Community Chat

[Cakers3]

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@CalminHeart wrote:

I've become pretty pessimistic about patriotism. Anyone can hold a flag, call themselves a patriot, play the national anthem, etc etc, and still be inhumane to others, promote unconstitutional things, and be a hater.

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@CalminHeart   While I understand your feelings about "patriotism", your feelings are yours and yours alone.

We can never say a person who holds a flag, etc. can possibly be inhumane, promote unconstitutional things, and be a hater.

I believe in letting it be-we display our flag outside, we enjoy our anthem, we are very aware of constituional "things", and that is for us and us alone.

It is not for me to determine who is a true patriot or not;  I do not believe in dividing our nation into groups based on that premise.

It is easy to divide us; it is not so easy to reunite us.

As Thomas Paine said:  ".....the summer soldier and sunshine patriot...."

[viva923]

have not seen any in my area

[ValuSkr]

If people leave their American flag out at night, it should be lit up.  Most people around here don't bother.  I take mine down at dusk and put it back up in the morning.

[Porcelain]

Oh there are plenty of purely performative patriots who don't actually do anything to serve their country. Every good trait has its share of hypocrites who are all talk, people who project their shortcomings and vices on others and hide behind their virtue symbols. National pride is no different.

Just because someone flies the flag at their house doesn't mean they're a particularly patriotic American, or even a good person. That all depends on many factors. They might be a good person, but you can't know for sure unless you get to know them over time.

Liking the Anthem and hand on hearting or saluting when it plays at a ball game isn't all it takes to be a true patriot. (Side eye to men who leave their hats on, especially.) Patriotism isn't a fashion accessory. It's not that easy.

[CalminHeart]

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@Cakers3 wrote:

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@CalminHeart wrote:

I've become pretty pessimistic about patriotism. Anyone can hold a flag, call themselves a patriot, play the national anthem, etc etc, and still be inhumane to others, promote unconstitutional things, and be a hater.

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@CalminHeart   While I understand your feelings about "patriotism", your feelings are yours and yours alone.

We can never say a person who holds a flag, etc. can possibly be inhumane, promote unconstitutional things, and be a hater.

I believe in letting it be-we display our flag outside, we enjoy our anthem, we are very aware of constituional "things", and that is for us and us alone.

It is not for me to determine who is a true patriot or not;  I do not believe in dividing our nation into groups based on that premise.

It is easy to divide us; it is not so easy to reunite us.

As Thomas Paine said:  ".....the summer soldier and sunshine patriot...."

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We can agree to disagree. It is hard to unite us when people don't want to. It's hard to unite with people who won't try.

We can say that some who hold a flag, etc. can be inhumane, promote unconstitutional things, and be a hater. Anyone who has been paying attention has seen it, heard it, during recent years. 

[Oznell]

The American flag stirs only the warmest associations for me, as one who has had dual American-Canadian citizenship since birth.  I'm so grateful.

I think even if I had been born in an opposite corner of the world, the American flag would be the most beautiful design ever, of a country's banner.  It's so interesting, richly symbolic (of course), and aesthetically pleasing.  People around the world think so. 

I have a favorite representation of the flag, apart from that landmark raising of the flag on Iwo Jima photo by valiant soldiers that I posted here earlier.   

I never tire of painter Childe Hassam's famous flag series, about 30 paintings in all.   Two of his New York paintings stand out to me.  "The Avenue in the Rain",  that I posted above, shows the flag glowing, even in dim conditions, above bustling, umbrella-toting pedestrians.

But my favorite, is his "The Fourth of July, 1916".   Brilliant, impressionistic, flags cascading down both sides of the street, and the bright, cloud-strewn sky in between:

   

[sunshine 919]

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@CalminHeart wrote:

I've become pretty pessimistic about patriotism. Anyone can hold a flag, call themselves a patriot, play the national anthem, etc etc, and still be inhumane to others, promote unconstitutional things, and be a hater.

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Isn't that the truth, oh and don't forget the Bible they will throw that in too and then participate in hateful speech etc...

[Cakers3]

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@Oznell wrote:

The American flag stirs only the warmest associations for me, as one who has had dual American-Canadian citizenship since birth.  I'm so grateful.

I think even if I had been born in an opposite corner of the world, the American flag would be the most beautiful design ever, of a country's banner.  It's so interesting, richly symbolic (of course), and aesthetically pleasing.  People around the world think so. 

I have a favorite representation of the flag, apart from that landmark raising of the flag on Iwo Jima photo by valiant soldiers that I posted here earlier.   

I never tire of painter Childe Hassam's famous flag series, about 30 paintings in all.   Two of his New York paintings stand out to me.  "The Avenue in the Rain",  that I posted above, shows the flag glowing, even in dim conditions, above bustling, umbrella-toting pedestrians.

But my favorite, is his "The Fourth of July, 1916".   Brilliant, impressionistic, flags cascading down both sides of the street, and the bright, cloud-strewn sky in between:

   

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@Oznell   Thank you.  These are tremendous without saying a word.

[Cakers3]

Let people be. 

I would be appalled to have people think our flag is flown at our home under false pretenses.

As I said earlier, it is easy to divide people but extremely hard to reunite people once the damage is done.

I am seeing negativity which is not conjoined with positivity.

Nothing is all one way or another.

It makes me very, very sad.