Flying my American Flag Again

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This is the first Fourth of July in many years that I have placed a flag in front of my home. Why is that? I certainly am proud to be an American. I am grateful for the freedoms and rights granted to me simply by my citizenship. I love my country. But for many years I felt that the American flag was used as a symbol for politics that I didn’t necessarily agree with. And for those years it seemed as if the flag was no longer mine to fly.

After the terrorist attacks on 9/11, I was surprised and comforted when Americans everywhere displayed American flags as a sign of solidarity. I saw them on office windows, behind restaurant counters, on T shirts, on buses, backpacks, uniforms, car bumpers, everywhere. And during those fall days in 2001, I was grateful. I appreciated seeing our country come together to support one another during one of our nation’s worst tragedies.

But soon the war in Iraq began – and it was a war I most certainly didn’t support. While I supported the troops and understood that our country needed to defend itself against terrorist attacks – I did not agree that our president was making decisions that were in the best interest our country.

As the years went on, when I did see American flags posted, it seemed to be paired with support for the war. Supporting the war, supporting your president, flying your American flag – it became part of the same message. There is no doubt in my mind that there was a certain “branding” of the war and the flag became its icon.

The American flag is a symbol. And like so many symbols, its meaning can manipulated. In this case, I felt that the flag had been taken and used as a political token and was a central part this war’s propaganda. As a result, I felt I would be misunderstood if I flew my flag. As if I would need some sort of asterisk stating: I love my country but I hate this war. So I didn’t fly it. And I was disappointed that I felt I couldn’t.

Ultimately, the flag didn’t seem like mine any more.

Since the election of President Obama, the flag has taken on a different representation to me. Certainly, it is no longer a symbol of the previous administration anymore. However, it hasn’t been taken and adopted as a symbol of Obama’s administration either.  In my opinion, the flag has regained its place as a symbol of unity for every American.

And so, while we struggle as a nation, similarly as we struggled post 9/11, our flag stands again as a representation of every American. And as a liberal, democrat, anti-war, feminist, suburban living mom, my flag is flying in my front yard to celebrate our nation’s fourth of July stating simply what I have felt all along: I am proud to be an American.

Caroline writes about parenting, politics, pondering and panicking about it all at her own blog Morningside Mom.

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