Our friend and brother dropped us off earlier today and stated with an inquisitive tone, "That's you, right - with the flag? How patriotic."
He was making no criticism. Many (mostly very young people or very baby-boomer people) are not so solicitous.
We got to thinking about why we have a flag out front. Our main reason, we think, is that our fathers used, depended upon, and believed in, that symbol when putting their lives on the line in past wars and saw their friends die in the same.
Arguably, that is not a very good reason.
We then turned to Edward L. Bernays, the "father of modern propaganda/public relations" who was an American student of Sigmund Frued. Without too much simplification, we hope, Mr. Bernays suggested that effective "P.R./propaganda" depends upon three essentials - Emotionalism, Tribalism, and . . . oh, who's that mythical figure who stared at himself in the pond . . . oh, yeah, Narcissus
. . . Narcissism.
The American flag for us meets all three criteria. It represents our tribe. It is a colorful symbol of intellectualized freedom. We remember with great emotion our ancestor's claims to the spiritual nature of seeing that flag - which in an emotional and extremely tribal sense represented their homes and families - flying proudly upon their return from fighting for causes they barely understood.
Lastly, and least politically correct, it feeds our narcissism. We United Statesians aren't bad folks. We are good folks. We aren't the problem in the world. We wish to be part of the solution.
Now some may dismiss us flag flyers as old fogies, old fashioned, and irrelevant - and at the ballot box. That is their right. It is ours to fly our flag - So far.
If they choose to dismiss the symbol, and those that display it, they must do so with caution. It is their heritage, like it or not, as well as ours.
It's called being a nation. One nation. All for one. One for all. A nation - with symbols - get it?
A nation also has borders. Common language. Common values.
A nation has a communal justice - for all - usually colored by tradition.
A nation has purpose and vision.
A nation has a banner - to proclaim what it's citizens believe in and stand for. If they cannot sign on to a common vision then they can have not a nation.
They shall live where they are and remain homeless, foreign, frustrated, and and listless.
Propagandistic? Perhaps.
Patriotic? Most assuredly.
Passe? Probably.
Portentious? Indeed.
He was making no criticism. Many (mostly very young people or very baby-boomer people) are not so solicitous.
We got to thinking about why we have a flag out front. Our main reason, we think, is that our fathers used, depended upon, and believed in, that symbol when putting their lives on the line in past wars and saw their friends die in the same.
Arguably, that is not a very good reason.
We then turned to Edward L. Bernays, the "father of modern propaganda/public relations" who was an American student of Sigmund Frued. Without too much simplification, we hope, Mr. Bernays suggested that effective "P.R./propaganda" depends upon three essentials - Emotionalism, Tribalism, and . . . oh, who's that mythical figure who stared at himself in the pond . . . oh, yeah, Narcissus
. . . Narcissism.
The American flag for us meets all three criteria. It represents our tribe. It is a colorful symbol of intellectualized freedom. We remember with great emotion our ancestor's claims to the spiritual nature of seeing that flag - which in an emotional and extremely tribal sense represented their homes and families - flying proudly upon their return from fighting for causes they barely understood.
Lastly, and least politically correct, it feeds our narcissism. We United Statesians aren't bad folks. We are good folks. We aren't the problem in the world. We wish to be part of the solution.
Now some may dismiss us flag flyers as old fogies, old fashioned, and irrelevant - and at the ballot box. That is their right. It is ours to fly our flag - So far.
If they choose to dismiss the symbol, and those that display it, they must do so with caution. It is their heritage, like it or not, as well as ours.
It's called being a nation. One nation. All for one. One for all. A nation - with symbols - get it?
A nation also has borders. Common language. Common values.
A nation has a communal justice - for all - usually colored by tradition.
A nation has purpose and vision.
A nation has a banner - to proclaim what it's citizens believe in and stand for. If they cannot sign on to a common vision then they can have not a nation.
They shall live where they are and remain homeless, foreign, frustrated, and and listless.
Propagandistic? Perhaps.
Patriotic? Most assuredly.
Passe? Probably.
Portentious? Indeed.
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