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I see the flag as simply an identifying marker. It represents a nation of people who have accomplished incredible things in a short history, and who have also done some horrible things in that same time period. Like any nation in history that is made up of varying, error prone human beings, ours has been and always will be a mixed bag of noble acts and mistakes. I can't look at my country and its flag and think, "We are the greatest nation that has ever existed and we're always right!" Because that's simply not true. But this is a great country and a unique country. Is it the greatest country on Earth? I don't know, because it's the only country I've lived in. Other countries have things I wish we had in the U.S., but they may also be missing some very important things we have here that I wouldn't notice until I didn't have them. I wouldn't be able to say unless I'd tried living in another country. And at the moment that's just not feasible, so I'm happy to be living here. It's not perfect, but no nation is.
I don't feel some overwhelming sense of pride every time I see our flag in day-to-day life. Maybe because I see it so often. And I don't particularly feel pride when I see the flag on military vehicles, but it depends on the situation. But I do feel pride when I see it on a space shuttle, or other space-bound vehicles and probes, or a scientific research vessel of any kind. I'm more apt to be prideful of my country as one of explorers, innovative thinkers,and brilliant researchers than as one of empire builders, although I realize that early on, that was necessary as well. When I see a person with American flags all over their vehicle, I have to wonder whether they really love the country so much that they can't help but put flags all over it, or if they do it just so they'll appear more patriotic than the next guy. When I was younger, I had a subtle American flag sticker in my car's back window. I can't remember exactly the thought process which led to me putting it there, but I know that it wasn't, "Oh man, I just love my country so much that I simply have to put this sticker in my window!" No, I'm sure it instead involved my wanting other people to think I was patriotic, which of course doesn't necessarily involve any stickers. What else was I doing to be patriotic? Nothing, really. It was an empty gesture. The real patriots, to me, are the ones who fight relentlessly for freedom for everyone. And that doesn't only mean on the battlefield.
Last edited by Lamplight; 08-23-2011 at 11:04 AM..
Apparently not everybody feels the same way about the flag in this country and I am so proud to call a country home that allows for the following type of free expression:
I don't get the flag burning. Showing people how furious you are with America, won't really solve anything. Everyone wants to be some sort of revolutionary...
I love what the American flag represents. I love the freedom that we have in this country to express views that are not the majority viewpoint. I respect the fact that our laws allow the flag to be desecrated b/c while it personally p*sses me off, I am glad we live somewhere that someone can say/do what they want as long as it does not hurt another person.
As far as the actual design of the flag, I think it is ok. The color scheme is fairly striking, but is also very common. And the design is a bit busy. I like that the numbers mean something, but wow, there is a lot of stuff going on. So to me, trying to be objective I'd give the look of the flag about an "average" score, but b/c of all the associations I give it a "10"!
I don't really care either way since the flag itself is just a symbol (which also happeneds to be misused by greedy individuals/politicians looking out for themselves). To me at least the Bill of Rights represents the good values and ideas of the US more then any flag would.
I don't get the flag burning. Showing people how furious you are with America, won't really solve anything. Everyone wants to be some sort of revolutionary...
I don't get it either, but you'd be killed in some countries for doing that. I'm proud to be an America because free speech means more than preventing the symbol of our country being burned.
I love the American Flag and anyone who disrespects it should not be in this Country.
I agree! Now try to convince your government and those around the world to loosen their immigration policies, so I can move to another country. The bottom line is that many Americans are stuck here. On the other hand, with what you've just said, I'm of the opinion that your statements would mean that the entire government of the United States should not be here because of how they're disrespecting what our flag stands for. In the latter case, I'd love to stay here if that happened and we went back to being a free Constitutional republic.
I personally find the American flag gaudy. There are too many stripes. I am one of those less is more types, so I tend to favor simple minimalist flags the likes of Texas and Chile.
I do not like the government my flag of the United States represents. As far as the country and land goes, we have just about anything a person could want.
Every morning I put out the Flag at work. It's not on a flagpole - it just fits into a bracket in front of one of our buildings.
During the day if it starts to rain I worry about whether I should take it in or not - will it get too wet or will it dry off soon? Sometimes I'll run outside in a torential rain storm just to get it in.
I like the way it looks during the day, waving in the wind. But when a day is still and hot it droops and looks a little sad.
Every evening I bring the Flag back in. I worry about it touching the ground as I get it down - sometimes hanging on to it in the wind is a challenge!
So the flag, as a THING, is something that creates work and worry, but some visual enjoyment, for me.
As a symbol, I feel the Flag has been coopted by people who I find kind of scary - extremist conservatives. So as a symbol I feel a little conflicted about the Flag.
I truely and deeply love America. There are other American symbols that mean more to me than the Flag: snow capped mountains, fields of wheat and corn in the summertime, 4th of July fireworks, an American Bald Eagle in the sky, kids riding their bikes in parades . . . the sight of those things really do make me choke up with patriotic feeling.
Here in the heartland, every meeting of every organization starts with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer. This never feels natural too me - it's as if we are showing off to one another.
I don't think feeling for a symbol, whatever that symbol is, can be forced upon individuals. After all, it's not the symbol itself that is important, but the thing it represents: America.
The American flag on its own is rather ugly, IMHO.
However, once you add the meanings it has, you learn to love it.
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