I see a lot of people who wear shirts for their favorite music band, golfer, basketball player, football team, college...
That really doesn't make much sense to me. These thing really have no effect on my life and I'm not really proud of them.
I am proud of the country I live in and all the great things it gives me. For that reason I'm happy to display the flag.
I think displaying the flag (for patriotism or nationalism or whatever things you were talking about in your post that you seemed to inidicate were not so good) is more admirable than wearing a "I am Tiger Woods" shirt.
Posted by Chris Stankevitz at November 18, 2003 09:41 PMI think people wear "labels" on clothing for various reasons - some people do it so they can show others what they wear (think designer labels), some people do it so they can show associations (think sports fans or college alumni), and some people do it for political or social reasons (think "message" shirts or political statements).
I wear very few labels. My Converse shoes have a converse label on them, which I don't remove because it's glued on. I wear cons because I like their overall look and because they're an American made, leather free shoe. None of my shirts advertise what type of shirt they are ("Old Navy" or "A&F"), etc...I think it's silly. I do have some shirts with political, social, or humor messages - those speak for themselves.
There are several reasons I won't fly an American flag. I view many people who do (not all by any means) as just flying it to "look" patriotic. It's none of my business if they want to do that, but it's not a way I want others to think of me. Second, since the 1950s the flag has been generally co-opted by people much more conservitive than I, and I don't want to give off that impression, nor do I care enough to try to reclaim it. Thirdly, I choose to show how much I love my country by voting, being involved in the process, keeping up with politics, speaking out, and watching what my elected officials do. I've never found a use for flying the flag - it doesn't tell enough about me. I'd rather wear a shirt that says 'proud atheist' or 'End Racism Now!' or some such thing.
There are other reasons too...It bugs me that SO many people are doing it (I associate it closely with rampant, blind patriotism), symbolism has never done much for me, and I don't understand why so many people have such reverence for a piece of cloth. There are plenty of reasons why other people DO do it, many well beyond the scope of the reasons i've mentioned here, for what I would consider "postive" and "negative" reasons. If you find pride in flying the flag, more power to you. It's just not my bag.
Posted by Michael Doss at November 19, 2003 05:34 PMOne book entitled "Flying the American Flag with Pride and Me, This Sort of Thing is My Bag, Baby" by Michael Doss
Posted by Quartermaster Clerk at November 20, 2003 11:14 AM