Fly Your Flag

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Most of my interest in flags has concerned the U.S. flag. I’ve flown it upside down and right-side-up, and after the election I’ll be flying it one way or the other depending on the results.

The U.S. flag is such a powerful symbol, but I don’t “Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.”

I had to repeat that damn pledge every day in elementary school, hand over heart, standing at attention, facing Old Glory.

My issues: We are not one nation, we are a divided nation. We should not say “under God” because state and church should be completely separate. And “liberty and justice for all?” Take a look around–that ain’t happening.

I’m a little embarrassed by our flag these days because I’m embarrassed about our country. And I hate that too often the flag is associated with Republicans. Maybe what’s needed is a flag we can each proudly call our own, one that symbolizes our individual identity. Not practical, right?

Then I came across this:

Who knew there were so many flags related to gender and sexual identity? I had to look some of these up. For example, pansexual vs. polysexual: “The prefix ‘pan’ means ‘all’, as in ‘pansexuals are attracted to all genders’. The prefix ‘poly’ means ‘multiple’ or ‘many’, as in ‘polysexuals are attracted to multiple genders’, though not necessarily all. And a demisexual person only feels sexually attracted to someone once they’ve made a strong emotional connection.

I’m glad these flags exist. These groups should be represented. They should have their own symbols.

So now I’m thinking of designing a flag that’s just for me. White, male, heterosexual, pushing the upper limits of middle age, writer, father, husband, brother . . .

Any designers out there want to take a crack at it?

By David Klein

David Klein

Published novelist, creative writer, journalist, avid reader, discriminating screen watcher.

Novels

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