I saw them about a week ago. American flags pinned to the steel ribbing of the overpasses on I-90. Nobody seems to know how the flags got there or who put them up. I figure whoever painstakingly did it on both sides of the highway was someone driven to express a deep love of country--an old fashioned patriot.
I think it’s fair to say that--like me-- many Americans don’t spend a lot of time thinking about patriotism or what that really means. But, it’s been on my mind lately prompted by today’s July 4th holiday and the Brexit controversy. I watched how devotion to country drove much of the debate and final vote in the UK to leave the European Union. Many of the ‘leave’ voters said it was time to put “Britain first,” to defend against the watering down of what made their country unique. One translation was too many immigrants—an echo of Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again.”
I’ve never been a flag waver. Never been one to hold a flag at a parade, or to express hand over heart sentimentality. Like many other African-Americans I have mixed feelings about overt expressions for love of country, even as I’m proud to be an American. I stood on the beaches of Normandy and cried for the young American soldiers who lost their lives there. But, for years I never said the entire Pledge of Allegiance. In my homeroom class, I went silent on the last 6 words---”with liberty and justice for all.” I refused to validate what I knew for me and mine did not reflect reality. It’s why Michelle Obama’s words on the 2008 campaign trail resonated with me when she told an enthusiastic crowd in Milwaukee, Wisconsin “for the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is making a comeback.” She’s never been able to completely shake all of the harsh public criticism thrown at her because of that statement. Both she and President Obama have had to demonstrate their patriotism openly or risk being called unpatriotic, or worse enemies of the state. The President is rarely seen without a flag pin on his label.
Patriotic symbols mean a lot in our country. If often feels as though the freest country in the world also demands a loyalty litmus test: ‘America: love it or leave it.’ A 2011 Pew Research report found that the members of the older so called Greatest Generation are the strongest patriots. Those who are still alive overwhelmingly believe “America is the greatest country in the world.” They fully embrace symbols that simply don’t resonate with millennials—the oldest of whom turned 35 this year. 70 percent of millennials in the study described themselves as very patriotic. But the definition is different. The study reports these young Americans are less impressed with people who talk about love of country and more drawn to those who work in service to the country.
I think a lot more people of all ages are trying to figure out what everyday patriotism looks like today. It shouldn’t just be about waving flags, though I note flag sales are at an all-time high. By the way the Massachusetts Highway Department couldn’t tell me who put up the flags on the I-90 highway overpasses, though a few in my newsroom speculate that it’s a tribute often carried out by members of military families to honor those who serve and defend our country. Certainly on Independence Day we can all agree that’s patriotic.
