(September 1, 2016 at 6:38 pm)ChadWooters Wrote:(August 31, 2016 at 11:30 pm)Chad32 Wrote: It is a little odd to see people get riled up over protesting regarding the flag or national anthem, when one of the first things those things are supposed to stand for is the freedom to protest.
From my perspective using national symbols as a means of protest is the clumsy use of a blunt instrument. A national symbol represents the nation as a whole, i.e. everything for which it stands. Even if someone has a legitimate gripe with a specific policy issue it doesn't make sense to disrespect the symbol that also stands for more important and fundamental things. Does it really make sense to express yourself by reviling the very symbol of free expression?
What if the policy they are protesting marches under that flag? What if the government they're protesting appeals to that flag even as it behaves contradictory to its symbolized principles? You can fetishize a symbol all you want. Me, I'll cotton to the proverb I heard in Iran -- the finger pointing at the Moon is not the Moon.
I think using national symbols as tools of protest is a natural way of saying "I disagree with what this country is doing", or "I disagree with the direction this country is headed". What symbols would you suggest in such cases?
