What the American Flag means to me

Ever since kindergarten, we have been conditioned to memorize and recite the pledge of allegiance out of respect for our troops. At all public events we had to stand for the national anthem. Through all of these events the American flag was present somewhere, meant as a symbol of our country. Until the recent controversy, I never thought of the flag as anything meaningful. The pledge and standing for the national anthem was something I felt like I had to do, or else I would get in trouble. What I did for the flag was not out of sincere respect for it, but in fear of the consequences I would face for violating a societal norm. Therefore, I never grew up with a solid opinion on the flags representation of our nation. Due to the recent outrage of NFL players kneeling for the anthem, and the terrible hypocrisy of criticism that follows, my emotionless stance on the flag transformed into a negative emotion. It is our right, provider by the country, and symbolized by the flag, the freedom of speech. If the president can enforce that right to a domestic terrorist group prided on racism, then why can’t it be enforced for people who a peacefully protesting. The flag not only represents a song or a pledge, but also the country. If I don’t agree with what’s going on in the country, then why would I pledge myself to it?