The Hyperion Chronicles

the Hyperion Chronicles
"Those who don't read this motto have no advantage over those who can't"

#130 Six White Stripes...

With today being Flag Day in America, I thought it might be a good time to talk about the national flag, or more specifically, what it symbolizes and stands for.

"Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave?"
-Francis Scott Key¹

Talking about the national flag-of any country-is a risky business. In America in particular people have strong opinions. We've all seen that famous picture of the soldiers on Iwo Jima, where the embattled troops sought to push their flag up and defiantly say, "We're still here." Echoes of this were felt on 9/11, when three firemen freed the World Trade Center's flag and ran the tattered banner up the pole, signifying to the rest of the world that they might bend but would never break². Those are great images, part of a fascinating phenomenon that people can rally around a 3'x5' piece of cloth, and that fabric can evoke such deep emotions.

I think I understand the position of both sides. On one hand, there are some who say disrespecting the flag-by not standing during the national anthem or even burning the material-is a right protected by the Constitution; the very fabric of freedom America was founded upon. On the other hand, there are some who believe that disrespecting the flag is a profound disgrace, not only to the country, but a mockery of the soldiers who fought and died to protect the freedoms Americans now enjoy. I think both sides have a point, and perhaps both sides miss the point too.

"Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech..."

-From the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights³

When I was younger I lived in a country where they played the national anthem for everything, and you stood every time, or you'd be thrown out and maybe even carted off to jail. When I was later in American schools I would see students standing for the national anthem, and many of them didn't seem to know or care what they were doing. They just took it for granted. On occasion I refused to stand. I didn't do this to disrespect the soldiers or country, but just the opposite. I felt that people had died so that I didn't have to stand, and the sacrifice went for nothing if no one acknowledged it.

Or take a non-Hyperionic example. This spring a young woman on the Manhattanville College basketball team decided she disagreed with the United States Government's position on Iraq. So, during the national anthem, she would quietly turn the other way⁴. Of course, the Media made this a huge thing, turning her into either a hero or villain, depending where you stood, and it got so bad that one time a man (a war veteran) confronted her on the court with a US flag and had to be subdued by security.

"I may disagree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

-Voltaire⁵

In both cases, the right decision probably wasn't made. I know what my motives were, but all I ended up doing was making some people mad, and for all my intentions of starting a debate about the freedoms we have, high school is not the place where philosophy usually flourishes. Neither, I think, did this girl make the right decision. She put her teammates into the spotlight, and no matter what you think about her beliefs, the way she went about expressing them was surely misguided. But for all that, what 19-year-old girl doesn't think emotionally at times? And for me, well, I've never been accused of doing the non-controversial thing.

But here's the rub: It doesn't really matter how thoughtful or smart we both were. As long as we weren't hurting people, we should have been allowed to continue. That's what freedom is. In the case of the girl, right after she was accosted on the court, I heard several veterans talking about this on one of the cable news channels. One vet said, "My buddies didn't die in Vietnam so she could disrespect the flag."

Well, with all due respect; yes, they did. Or at least, that's partly why. I haven't fought in any wars or served in any military. I have tremendous respect-as do most people-for those who do. But that doesn't mean I should be silent on this, because I haven't been there. I haven't been to the Middle East either, but I still have thoughts about the subject.

"You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil who is standing center stage advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours...the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the land of the free."

-Andrew Shepherd⁶

The point is, people fought and died to protect these freedoms. Now, I know we can get into a debate over the "actual" reasons of many wars, but that's irrelevant. Down on the human level, most soldiers serve-and fight, if necessary-to protect the people back home, and that includes the freedoms we all enjoy. To me, that's an awesome thing, and not to be taken lightly.

And I understand the idea to protect and cherish the symbols of our country, like the anthem, and more importantly, the flag. But those symbols can't just be symbols. The only way freedom works is if not only do we get it, but so do those opposed to us. If we're going to value free speech, and other freedoms, we must be prepared to value them in our adversaries too. Only at that point, are we truly free.

But for all that, I do understand the emotional horror many people feel. I don't think proposed Amendments banning flag burning are the "American" thing to do, but neither do I think that those who burn flags are heroes. And, I think there are real-world consequences to what you do. In my case, it meant getting in trouble because I was a student and disrupting school. In that basketball player's case, I think she could do what she wants, but if her coach decided she wasn't good for the team, and threw her off, I think he'd have a right to do that, too. We should be free to do as we think right, but we should be responsible for what we do too, and there is not justice in cherishing freedoms and ignoring the opportunity cost.

And for all those who would take a flagrant stand and do something as bombastic as burn a flag, know this: I may think you have a right to do it, but don't come to me looking for publicity or approbation. You're no hero. And if I think some who oppose flag burning might not understand the full value of the freedoms that have been fought for, well you're worse. You don't understand at all how privileged and lucky you are to live in a country where this is even a debate. If that flag is just a symbol, I urge you to think of what that symbol actually means.

"So burn that flag if you must! But before you do, you'd better burn a few other things! You'd better burn your shirt and your pants! Be sure to burn your TV and car! Oh yeah, and don't forget to burn your house! Because none of those things would exist without six white stripes, seven red stripes, and a helluva lot of stars!!"

-Nelson Muntz⁷

Hyperion
June 14, 2003

Footnotes

1. During the War of 1812, the British Navy had sailed into the Chesapeake Bay and on September 13, 1812, started the bombardment of Fort McHenry. The shelling continued for 25 hours, after which it abruptly ended. Francis Scott Key (1780-1843), watched all of this from across the harbor, and when the shelling stopped he assumed that the British had taken the fort. But when he looked across the smoke-filled water, he could see the American Flag still flying, proof that Fort McHenry still stood. Key then jotted down his experience that night, for what would later turn into the Star Spangled Banner, now the American National Anthem. For more information go here.

2. That now-famous flag didn't actually come from the World Trade Center itself, but a nearby yacht called the Star of America. For more information, go here.

3. The Bill of Rights is considered the first 10 (of currently 26) Amendments to The Constitution, the legal framework of rights and responsibilities that the United States of America was founded upon. To read any or all of The U.S. Constitution, go here.

4. The player was Toni Smith. More can be found by typing her name and Manhattanville College into a search engine. Here is one such story.

5. Voltaire (1694-1778) was a French author and philosopher. You can find out more about him here.

6. Andrew Shepherd is the president of the United States, played by Michael Douglas, in the movie The American President, directed by Rob Reiner. The quote comes from a climactic speech he gives to reporters on what it means to be an American. For more about the movie, go here.

7. Nelson Muntz is the big bully on The Simpsons, an animated program on Fox. This quote comes from the episode "Mr. Lisa Goes To Washington," where Lisa Simpson enters an essay contest about what makes the American flag so great. For the transcript of the episode, go here.

Credits
Thanks to Kimbo for talking this over with me
Thanks to me for writing this seven different times until I finally got it the way I wanted
Thanks to all my readers for being open-minded
Thanks to all the people (alive, dead, or fictional) for letting me quote them