Disrespecting the American Flag and the Values of America

There has been some media drama pertaining to protests taking place on sporting fields (football, baseball) or relating to sports teams (basketball). While it is good to question the morality of these actions, we cannot pick and choose what laws, regulations, or codes to uphold. In respects to the national anthem (and not the flag) it is recommended that non-servicemen should remove their head wear while standing. Note: it does not say they must. Whereas with other codes, stronger language is used: the flag should never be used for advertising or for apparel wear. If we really want to respect our flag, then we should follow all the codes, rather than picking and choosing what seems relevant.

The United States Flag Code is actually a guide for the handling of U.S. stars and stripes and does not actually impose penalties, which is left up to individual states and District of Columbia to decide.

It lays out what is considered respectful behaviour in handing and tributing the flag.

The flag should not be held flat (as it typically is at many sporting events).

1. The flag should never be displayed with the union down.
2. The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.
3. The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.
4. The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white, and red, always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker’s desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general.
5. The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.
6. The flag should never be used as a covering for a ceiling.

The American flag should never be used as wearing apparel.

7. The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.

8. The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.

9. The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.

The flag should never be used for advertising.

10. No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart.

11. The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.

In reference to the national anthem (not the flag), all present should stand, while men not in uniform should remove any head-wear.

There is a mass commodification of the United States flag, resulting in mass produced clothing, leisure objects, and advertisements. This makes it hard to draw the line at proper respect for the American flag. Even burning the flag in protest is protected under the First Amendment because to do so is to greatly question the legitimacy of the government and because of the reverence for the flag that every person feels, the flag is allowed to be burned. What may seem to horribly disrespect the flag (via forms of protest- burning or kneeling) in turn may actually protect our democracy by protecting our First Amendment rights as well as openly draw attention to claims of illegitimacy so that they my be sorted our (whether or not those claims were accurate). The fact that people can kneel during the anthem reveals that our democracy is protected and that the people have not much to fear from their government. Taking away that right to protest undermine our government, our society, and the overall notion of democracy.

I’d like to note that challenging the flag under protest is acceptable but to do so under no circumstances, for the thrill of it, for the attention to the person itself rather than issues to discuss, that is when we may question their right to disrespect the flag. Even then, it is up to the individual state to challenge such an issue. Even then, it should not immediately recall that person’s rights- as I said, it should be questioned.