old pal
Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at 09:15AM ;)
Old Pal ~ Saranac Lake, NY - in the Adirondack Park • click to embiggenIt has been my custom, every July 4th, to post a picture, which contains the American flag, upside down. As some may not know, an upside down flag is a signal of distress.
I signal distress inasmuch as I believe my country to be in deep shit - un-civil public discourse, ideological polarization, political obstructionism / government disfunction, unbridled greed and rampant consumerism, to name just a few examples. And now, thanks to the Supreme Court, an election for president that might just be decided on which party has the most cash. An outcome which would herald the return of a wealthy ruling class.
It's a mess and not showing any signs of getting better. It some ways, it seems like an old pal is dying.
FYI, picture made by the girl formerly known as Coma Girl. Processing by me.
Reader Comments (4)
You do a lot better job of expressing the distress than I do. I just foam at the mouth.
Happy 4th!!
Indeed.
Your words really resonate with me. I have felt similarly for my entire adult life as these forces have been at work in earnest for well over three decades. I had been given a large American flag through our local advertising federation as an award for work I had done. I hung it upside down in my first studio for as long as I held that lease. It was certainly not done out of disrespect for the flag, but as a protest to what was being done in its name.
I'm 64. I can't remember a time when the USA wasn't busy fucking over some poor brown/yellow/other-colored beggars in its rush to scarf up their natural resources and otherwise make their lives a misery. Indeed I am sorry for all of us who must live with the stigma of being "American".