Does our flag show hope & resilience?
Flying the U.S. flag after a disaster is a longstanding American impulse. Flags are popping up in Missouri in 2011. This photo shows one of the flags that popped up after an Alabama tornado in 2007.
Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Editor's note: This post is part of a series by Dr. Baker on Our Values about core American values. This week Dr. Baker is discussing the important symbols of America.
American flags are popping up in Joplin, the Missouri town ravaged last month by one of the deadliest tornadoes in American history. It’s a public display of hope and resilience.
One example is Randy Underwood, who planted an American flag on the rubble pile that had once been his business. “We’re Americans, and we can make it through anything,” he told local media. “We’re still standing.”
Do you recall the same sentiment after 9/11? A vivid image I recall is this one: firefighters, covered in ash and soot, raising Old Glory amidst the destruction. Another was Reuters in Times Square, also showing the American flag in an expression of solidarity — but then making the decision to remove it, fearing that its display might endanger Reuter journalists around the globe.
The flag may also be a symbol of an aspiration — to become the newest state to join the Union. Obvious candidates include Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. But splitting up existing states is another possibility.
These proposals have a long history, but recent ones include dividing Arizona or California into multiple states. The U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry has already designed flags to accommodate states beyond the 50 we now have.
Do you think it helps to display Old Glory in times of tragedy?
Would you like to see more than 50 stars on the flag?
Dr. Wayne E. Baker is a sociologist on the faculty of the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. Baker blogs daily at Our Values and can be reached at ourvaluesproject@gmail.com or on Facebook.
Comments
Cheryl Flag
Mon, Jul 25, 2011 : 8 p.m.
Please consider sending all worn American flags to our Stars for our Troops program. Each one that touch the lives of 50 US Veterans or Soldiers even after their flying life is done! <a href="http://www.gettysburgflag.com/StarsForTroops-AmericanFlags.php" rel='nofollow'>http://www.gettysburgflag.com/StarsForTroops-AmericanFlags.php</a>
BhavanaJagat
Fri, Jun 3, 2011 : 2:27 p.m.
Yes indeed, the Flag gives me a sense of hope. I am speaking about the hope that got established in my heart and mind while growing up in a world divided into two camps; democracy vs communism. The cold war era is still fresh in my memory and my consciousness got exposed to the Tibetan Spirits and I host the Living Tibetan Spirits in my consciousness. Sixty years ago, the Land of Tibet was invaded by Peoples' Liberation Army and Communist China had illegally occupied Tibet. I am a witness to the pain and suffering experienced by innocent Tibetan people. The American Flag gave us hope and a sense of direction. I had no direct connection with the U.S. administration in Washington D.C. The connection between me and the U.S. is symbolized by the U.S. Flag. The Flag represented my aspiration to help the Tibetan Community to evict the illegal occupier from the Land of Tibet. It represented and gave a sense of hope to thousands of people with whom I had worked. The Flag delivered us food, equipment, and other essential supplies to seek the Freedom that Tibetans desired. We wanted to restore the human dignity, human values and personal freedom of Tibetan people. The Flag was our strength. I still have the same hope. The American Spirit is strong and resilient. The Flag still stands for Democracy, Freedom, and Human Values. I need the Flag to give cheer to the Living Tibetan Spirits and to let their dream come true, the dream for which they had given their mortal lives while being still young and got buried without any recognition to the sacrifice they made.