Last week, I was driving down the highway when I noticed a striking view. The highway had a curve coming up, but at the edge of that curve, straight down the road, there was an enormous American flag blowing mightily in the wind. I could see the stars and stripes clearly waving back and forth. Then I reached the turn and realized that I should probably watch the road.
But after that sight, I was struck by another realization: I felt conflicted. The American flag does not seem like a symbol of hope, freedom, and life anymore. Now when I see the flag, it’s typically in an article about another “Make America Great Again” rally or in a bumper sticker on a truck. The American flag has become a symbol of the conservative American, not of shared American values. As I continued driving along the road, I thought to myself: “Does it have to be that way?”
The flag is a symbol, and symbols change. The flag — which is meant to represent an entire people — should not simply be the symbol of one party. It should embody the ideas that this country was founded and built on, the ideas that we all share. But recently, most media tends to associate this American symbol with extremists, as can be seen with pictures of the Jan. 6 riots that feature different permutations of the flag with Trump’s name. Some rioters even tore down an American flag and replaced it with a Trump flag. This tendency to partner the flag with un-American values is not simply a media problem.
Back in 2007, when Barack Obama was running for president, a reporter noticed that he hadn’t been wearing an American flag pin. Obama replied by explaining that the flag pin “became a substitute for… true patriotism.” This led him to avoid such false displays. “I decided I won’t wear that pin on my chest; instead I’m gonna try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism.”
This response provoked a discussion of what Obama’s “true patriotism” meant. Some thought that Obama was lifting his own version of patriotism above that of individuals who wear flag pins or that he wasn’t showing good patriotism by not wearing it at all. Others found it understandable because they felt that speaking out against war was a form of showing patriotism. But now, the flag has been entirely reduced to a display of fake patriotism instead of a dynamic symbol of what patriotism itself can be. These days, following Obama’s lead, liberal politicians often do not honor or present the flag without occasion.
In one story, a graduate student from Harvard took an American flag to a protest of the Iraq War. When she arrived, she noticed that many of the protesters couldn’t tell if she was part of the protest or a counter-protester. This just shows the extent of liberal Americans’ negative view of the flag. This distrust of the flag has become a problem for the flag as a symbol.
Part of this issue is that the symbol has been taken by conservative politicians and embraced as a true symbol of patriotism while liberal politicians allow their patriotism to shine without an actual symbol. This is problematic because now the American flag does not appear as a symbol of the American dream, but rather of the conservative dream. The American flag should represent the shared identity of its citizens. We may disagree on a thousand things, but in general we share a love of democracy and an appreciation for freedom for all.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This is America’s founding mandate, and this is what the flag should represent. Some may contest the rigor of our beliefs in practice, pointing to the fact that the Declaration of Independence omitted women from representation and considered some people as three fifths of a person. But the American ideal is far greater than those founding documents.
In 1961, John F. Kennedy gave his great inaugural address in which he challenged the American people to “ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” He was emphasizing that America is not simply an inanimate government serving the people. It is the people working hand in hand with the government that help maintain these unalienable rights. We, the people, must help grow and improve our country because without us, the government is nothing.
These are just some of the most famous interpretations of the American dream. These help us understand not only our relationship with the government, but also our relationships with each other. When I do well, my neighbor does better, too. When my neighbor does well, I do better, too. This mutual benefit is better understood under the common interest the flag can represent.
Liberal politicians and leaders should embrace the American flag as a symbol of all these ideas and more. The American flag can and should represent the ideals of equality and pride that Black Lives Matter and pride flags encourage. We can either make the American flag a symbol of the sins of the present and past. Or it can be a symbol of the hope that Americans have for the future. I know which choice I would want.
There are massive problems with this country: The education system isn’t working, voting rights are under attack, human rights are under siege, children aren’t safe, and the list goes on. We cannot solve these problems while at each other’s throats. We have to come together under a shared identity. Through all our differences and experiences, we must cultivate a shared American identity.
Notice, I say “we.” Because if one thing is true, it is this: We are not just White Americans, we are not just Black Americans, we are not just Indigenous Americans, we are not just Asian Americans, we are not just LGBTQ+ Americans — we are Americans. It is essential that we realize that, whether we like it or not, our fates are tied together.
Image by Jeremiah Valerio licensed under the Unsplash License.
