A few years ago, Redwood decided that the American flag or USA could not be used as a theme for any sporting events or school rallies. Once a common symbol of American high schools, the perception of the flag has changed dramatically in the last decade. Today, it is often associated with ultra-nationalist protests like the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol Building, the “Unite the Right” rally and many other violent events. Instead of representing true patriotic ideals, the stars and stripes have come to represent chauvinistic, hateful and anti-progressive values. It’s time for Americans to restore the meaning of our flag and let it represent the values of patriotism.

Patriotism: devotion and support to one’s country. To many, “devotion and support” means unconditional love and pride for a nation, regardless of the country’s wrongdoings or challenges. Despite the struggles of minority groups, many Americans have opposed crucial reforms toward greater equality, hiding behind the belief that America is the greatest country in the world and, therefore, doesn’t need to change. In reality, patriotism is far from just believing your country is the best in the world. In fact, it’s almost the exact opposite.Showing “devotion and support” for your country, or being patriotic, means realizing the many flaws in your country. It means holding your elected officials accountable. It means expressing your beliefs and protesting for change when wrongdoings occur. Above all, it means working together with your family, friends, neighbors and fellow citizens to bring prosperity to all Americans.
Unfortunately, many Americans believe that the Republican party represents patriotism more than the Democratic party. An October survey from The Redwood Bark found that 52 percent of students believe Republicans are more patriotic than Democrats, while only 15 percent of students believe Democrats are more patriotic. Similarly, a poll by YouGov found that the majority of Americans believed Republicans were “significantly more” patriotic than Democrats.
Americans hold this belief, despite the fact that the mantra of the Republican party is to “Make America Great Again” (MAGA). Being patriotic and showing “devotion and support” to one’s country means you must take steps forward to make the country more just for all citizens; the use of the word “again” in MAGA emphasizes that the party wants to revert back to previous times, which were filled with racism and inequality. Their beliefs support this, too, as current legislation and policies threaten to revert progress toward climate change prevention, LGBTQ+ rights and racial equality.
The 2016 presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton marked a clear beginning in the shifting interpretation of patriotism. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), following Trump’s election, hate crimes rose at the second highest rate in American history, only behind the period after the Sept. 11 attacks. Cambridge University reported a sharp uptick in xenophobia, or prejudice against those from other countries, alongside these hate crimes. Some examples of this xenophobia include blaming COVID-19 on Chinese Americans, perpetuating lies about Haitian Americans, threatening deportation of immigrant American citizens and many more. Trump’s racist sentiment reversed the progress made when Barack Obama was elected as the first African American president, establishing that xenophobia is acceptable for American citizens. While minority groups and immigrants were ostracized, targeted and discriminated against, the American flag continued to wave. It became a symbol for this behavior, marring the perception of the stars and stripes.
We’d all love to hang our country’s flag outside our homes or dress up in red, white and blue for Friday Night Lights football games. But, it’s difficult when these symbols have come to represent such hateful, anti-progressive values. The legacy of the American flag cannot be tainted by such bigoted behavior. It’s time to take back the meaning of the American flag, the word patriotism and what it means to be patriotic in today’s America.