Banning the American Flag?? Well, I Never!

[SGOS]

The Student Body Government at the University of California decided to ban the display of the American flag (and all other flags) on campus.  But a College Oversight Committee vetoed the ban.  I can see different sides to this issue, and I can sympathize with both.  On one hand we have a freedom of speech issue.  It seems to me that flying the American would be a free speech issue.  As would flying the Iranian flag.  On the other hand, I think that in the mind of the students (according to the article), the issue is really about patriotism, or maybe forced patriotism, and this adds an element of confusion that will create interest for some, outrage for others, and support from a few.

According to Pew research, Millennials are less patriotic, less religious, and less politically ideological, and it seems that the article is trying to point that out.  I'm sure a lot of people will read it and think, "Those damned students are being outrageous and rebelling against tradition.  Which of course, is exactly what they are doing.  But tradition can be a two edged sword, and I'm not sure of the best way of going about changing it.  The creativity of college students never ceases to amaze me, whether it's organizing a panty raid, or taking a stand on social issues.  It makes me chuckle.

http://news.yahoo.com/banning-american-flag-why-uc-irvine-flap-might-120115563.html

A decision by the student body government of the University of California at Irvine to ban the display of all flags â€" including the United States flag â€" has been vetoed.

According to the Associated Press, the university's executive cabinet has voted to overturn the ban, which prompted outrage nationwide and led one state legislator to consider an amendment to the California constitution to ensure the American flag could be flown on the campuses of state schools.

On one hand, the now-vetoed decision to ban the American flag had the feel of student government run amok, as budding iconoclasts tried to make a statement about the moral complexities they're learning in History 101. Flags are "flown in instances of colonialism and imperialism" and they "serve as symbols of patriotism or weapons for nationalism," the statement explaining the original ban noted.

Yet the move, short-lived though it was, speaks to more than an only-in-California spasm of 20-something intellectual angst. More broadly, it points to a generational shift in the notion of what patriotism is.

Surveys by the Pew research Center suggest that Millennials are more wary than any other American generation of defining themselves by larger institutions. Half are political independents. Nearly 3 in 10 do not associate with any religion. And only 26 percent have married by the age of 32 â€" 10 percentage points less than Generation Xers at the same point in their lives and 22 points less than Baby Boomers.

That same trend holds true with Millennials' views of the United States itself.

By a host of indicators, Millennials are less "patriotic" than any other generation of Americans â€" at least by the traditional gauges of patriotism.

[stromboli]

Read that earlier and frankly shrugged my shoulders. Banning "Old Glory" back in the day would be instant patriotic hatred, but now? A big "meh" from me.

[trdsf]

Oh yeah.  I remember a couple genuine shouting matches in the wake of Texas v Johnson (the decision declaring flag burning to be protected speech).

I consider this to be a positive sign -- I have high hopes for a generation that rejects dogmatism and empty symbolism.  It's kind of a pity that I'm statistically unlikely to see how their turn at the tiller pans out.  I should make it to seeing them moving into the center of power; that should be interesting in itself.

[Solitary]

I've often thought that symbols are just that, and nothing to take serious, unless it is burning crosses in a persons yard. Solitary

[Hydra009]

Definitely a misguided move.  Banning anything just because you don't like it is unwise.  But the underlying motivation, a rejection of imperialism and nationalism, is laudable.  And I'm glad to hear that my generation - the Millennials - are generally less religious than older generations.  Hopefully, that trend continues.

[Solitary]

  I'll second that! Solitary