symbols

Merriman Webster defines symbol as an act, sound, or object having cultural significance and the capacity to excite or objectify a response.

America has been going nuts over symbols: the flag, the national anthem, the pledge of allegiance even the color of a Starbucks coffee cup. No one give thought behind the symbol as blind patriotism almost causes people to froth at the mouth.

Think about the pledge that people want kids to mouth every day. Yes, it is good to say you are loyal to your country. BUT...

• Are those kids being taught the history of the US from several perspectives so they can become good critical thinkers and intelligent voters? 
• Do they know how their local, state and national governments work?
• Do they know who their leaders are?

If not the pledge means nothing. 

Absolutely nothing.

They might just as well make a pledge to quantum physics, which they probably don't understand any better than the country that they might be asked to die for.

A flag is nothing but a piece of cloth. 

• How many people who pledge to the flag know its history? 
• Do they know that the stripes represent the thirteen colonies? 
• Do they even know about the colonies? 
• Do they know there is a star for each state?

As for the national anthem, it celebrates war. There is a third stanza that reflects slavery. A black descendant of slaves might not feel as warm about standing for that.

Blacks experience of America has been far different from whites, poor people's from the middle class and up.

This is not a pun but so much black and white hysteria about issues.

Black lives matter. It is wrong to shoot an unarmed black person in the back even if you are a cop. It is also wrong to shoot a cop. Not an either or. Wrong!

One can be pro police but want the police to protect not kill, not steal money and do the other bad things that they have been reported over and over and over. Likewise to condemn the many police that are doing their jobs to the best of their ability.

To castigate those who fight back against the symbols when the symbols represent not only the good but the bad, makes it impossible for the bad to be corrected. If the same energy was used to solve the problems, than the symbol would have real meaning.

When blindly reacting to symbols, hoards of people who can be manipulated are created. 

It is good for the manipulators.

It is bad for the manipulee.