+1 Thanks for saying all of that much better than I could.
Tina
On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 at 10:10 AM, Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > 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
>
>
>
>
--
Tina Manley, ASMP
www.tinamanley.com
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