Thread by @Johnny_Joey

Thread:
The “Betsy Ross Flag” the one now tattooed on my arm, isn’t simply a rebuttal to a company, a person or even a narrative I disagree with. For me, it’s a stand against a trend and idea that we must wash everything in history through the purity test of 2019.

The flag itself is “merely” a symbol. It has not spiritual or physical power, it doesn’t make us what we are or threaten our livelihood. It’s simply and aesthetic use to convey meaning, pupose and identity. This flag, at the time of its conception, meant something

It was a sybol of rebellion against imperial rule, a symbol of the distinction between colonial North American and British Identity, and most importantly, a symbol that some ideas are so important that we would wager our lives on the unlikely chance those ideas came to fruition

The line “in order to form a more perfect union” the immediate adoption of our Bill of Rights, the words of our forefathers written and spoken made clear, this flag was a starting point, a place to begin, a country created with an expressed intent to progress towards “better”

This flag isn’t a precursor to the flag we fly today, it IS the flag we fly today. The same document governs is, the same principles and instilled, with the addition of states, came additional stars.. it’s not a relic of the past any more than the constitution itself.

Now, in 2019, the lore of this flag has even more meaning, not only was it the earliest adopted symbol of what we WOULD BECOME but also lives as a monument as to who we would be. A woman, no less, is attributed with creating the flag in a time she didn’t have rights herself

Celebrating this flag doesn’t celebrate her plight, or the evils of the time such as slavery, it celebrates where we’ve come, why we’ve come and where we will go. It celebrates the people who we here when this flag was adopted and spent their lives making this country better.

I don’t need my historical heroes to be perfect, or even good. I need their actions to have good consequences. Men fought and died to form this country and this country and grown to stand for freedom and equality.

That’s enough for me to love this flag. A to stand in opposition to any notion that we must adhere the pains of our past to the victories. We are here today, debating what we must do to be better, because of the flawed men who gave us that chance.

I don’t just love this country for what it is, or has been, I love if for what it aspires to be. Free, compassionate and benevolent. Strong in the face of evil and generous in the light of prosperity. God Bless America, the people.