This year's US Independence season came right on the heels of some pretty iconic things in our country on the political stage: the uproar of demands for removal of the Confederate flag from government buildings, and the legalization of same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
Considering these two things, something interesting sprung up on the internet: a petition for a "new American flag", which was basically just the LGBTQ flag with 50 white stars arranged against a blue background in the top left corner.
Let me be clear: this was not a real thing. At all. The whole thing came from a combination of random things: Marc Dice, a "media analyst" (I put that in quotes because my source referred to him as a conspiracy theorist...not sure which one is more accurate), created a video of him asking people on the street to sign a petition to replace the American flag with a different one. Following this, a fake news site released an article saying that a petition to change the American flag to a rainbow flag was in circulation, and had gained more than 10,000 signatures.
Again: This was not a legit thing.
But I think it's a fun idea for me to entertain and share my views on, especially since many Americans did just that, so let's begin.
While on the streets of San Diego, Dice used the idea that the some find the American flag to be "offensive" in his pitch to get people to sign it.
So for a moment, I want to talk about what two iconic flags, the Confederate flag and the US flag, represent, and how the intent or perception of offense differs for each of them.
To me, the Confederate flag was, and is, meant to offend. Politically speaking, it was made to represent the states who were threatening secession from the United States of America. Thus, the "stars and bars" were made and flown in order to offend not only the Union, but the United States of America, and all who supported the prohibition of slavery.
But at the crux of it, the Confederate flag is offensive because (to me) it is scary. Because it represents a group in the past who supported the expansion of slavery, and even went as far as war in order to deny blacks the full rights of US citizenship. So to me, as a black individual, seeing the Confederate flag flying anywhere strikes genuine fear in my heart, because it is a symbol that tells me that I do not belong, and I do not deserve the same rights as an American-born white male. To me, seeing the Confederate flag being flown is the modern-day equivalent of tying a noose in someone's front yard.
That's why the Confederate flag is offensive.
The American flag, on the other hand, with it's 50 white stars and 13 red and white horizontal stripes, represents... America. That's it. And what's so special about that is that America represents SO MANY things. It represents freedom of speech and freedom of religion; it represents our nation's military, and it even represents a nation that just legalized same-sex marriage in all of its states.
And changing the flag to be a near-replica of the LGBTQ flag strips away all that the American flag represents, and makes it represent a singular cause. And to me, that's wrong, because it takes away from our nation's rich history and morals that we as Americans value to deeply.
(Now, don't get me wrong. This same flag also represents a nation where women receive lower wages as a man for the same work, where racism is still a huge issue, and a nation where less than a month ago some people were prevented from marrying the person of their choice... Our nation has tons of flaws, and our flag is representative of them too. However, changing the flag presents no solvency for any of these issues.)
And you know, maybe there is someone out there who finds the American flag offensive. But you know the difference? What it represents. Because what each flag represents shows the true intentions behind the flag. So to compare what the Confederate flag represents with what the American flag represents, and say that they are both equally offensive, is gravely ignorant.
If you watch the video, you'll also hear that part of Dice's pitch talks about the petition's goal to issue "a new world order". Which to me, is a pretty laughable, honestly.
Alright, so gay rights is an international issue, and is important. 100% true.
But we need to be realistic and see that it's not an issue that dictates the world.
You wanna talk about "new world order"? Let's talk about ending wars. Let's talk about resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict for good. Let's talk about curbing global climate change, ending female genital mutilation, and decreasing poverty.
YES, gay rights is an important issue, but if some Americans believe that "a new world order" is to be established through this flag change, they are unfortunately very narrow-minded, and extremely ignorant.
Obviously, this thing was just a gag and would probably never really pass in our red (VERY red), white and blue nation. But it definitely provokes some interesting thought. I mean, many people on the streets were on board with the proposal, and thought it was a good idea. Does that show that our nation is more socially evolved and accepting? Or does it show that we have become a bit too high-strung, trying to find offense in everything and constantly chasing after social movements to align ourselves behind, no matter how ridiculous?
That's about it from me. I would love to hear your thoughts, so don't forget to comment!
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