I like the nation's flag because I like the ideal it represents: commitment to the common good over the individual great. It's symbolic of the social contract we each share with our neighbors, regardless of individual differences. I'm curious why liberals and progressives, with our stated commitment to the common good, find it so necessary to be antagonistic to respect for the nation's flag.
Yesterday I was getting my daily dose of Matthews / Olbermann / Maddow, and following coverage of the CPAC convention.
As a disaffected former 'Pub, I follow the death-throe antics of the Neocons with a degree of wonderment at their continued cluelessness...but I digress; the issue here is the flag.
Among coverage of intellectual heavyweight Joe the Plumber, and some silly award bestowed on Rush Limbaugh was a wisecrack about achievement awards CPAC should bestow upon its quirkier members. Included in the list was:
"Flag Fetish"
As if displaying the nation's flag were some sort of deviant behavior. Considering that the nation's flag represents none other than the nation, and that the notion of nation is really a commitment to the collective good, then why is it necessary to be antagonistic toward people who display the nation's flag?
I live in a neighborhood of 1930's houses, most of which are occupied by the children of the people who had them built. They're elderly now--the generation of my parents. They make wonderful neighbors: friendly, considerate, happy to have a family with school-aged children amongst them. I cherish this community that has adopted us by nothing more than the virtue of our proximity. One thing on this street stands out: the proliferation of flagpoles. These people aren't ideologues or nutjobs, and judging by the pre-election proliferation of "Obama" signs, they aren't necessarily even right-wingers. They're simply committed to belief in community, and display that commitment by hoisting the nation's colors. It strikes me as a gesture more in keeping with the community values of a liberal or progressive rather than the "me first" selfishness of the conservatives.
So why do liberals and progressives at the national level so willingly cede the symbolism of the flag to conservatives, and to conservative ideals that are antithetical to the common good? It would seem shockingly sensible to insist that the flag represents far more than bellicosity abroad and wing-nuttery at home. Why not take the damn thing back from the conservatives instead of making it the butt of poorly conceived jokes?
I realize that rehabiliting rather than bashing the flag is a profoundly minor issue in a nation beset by selfishness-induced economic crisis and a really stupid war that is about to end with no appreciable gain to show for the blood and treasure expended. However, that flag represents me, my neighbors, and our nation. It represents our collective hopes and dreams, and the individual sacrifices necessary to further the collective good.
In my own yard is an empty flagpole, a remnant of the beliefs of previous owners. If I can't change the nation, I can hoist my own flag as a symbol of solidarity with the community around me. I shall. It's a start.