Earlier this week I stumbled across an article on Facebook where a lively debate had broken out. This debate was about whether people who fly the American flag are considered to be racist or fascist. By lively debate I mean that one side tried to justify why flying the flag is not racist. The other side responded with Ad Hominem attacks about various factors such as weight, sexual orientation, political orientation or intelligence. Showing a sense of patriotism is nothing more than showing a respect or admiration for the country that one lives in but apparently some people don’t think that.
To think that flying the flag is racist or fascist is ludicrous. Unfortunately people will try to turn it into a completely false dichotomy. There are literally thousands of levels of patriotism. It certainly is not an either/or argument. Do I think that a person can take their sense of patriotism too far? Of course. However, that is a nonsensical argument as that could literally be applied to just about anything in life.
I love being an American and I most certainly love living in the USA. Why, because no other country on the planet affords us as many personal liberties as we have here in the United States. We have the right to self protection and self improvement. Americans have the right to come and go between states as we please and can even freely go to other countries with proper documentation. A person is innocent until they are proven guilty and protected by our Justice system. We have the right to appeal and fight an unjust decision even as high as as the President. If the leader of our country makes bad decisions then we have the right to vote him or her out of office.
This is not to say that other countries are bad or that other countries don’t provide for their citizens. Certainly most do, however there are others that control their citizens through fear and oppression. I am certain that some people would rather live in whatever country they are from rather than the USA because they are happy with what their country provides. I applaud that.
This does not make me racist. My decision is not based on the citizens of those countries but rather on the decisions that the governments of those countries have made regarding their citizens. Lets take a couple countries for example.
Lets start with Sweden for example. Sweden’s system of government and their high level of taxation is certainly something I disagree with. However, their citizens are very well taken care of and have the right to speak up and speak out if they disagree with something. They have the right to leave the country if they wish. The people who are there are there because ultimately they choose to be there. Do they have their own set of issues they have to deal with, such as the high rape statistics, of course. However I challenge you to find me a country with little issues.
Now take a look at North Korea. Most of the people there live in poverty, have very little rights, and cannot speak out in fear of a restrictive regime that could quite possibly put them to death for speaking their mind. North Koreans attempting to leave the country are often killed in the process. Does this make me as an American, any better than a North Korean citizen. No. It does not. However, it does make our country a better country than theirs because we make a laudable effort everyday to raise the standard of living for the citizens of our country.
We often disagree on how best to achieve those goals but ultimately, we all give our pros and cons on any given subject, then vote on that subject, and even if it’s something we disagree, we live with it or make further attempts to change it.
In the Facebook post people were also calling other people Fascist and comparing them to the Nazi’s and Germany of World War II. They like to compare President Trump to Hitler. I am not going to get into why comparing Trump to Hitler is such as asinine argument, but I will say this. A dictator hell bent on world domination was in charge of Germany in the 1940’s. He wanted to make Germany the greatest through fear and oppression and as we ultimately found out, through eradication. Germans didn’t want to do this because they felt that Germany was the best. They did this because they felt that Germans were the best. Germans did this because had they spoken out against such things, they ultimately could be put to death.
This is a huge fundamental difference. Americans generally do not think we are better than anybody else. We simply believe we live in a country that treats us more fairly and with better results. Why wouldn’t you want to cheer for a country that does those things? Why not show a sense of patriotism toward our country?
Ironically, the same people who demand we take down the flag are the same people who cheer for America during the Olympics. The American flag is a symbol not only of the people that have lived and died in creating this country but also a symbol of those that have lived and died protecting it. It is a symbol of those that have help guide and mold it and it is a symbol of our history. If you choose not to fly the American flag, then by all means, don’t fly the American flag however don’t try to trounce on someone else’s rights to fly theirs and certainly don’t call them unrealistic names simply because they are proud of the country they support.
I am proud to wave the American flag. Although I never had the honor to serve, I do have patriotism. I wave our flag because others have died for me to allow me this right. This is not just because I am an American, but because of what America has done for me. People who come to live in America should not be afraid to wave the flag of their country of origin. However, ultimately on top should the United States flag. I certainly wouldn’t go live in Sweden and wave our flag over theirs. That would be simply disrespectful. In almost every government facility you will find the American flag flying. Not because we think we’re better than anybody else. Not because we want to dominate the world. Very simply because we are proud of who we are and we aren’t afraid to show it.
Show your patriotism.
Wave that flag proudly.
I know I certainly will.
Cory
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