> I'm probably walking on thin ice here, but I (possibly) just don't "get" the
> USA obsession with flag. In my country you might go a whole year without
> seeing
> the national flag anywhere.
Ah, but ours looks cool! ;)
I think that one reason why Americans tend to associate themselves
with the flag so much is because we don't identify ourselves with our
leaders. We have no kings, queens, rulers or dictators for life. The
President is only the president for four or eight years. And we're so
evenly divided in our political affiliations (which are based on
philosophical and social issues, not sectarianism) that most elections
are a toss-up between who is going to win. We elect the more likeable
guy most of the time. Sometimes that backfires, but it's a mistake we
get to correct four years later. Our system isn't perfect, but somehow
it works.
The point is that our "flag" really is the "face" to our nation.
England has a queen. We have a flag. The flag does not represent any
one person, the flag represents ALL of us.That flag is me. That flag
is my country. The country isn't just a nebulous entity, the country
is me. That's why when somebody does something to an American Flag, it
is such a personal insult to many Americans. An attack on the flag is
an attack on me personally. This form of nationalism is not unique,
but it is unusual.
And our national anthem is pretty awesome. There aren't too many of
them that segue so well with fireworks and jet flyovers.
AG
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
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