Are you a Traitor if you don't fly the Flag - Part II

I returned to work the following week to find that the company I worked for had new security measures in place. All doors to all the buildings were locked. Only authorized personnel with access cards could enter any of the buildings. The attacks on the towers had altered the collective consciousness of the country irrevocably. It manifested in a myriad ways, as this action of my company in a relatively safe part of West Michigan reflected. For people of color, this alteration of the national psyche would take an entirely new dimension. It manifesting itself in everyday interactions like the one I had with Sue at the Mediterranean Restaurant. It was an uncertain time for those of us living in this country who had come to think of it, and call it, home. Many people started to display attitudes and actions that spoke of their lack of a world view and exposure to other cultures. Any brown or dark skinned person was suspect and was thought to be from the Middle East.

A few days later, Sue, Amy and I set out for another one of our lunch sessions at the box lunch place near work. Next to it was a place that sold flags, a kind of a country store with its porcelain figurines and ornaments that smelled of Old Glory all around. After lunch Sue insisted on stepping into the store. “I need to buy a flag.” she informed us. Flag sales in the US was at a record high after the attack as people wanted to display solidarity and patriotism by flying one in their homes, or on their vehicles. No space was spared that could hold a stars and stripes, including the President and his cabinet members’ jackets.

We went into the crammed store and browsed around. There were flags as big as the ones that flapped on flag poles and ones that could fit in the palm of your hand. Sue picked a big one and asked me if I was going to get one. “No,” I replied. “Why not?” she asked in a half-surprised and half-goading tone, almost challenging me to buy one. I shrugged and pretended to inspect the figure of a painted bald eagle on the glass shelf next to the flags. Flying the flag was a very personal decision and one which did not appeal to me. I felt outrage at what had happened just like most people in the world did. But flying the national flag outside my house was not going to jump start the understanding and healing process that the country desperately needed at this time. Even if it meant proving that I wholly empathized with the situation to Sue and those like her around me who suspected my allegiance to this country, I did not want to engage in this overt display of “I feel for the country more than you do” which had sent the Chinese flag making factories into a frenzy to keep up with demand.

A month later when the days were growing darker and shorter and the leaves had turned color, I was reading the weekly company newsletter during break. At the end of the newsletter was the usual “For Sale” section where employees advertised things that they wanted to get rid of. It was always interesting to look through the items each week. There were furniture, appliances, cars, boats and even houses advertised for sale, some complete with pictures. Towards the end of the section I saw an item that caught my eye. It said, “Flag for sale, brand new still in plastic cover. Price $17.99. Sue’s name and her extension number were given for those patriotic folk who were looking to buy a flag to call. I read the item and chuckled, so much for patriotism. At the heat of the moment, it is extremely easy to join the patriotic fervor. But, what I felt from those around me was mostly talks of bravado and outward display of patriotism or foreigner bashing. There was no dialogue or deliberation that could have formed a part of the healing process. In fact, the talk soon turned to consuming more and preparing for the holidays that were just around the corner.