Flag-burning.

[kz_blogorambling]

I don't get flagburning.

I don't understand why it gets people riled up, to see some hothead burning the flag. The act represents disrespect, supposedly, but how defiled do we really feel when the flag is burned? How much does that really hurt? The real "message" that I get is about the person lighting the match. Okay, someone is frustrated and mad at the U.S. And that particular someone loves symbolic acts. End of story. I don't find myself gasping and hungering to know what horrible wrong drove them to commit such a desperate act.

What I understand even less is the act itself. Why the hell would you want to burn a flag? I think it's only a certain class of people who are going to be infuriated by the act, and are those the people the flag-burners are really trying to reach? Seems to me there are a lot of potentially more effective things to do besides setting cloth on fire.

But I think there is a bigger issue here--I think some people feel quiet grassroots work isn't enough. Or at least, isn't showy enough. I honestly believe that some people would choose a loud angry demonstration (or a flagburning!) over a sensible meeting with a influential congressperson. And maybe that's not such a bad decision, although it sure as hell isn't the one I'd make.

FTR, I think legislation about flag-burning is a silly waste of time and paper, but it's not enough to make me freak out and change my voting patterns.

Comments

[anisoptera.livejournal.com]

And you are supposed to burn old and damaged flags. That is the proper way to dispose of them.