Damek.

It’s amazing to me that some people think a piece of cloth “gives freedom.” I mean — the very concept! Flags having magical freedom-giving powers! I always thought we gave each other freedom by agreeing to live by certain laws and guidelines, mostly enshrined in writing on a piece of parchement called “The Constitution.” One of those freedoms (in fact, the very first amendment made to that constiution) being freedom of expression, including, one would assume, forms of theatre such as destroying a symbol to make a point about what that symbol represents.

Are not flags just symbols representing our pride in those laws and codes, and the freedom and opportunity they grant? Is it not fitting, then, to alter (or destroy) the symbol to communicate something of how we feel about the current state and use (or abuse) of those laws and codes, and what it is doing to our freedom, opportunity, and pride? I see no problem with burning a flag in effigy and mourning for the loss of the founding fathers’ true American spirit.

(By the way, that first item I linked to was, admittedly, not arguing that flag burning should be banned. I just thought it was an interesting jumping-off poing for the topic.)

As a method of protest, I would advise against flag burning. The information content of the act seems very low, and its efficacy as a form of protest that gets your larger point across is suspect. More often than not, the attention goes to the burning itself rather than the issue that prompted it. The audience you are trying to reach is going to see you burning something which is still a symbol of pride for them because they are likely not aware of the issues which caused you to lose your pride in the flag. Furthermore, because of this, opponents of your ideas can easily distract your potential audience from paying attention to you simply by shouting about the flag burning.

Would-be protesters would be best advised to identify with their audience rather than antagonize them (and give their opponents an easy straw man distraction in the process). This is something the civil rights movement was very good at, with dignified, well-dressed protests and civil disobedience. That wins hearts and minds, but it’s hard to get college students to dress well and be dignified…

But I digress.

I wouldn’t even see a problem with, say, burning copies of the constitution, since, unlike some claim holy books to be, the document itself is not the same as the laws recorded upon it. Thankfully, in this country, we have the freedom to say our laws are evil and the work of Satan (or Santa), if we should so choose to do. Whether we can get significant numbers of other people to agree with us is another matter. Some speech may be dangerous, but it should not be silenced.

For an interesting statistic, in 200 years there were only 45 reported instances of flag burning, and less than 10 per year since 1989. Kind of puts the outrage into perspective, doesn’t it? I heard on a radio show recently that there was only one in the past year, though I can’t find a link to substantiate that. Regardless, obviously this is a rampant problem and we must curb our freedom to protect a symbol of our freedom.

As a final thought, if flag burning is banned, will burning still be the codified way of destroying a flag that is “no longer a fitting emblem for display?” If so, and burning is still the preferred method for flag disposal, will there be a clear definition of how to discern whether a flag is “fit” for display? What if one feels it no longer adequately represents an adequately strong and free society, and is therefore no longer a fit emblem for me to display? If not, and no flag burning is acceptible under any circumstances, whatever will these young hooligans do with their time, lest they be sent to jail otherwise?

Me, I think flag burning should not be illegal, and furthermore, the tyrranical codes concerning its treatment should be abolished in the name of the freedom it is said to represent.

As a last thought, as we head towards July 4th, I wonder how many flags are accidentally set alight by fireworks each year?