WTF?!?! What Country Are We In Again?

Friday, July 27, 2007

Read this! It is very important as well as scary: http://www.mountainx.com/news/2007/flagged_down_activists_arrested_in_row_over_protest_flag_allege_abuse_by_bu I am incredibly tired of this penchant we seem to have for icon worship. It is ridiculously juvenile behavior that serves no real purpose other than to stand in the way of our advancement as a species. In this country our main source of iconic masturbation, other than religious of course, is the American flag. Ladies and gentlemen, please take note of this fact: THE FLAG IS JUST A PIECE OF CLOTH, IT IS THE IDEALS THAT IT EMBODIES THAT IS IMPORTANT!!! Did everyone get that? I'll say it again for those hard of reading: THE FLAG IS JUST A PIECE OF CLOTH, IT IS THE IDEALS THAT IT EMBODIES THAT IS IMPORTANT!!! That's right, folks, it's just a symbol. Symbols are important, not just to our country, but to our collective psyche as an entire species. It is how we communicate, it is even how we think. What are words but verbal symbols for otherwise abstract concepts? The flag, or any other larger symbol, simply express more ideas at once. The problem comes when our symbols become more important that the ideas and ideals that they are supposed to symbolize. When we are completely willing to violate someone's civil right for "desecrating" a symbol of freedom, what are we then? Does that symbol still mean freedom? How can it? How can it mean freedom when you can get arrested for expressing an unpopular idea? And we are not talking about threatening someone or yelling fire in a crowded theater, we are talking about expressing a political idea, or, in this case, a sense of frustration and helplessness. The knee-jerk reaction in most situations like this among most people is anger. This is incredibly stupid. Now, admittedly, there are some wastes of carbon out there that do this just for shock value having no reason beyond that. This is equally stupid. In extreme cases, violence ensues. Please explain the logic of this to me. I am afraid it completely escapes me. All that does is reinforce the frustrating or anger that made them "desecrate" the flag in the first place. Now call me strange, but the freedom and community that the flag represent is far more important than a piece of cloth that was, in most cases, not even made in this country. I have an American flag hanging on my wall, it was made in Taiwan. That being the case, it still symbolizes, to me, a lot of very wonderful and worthwhile ideals. It symbolizes what this country, this species, could be. Because, let's face it, we have never lived up to the lofty ideals we set for ourselves. That doesn't mean that we should stop trying though. The gut reaction is stupid for another reason as well. If someone is protesting something, they must have a reason for being upset. True, it's often a stupid reason, but a reason none the less. When your body sends you a signal that something is wrong, you don't damage the area further in the hopes that it will fall in line, you address the problem. How many people have we heard of who became sicker or even died because they ignored symptoms of a larger problem? A word to my military friends out there (yes I have them) and those out there who have had friends and relatives serve and perhaps even die in service of the country. You did not sign up to defend the flag, your friends and relatives, they did not fight and die for the flag. You serve and they fought for the ideals behind that symbol. If I am incorrect and you did sign up to defend a piece of cloth and not the ideals behind it, for god's sake, don't breed!!! Let your idiocy die with you. If your friends and relatives died for a piece of cloth over the ideals, good. There are far too many stupid people out there anyway. When the symbol becomes more important that the grand and lofty ideals that it was created to symbolize we are in trouble, folks. Guess what, we are in trouble. Rant over... for now