Apologies for the two week hiatus. Publishing a newsletter each Sunday was becoming more of a stressor than a pleasure, and Anne suggested something revolutionary: Just take a break. Sometimes it takes a third party to see what you can’t, and in this case I was juggling too many things and not giving this newsletter the time and thought it deserved. So I’m back and feeling refreshed after some vacation time in Maine and Upstate New York with family.
Thanks for sticking with me.
Whose Flag Is It Anyway?
I did a lot of running in Maine, mostly on country roads with moss-covered barns and rusty lawn cars. It was my first time in the state, but the scenery felt familiar, like any number of places along the East Coast. A huge chunk of the Adirondacks looks like this, as does Western Maryland and much of the route we used to take from Winston-Salem to Myrtle Beach in the Carolinas. Quiet places where most homes sport an American flag, and more often than not a Trump flag, too.
It’s difficult to separate the one from the other in these places. The flags fly together, alongside a handful of others: Thin Blue Line, Blue Lives Matter, Don’t Tread On Me, NRA, military branches, POW MIA. There’s no political ambiguity as you pass by homes whose beliefs hang from the oak tree out front. Trump country.
As the country roads lead into town, the symbols change. Black Lives Matter signs hang in windows and protrude from front lawns. Rainbow flags and multilingual signs welcome people of disparate backgrounds. A different, equally unambiguous, set of politics are on display, and unlike its counterpart, the Stars and Stripes are less prevalent here. One set of signs are written mostly in red, white and blue, and the other is not.
The distinction is anecdotal, and probably overstated. There are liberals who proudly fly the American flag alongside their politics, conservatives who don’t fly it at all, and then a ton of people who hang the flag without other messaging. But I think it’s fair to say the split isn’t 50-50, and if you’ve travelled a bit in these last four years you’ve probably seen it for yourself. The Trump crowd is more demonstrative of the flag than the Biden crowd, despite both groups being American.
The New York Times had a piece over the July 4th weekend about this very issue – the divisiveness of the flag and our country’s Independence Day:
“What was once a unifying symbol — there is a star on it for each state, after all — is now alienating to some, its stripes now fault lines between people who kneel while ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ plays and those for whom not pledging allegiance is an affront.
“And it has made the celebration of the Fourth of July, of patriotic bunting and cakes with blueberries and strawberries arranged into Old Glory, into another cleft in a country that seems no longer quite so indivisible, under a flag threatening to fray.”
Like most things on the internet, it caused a bit of a flare up that has since faded. The article probably exaggerates the issue, just like my own crude examples above. It features a woman hesitant to buy fruit from a man with the flag painted on the side of his truck, and there’s no way that’s the norm. As the article points out, 70% of Americans still view the flag with pride. There’s a whole spectrum of politics within that 70%.
But something’s happening here. The narrative, whether true or not, is that the flag is a proud symbol for some, and rejected by others. That it comes with a distinct set of politics, just like the car you drive or the TV shows you watch. And I think that’s sad.
Like so many things, the flag is only a divisive symbol if we make it one. Last spring, at the Rise Against Asian Hate rally in Brooklyn Heights, community organizers addressed a crowd that was littered with American flags. Here’s a video of the crowd in Manhattan from earlier in the day. More flags than I have seen at any point in my time in New York, and at an event advocating for minority groups with strong immigrant roots! If that’s not an inclusive event, I don’t know what is, and the message was everywhere: “I’m proud to be part of this country.”
Last weekend I participated in an event organized by the US Embassy in Bolivia that brought together groups of English students from around the country. It was a July 4th celebration, and I was there to explain how we celebrate the holiday. Most of the students had American flags pinned to the walls behind them or decorating their virtual backgrounds. One asked in the chat whether Bolivia would be a place I could live after living in the United States. It made me proud to be a part of this country.
It’s moments like this that remind us of the flag’s symbolic value. We don’t play in this summer’s Euro Cup, or Copa América, and that’s a shame. Because if we did the flag’s purpose would be on full display:
That’s what we need. A reminder that the key message of a nation’s flag is unity. You’re a part of something, and acknowledging that does not imply the United States is perfect, or ignore the suffering in the country’s history. It certainly doesn’t bring with it a set of politics.
That’s what all the other flags are for.
– Emmett
Recent Posts:
Quitting the Red Hook 100 – Throwing in the towel on another big race, roughly one year later.
What I’m Reading:
Why Are Young People Having So Little Sex – Kate Julian, The Atlantic
“Over the course of many conversations with sex researchers, psychologists, economists, sociologists, therapists, sex educators, and young adults, I heard many other theories about what I have come to think of as the sex recession. Name a modern blight, and someone, somewhere, is ready to blame it for messing with the modern libido.”
You Really Need to Quit Twitter – Caitlin Flanagan, The Atlantic
“Twitter is a parasite that burrows deep into your brain, training you to respond to the constant social feedback of likes and retweets. That takes only a week or two. Human psychology is pathetically simple to manipulate. Once you’re hooked, the parasite becomes your master, and it changes the way you think. Even now, I’m dopesick, dying to go back.”
He Felt Like Running: 100 Days, 100 Ironman-Length Triathlons – Adam Skolnick, New York Times
“Lawrence titled his personal experiment in human endurance and pain tolerance Conquer 100, an attempt to show the capabilities of the human body and mind. ‘I’ll show you the example by being the example,’ he said.”
What I’m Listening To:
Atomic Habits That Help You Achieve Unthinkable Success – Bigger Pockets Podcast
“Every action you take is like a vote for the type of person you want to become.”
What I’m Watching:
Nobody – (Rent on Prime)
“Grab some popcorn, action fans — if you’re in the mood for creative stunts and a funny, violent, fast-paced story, Nobody delivers.” – 94% Rotten Tomatoes audience score