Hillary Supporters: Check in this thread if you think the lapel pin questions are relevant

[Ian_rd]

Are you wearing an American Flag lapel pin right now? If you aren't, please explain why you hate America. </irony>

What is this lapel pin for, anyway? I suppose the answer would be: "Because I want to show my support for America." Well, what does that even mean? What is America? Is America the people who live here? Is it the military? Is it the land itself between the oceans? I would submit that America, more than anything, is our Constitution. But unfortunately, that definition of America is not what is broadcast and implied by our media. Our media's definition of America is pretty much the right-wing's definition of America - the Fox News definition - the Rush Limbaugh definition - which describes America as a fundamentalist Christian and corporatist nation with the divine mandate to enforce our will with violence over the other peoples of the earth and the unrighteous within our borders.

Therein lies the reason why I and countless others don't wear an American flag lapel pin. It's not that I don't support America. I just don't support THEIR America. And because THEY have been so successful at defining what America is, I feel that a flag pin or bumper-sticker might cause people to confuse me with these nutcases and their twisted beliefs. Isn't it clear to all of us that when Ann Coulter says that liberals "hate America," she's referring to the Fox News definition of America? She sure as shit isn't referring to mine!

When people like me decry that the American flag has been hijacked by the Right, what we really mean is that the very definition of America has been hijacked and twisted into something we find deplorable. And so when the media takes Obama to task about his occasional lack of lapel pin and how that might be a window into his love of America, consider the very definition of "America" that they're working from.

[stray cat]

1. I know no Ameircans who care about America as no one I know wears a flag pin

[Madam Mossfern]

2. I wear a poppy on memorial day

does that count?

[IntravenousDemilo]

5. We wear them up here in Canada, too.

But we do so in the week leading up to Remembrance Day (November 11 -- Veteran's Day in the US). Same with other Commonwealth countries.

I had no idea you guys even wore poppies; I thought it was strictly a Canada/UK/Australia/NZ thing.

[rug]

3. The thing that matters is the flags on the coffins.

[MorningGlow]

4. A physical manifestation of groupthink

Doesn't matter what it stands for. "If you don't do what we do then you're not cool and we don't like you." So sayeth the groupthinkin' right. Blech.

Me, I prefer my leaders with a little more independent thought than that. But then again, I've always loved rebels. :evilgrin:

Seriously, though, doesn't this whole thing smack of middle school behavior? Conform! Conform! Conform! ...even if it doesn't make any sense. :shrug: