Flagging patriotism
Top: A woman draped in the flag at the April 5 Hands Off protest, NYC.
Bottom: After the march ended, a few counter-protesters emerged. In addition to holding forth with her flag-waving companions, the woman in the MAGA hat gestures what used to mean “OK”—but is now a widely recognized declaration of white power.
Top: I’ll leave it to you to imagine why this man is slumped on a cold city bench next to luggage and a flag.
Bottom: On a giant billboard, a representation of the flag mocks the commercialism that is integral to capitalism and often conflated with freedom
Flag waving and dueling claims of patriotism are tricky things. History is full of times when performative patriotism slid into nationalism, and nationalism morphed into chauvinism, racism, and exceptionalism.
Then again, some flags celebrate foliage.
Loved the pics, have to remember not to do the OK hand jesture. Think that guy on the bench was just taking a snooze.
Thank you. My brother-in-law just bought a Greenland flag to put in the rotation of flags he hangs at his house.