The Color Revolution TNP LIVE EP87: Monologue
I went to say goodbye to a dear friend last week and in his coffin laying next to his head was a folded American flag. Because he chose to serve his country as a younger man, my friend was given that flag. It was folded perfectly into a triangle by folks who have drilled and practiced that fold countless times, because it means something to the people that serve and their families.
In one of the hardest moments in so many people's lives, Old Glory is present in someone's send off to heaven. The colors of red, white, and blue draped over a casket, folded into a triangle, and handed to a grieving family member...because it's supposed to matter. The symbol of our country is supposed to be sacred. To place importance on the sacrifices people make for freedom and the freedom of those around the world. But what if those colors suddenly changed?
What if instead the flags normally accompanying our fallen soldiers were ordered by our government to match the particular identity group that person belonged to?
How bout if they had to match the identity group who our government has decided to celebrate the month of their death?
I would assume that the breaking of the tradition of folded flags at soldier's funerals would offend some folks. Would the soldiers given the order to fold a rainbow flag instead refuse that order?
But what if the policy changes ultimately stuck? How long would it take for the new practice to be normalized and even sacred?
To me, as someone who's not a soldier, just a grieving friend, the colors of what my friend served for don't matter as much to me as the person in that casket, finally at peace. The illness that put him there didn't care if my friend had a flag or not. The symbol is there and given meaning to add purpose and honor to someone's life.
The importance we put on symbols is extreme in our visual world. The youngest among us know which symbols mean food, danger, and eventually they learn of Patriotism. That learning and what those symbols are is dependent on the generations keeping up that tradition.
In this episode we will explore how symbols, identity, and government are changing. What the symbols really mean and why they are being used, maybe even against us.
As for my friend, the greatest artifact I get to keep is my memories with him. Godspeed brother.