Our American flag has long been a complex symbol. First created in 1777, it has inspired patriotic unity in times of war and it has flown proudly over a nation that denied slaves their very humanity and women their full rights of citizenship. It has unblinkingly blended these disparate traditions when African American soldiers fought for the Stars and Stripes in segregated military units in World War II, during which it also flew over the internment camps in which Japanese Americans were incarcerated.
Today, long past the eradication of slavery and the extension of citizenship rights to women and minorities of color, the flag still registers the nation’s deep cultural and political divides. Its power as a unifying symbol of national values is regularly demonstrated in Fourth of July parades in towns both red and blue across the country. But presently it is also used as a political cudgel by the American president to condemn African American football players who take a knee at the national anthem to protest the denial of basic civil rights by racial inequality and police brutality. And refugee children forcibly separated from their families at the country’s southern border are required to stand and pledge allegiance to the flag while incarcerated in Texas.
the President’s constant barrage of self-serving, denigrating and false tweets–social media have made our national political dynamics more divisive, ill-informed and counterproductive. The premium these media place on bite-sized bursts of no-need-to-explain-or-defend assertions has only exacerbated this process. 