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Drooling on the Pillow

Wednesday, November 05, 2003

Dean and the Flag 

That flag. This is so interesting. To me, what Dean said is not only true, it's self-evident. Of course, if you're a Deanista you probably wish you had a candidate who would have seen what a steaming pile he was stepping in. He obviously was quite surprised by the reaction. But still . . . It would be very, very tough for a Democrat to take the presidency without winning a few southern states. It's not so much that the Dems have to win over the demographic he was talking about, but they have to find a way to stop pissing it off. It is possible to position yourself in opposition to a group without demonizing it. To respectfully disagree. I think they've forgotten this. The Confederate battle flag means a lot of things to a lot of southerners. No doubt it does represent opposition to segregation to some, perhaps many. To most, it simply is a badge of identity. I'm from the South. I'm proud of it. You can't blame blacks and liberals for using the flag to rally and organize their movements. But you don't necessarily have to take their word about what it means. You have to remember, if you're traveling along the political spectrum from the center to the left, well before you get to Dennis Kucinich's pod you'll run into plenty of people for whom the U.S. flag is a symbol of racism and oppression. I had an argument with my wife about ten years ago about putting a flag decal in the rear window of our car. She wasn't having it. Now, she doesn't hate America. She loves it. She's a patriot. But she was extremely uncomfortable with the possibility that someone might see the decal and make certain assumptions about us. For her, displaying the flag wasn't a patriotic act, it was an aggressive statement of right-wing ideology. A lot has happened since then and she reminds me when the flag outside our door needs changing. Its not a big deal. I don't need a flag outside. I like it, though. People can make whatever assumptions they choose.
Posted by: Sluggo / 11:27 AM
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