Since early in 2012, I fly a flag every day of the year. Sometimes, I fly two. For example, on 22 February, I will fly General Washington’s personal banner in honor of his birthday, just as I will fly the American Flag next Monday in honor of all presidents, even the current one. Before I could do this, I had to obtain permission from the HOA to install a flag pole, which is why this post is very strange.
My HOA required me to obtain permission from my neighbors about the pole I intended to install and how they could expect flags to fly. When I first flew the Stars and Stripes, my neighbor to the south, whose parents are from Mexico and whose signature appears on my permission form, glared at me. When I flew it on Cinco de Mayo, he glared at me more. My friend Alfredo, who is himself from a small village in southern Mexico, is fascinated with my displays of Washington’s portrait, the Declaration of Independence, my penny Lincoln portrait, and a model of the USS Constitution. He is not offended by any of that. Imagine my confusion and anger to read today that students at an American High School in California were told to remove their flag regalia and stop chanting USA at a rally today. Since when has it become a problem to celebrate this nation?
In the story mentioned today, some words reminded of a conversation I had after my neighbor glared at my flag. It is presumed that being pro-America is anti-Mexico. It is presumed that celebrating the United States and its achievements automatically makes you a racist. Excuse me? I have nothing against Mexico. My great grandfather was born there. Which nation was the first to fight a war with itself to end slavery? Which nation has gone into Asia to throw off Japanese hegemony over other Asian countries? Which nation allowed every single one of its territories that voted so to become independent? Which nation surrenders its blood and treasure all over the world to keep the peace and establish freedom without gaining any land or extra power? It is presumed that being a patriot makes you racist unless you can prove you’re not, which we know is a logical fallacy. How do you provide evidence that something is not so?
Like those students, I do not fly my flag because I hate Mexico or Austria or Botswana or Thailand or New Zealand. I fly it because I love my country. I think it is racist to presume that something I do MIGHT be racist. Why is it automatically assumed that white people are racist until they prove that they are not? I don’t do business with people because of their race. I don’t befriend people because of their race. I am offended that you are offended. If you have taken offense where none is intended, you need to grow a thick skin. What are you, six years old? What flag did my neighbor assume I would fly? Why isn’t he also offended when it flies for Whitney Houston or at the White House or outside every fire station in America? Why is he offended when I do it? Why isn’t his father upset? In fact, his father likes me because I gave him things from my landscaping for free. I didn’t even take advantage of him or try to sell it. He was doing me a favor to take it away.
I think that some people are offended because they want to be. They want to be victims. They want people to take pity on them and make it up to them when no offense was intended. Of course, they never give offense, and I am sick and tired of having to defend my honest opinions when other people are completely insensitive to how their utterances come across to me. Do you think I like being kept awake by their music and gunfire at midnight on days of Mexican celebration? I don’t call the cops or glare at them. I roll over and go to sleep. People frequently apologize to me for having offended me. I tell them that I learned long ago that you cannot offend me unless I give you permission to do so. I can choose to take things as I wish. These people need to get over themselves.
As the Democrats talk about shared sacrifice and community and such, they need to realize that the universe does not revolve around them. Respect and cooperation mean that they also extend to me deference as well. What they call community they actually mean as capitulation, where I must tolerate everything they do and think and feel when they consider themselves under no obligation whatsoever to reciprocate. I must change for them. No deal.
America has flaws, but she also has great strengths. If you look for the bad in mankind, Abraham Lincoln said, expecting to find it you surely will. People tend to find that for which they look. The people who see racism are looking for it. If they were looking for virtue in me, they would see that. Perhaps it is naïve of me, but I assume people are good and decent until they prove otherwise. Even then, I don’t hate them; I just choose to deal with other people. I close with the words of Aaron Tipton: “I pledge allegiance to this flag. If that bothers you, well that’s too bad, but if you’ve got pride and you know you do, we could use some more like me and you.” Everyone who really knows me knows that I'm far too complex to distill down to one word. Get to know me. Get to know what I really mean. If you don't understand, ask. Don't let your opinion of someone or something actually be someone else's. Have your own opinions. Make them by study and experience like I have.
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