of racists.
I’m half black. I’m a mixed baby. My mother is white and my dad was black. I never really thought of myself as black until moving to Colorado. I stand out in my area. In New York, where I was from, I didn’t stand out at all. Now that I’m hyper-aware of my color, I noticed a change in how I move around here. I’m more cautious. I’m more friendly. In New York, I would put on a “Don’t f*** with me” face when I’d walk around. Here in Colorado, I make it a point to look like as little of a threat as possible. Why? Because I know what can happen to a black person walking in a place they stand out. Trevon Martin. Is this likely, of course not. I live in a decently liberal city in Colorado and I know my chance of being seen as a threat and subjected to vigilantly violence is low, but I know it’s more likely than in New York.
So, if you’re following the ball I’m tossing, this makes me more uncomfortable when I see an American flag. Does the flag mean they’re a Trump supporter? No. Does it mean they’re racist? No. Do Trump-supporting, racists wield the flag? Yes!
So I brought this up on Facebook because I love to have discussions with people I disagree with and we all have those conservative friends who love to use Facebook. I kinda love baiting responses from them. It’s really silly.
This is the post I made about this subject and the first response from someone I’ve talked to in the past about politics. We’ll just call him Mark. Obviously, I knew he and some others I know would take this offensively and he did.
This was my response to him and one other person’s offense.
He edited this later because of my response. But here’s my response anyways.
This was a big reason I wanted to write about this. I don’t think many people understand what it’s like to see a flag that so many think is this great symbol, but to you, it makes you put up your defenses. Mark doesn’t like it when lived experiences don’t mesh with his personal admiration for our country and flag.
So I agree with him. Most people will treat you with kindness, but not everyone will, and it’s been documented a lot recently. Also, it’s a way of blaming the victim. Black people shouldn’t have to treat people with kindness to not expect to be killed or harmed. We’re human beings. We have bad days. We get annoyed. We run out of patience. I know that’s not something being argued specifically, but it’s another way of blaming me for being uncomfortable and not the people that use the flag as a rallying point for their hatred. A lot of people instantly went on to blame Trevon Martin. A lot of people blamed George Floyd. In fact, with George Floyd’s case, some say he died of the drugs in his system or even Covid… There’s always an excuse for people who want to have an idealized America. They frame it as being personally irresponsible and that’s why misfortune came upon them.
Empathy is what it comes down to. Empathy for others. Believing others. Having a love for your fellow man, even if they look, talk, worship, or think differently from you. Instead of ignoring what a group of people have to say, listen. Try to understand. Ask questions! This does not mean believe everything. I believe in skepticism, but if you can’t find a good reason to not believe someone, you should believe them. I also believe people in pain don’t usually lie about that pain. We should be skeptical, but not to the point of uncaring.
Thanks for reading! I love discussion and criticism, so let me know what you think.
Bernard Lamar Rice 