Needles & Grooves

Counterpoint: jingoism sucks

Yep I’m anti-patriotism too, flags and nationalities serve to divide, not unite.

Ideologically, yes. It’s naive though and we don’t have time. The one out of 100 Americans who may understand the term jingoism or why allegiance to country/nation does not serve to advance fairness will simply be ubiquitous. Our nation and likely any nation is symbolized by its flag. If a nation rejects its flag it becomes a different nation. Is there a good example of a nation that does not or has not had a flag?

Most other places you don't see their flag everywhere you go

Correct. But that’s because those nations are not on the brink of a civil war. I believe our democracy here is particularly sensitive because of an almost equal division of thought, unfairly perpetuated by many forces and because of that have to defend our symbolization, to remind ourselves of who we are. Again, the strongest symbolization for any country is its flag.

All this comes with a giant personal disclaimer as I’ve spent the last 17 years fighting for this flag I love. I am by absolutely no means a proud boy. But the mere fact I need to question myself before putting an American flag sticker on my car because I feel like I might be seen as one is troubling, incredibly troubling.

The flag is not going anywhere. Hopefully we can keep it as the Stars and Stripes. But even if a civil war was evoked, by the end of it all a flag would still be flying. I’d like it to be the same one.

This is a good thing to want to take back, but when I talk to my marginalized friends, they've started to worry about people who prominently display the American flag nearly as much as those who display the Confederate flag.

Correct @sahomerrocks, that is my concern. Let them keep that ugly confederate flag. If they TAKE the American flag it means that we become the national opposition. The thought of that scares the shit out of me because the attachment to that symbol runs very deep for everyone, even those who are scared to fly it. My message is, don’t be. It’s our national ensign, not the proud boy calling sign.

The Republicans have been abandoning the US flag for Trump and "Thin Blue Line" flags, so now is probably a good time to take back the flag, if you're into that sort of thing.