September 09, 2007
Symbology
I had a dream last Friday night. I don't often remember my dreams; when I do, I remember them vividly. In this dream, I was returning to the United States from somewhere else. My neighborhood and the entire downtown area had become some sort of brightly-lit, garish area reminiscent of Fremont Street in Las Vegas. However, that wasn't the worrisome part. I began asking bystanders what had happened to my small town, but no one was able to tell me. What's more, none of them seemed to know they lived in the United States. I tried to explain the context of nationhood, beginning with the flag. They all looked at me as if I was nuts----none of them had ever seen an American flag, the Liberty Bell, a copy of the Declaration of Independence or the Washington Monument (these are just the items I remember; in the dream, I rattled off a list of things).
So that was it: no one was familiar with the symbols of our nation. Is my subconscious trying to tell me something? Symbols have powerful meanings. That's why the debate over flag burning is so heated. Have we taken away from their meaning? Are we losing what it means to be an American? What does it mean to be an American?
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Interesting dream.
America to me is a unique country as it is the only Nation born out of and tied together by an "idea" rather than a piece of land. I think the conflicts arise out of the fact that people don't share the same "ideals". It is sad that unlike many other countries we don't give as much importance to national symbols. For example, the National Anthem. When I grew up in India, you sang the National Anthem ONE WAY and that was the ONLY way you sang it. It was just accepted. No "freedom of expression" stuff. I know that there are a bunch of contrary arguments. But playing the National Anthem before each and every sporting event, and having it "performed" with all sorts of embellishments to me cheapens it somehow.
The same with making a "jumpsuit" out of the flag. You might say a Red/White Blue T-Shirt is patriotic, while burning the flag is disrespectful. But to me a 300 lb wrestler in the WWE wearing a cape and a speedo bearing the stars and stripes is equally disrespectful.
Kids learn by what they observe adults do, NOT by what we lecture them. If we are respectful of the symbols of this Nation, we will teach the next generation to do so. If we let anything and everything "slide" in the name of "freedom of expression" we will wake up in a world tomorrow that will mirror Matts dream.
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at September 12, 2007 01:44 PM