A thought about the old red, white and blue

At first glance, it's a piece of cloth. It's a piece of cloth with 13 stripes and 50 stars on it. Looking at this piece of cloth literally, it's just that: a piece of cloth with colors on it, so pretty insignificant.

Once there is meaning attached to this piece of cloth, things become a bit more convoluted. After all, this piece of cloth represents what is allegedly the most powerful nation on this earth. And, working from this understanding, opinions and perspective shift, often pretty radically. Some'd rather see the country burnt to the ground, and then there are others who worship the ground we stand on. Neither of these extremes nor anything in between is allowed to be judged by others, after all, all of our opinions matter and any contest thereof is defended to the last breath....you know, national pride and all that.

I'd like to offer my perspective on the country that this piece of cloth represents. While I own US citizenship and all of the rights that come with it, I've not lived here my entire life. Some 19 years ago, I came to live in the country that this piece of cloth represents. I've owned an American flag for pretty much all my life, because it allowed me to be close to my dad, even though I was not physically near him. So - once I got here, I hung up my flag because now I was finally in the country that promises so much to so many, and I was proud.

Following my arrival here, grateful to my father for allowing me the opportunity, I began to work towards my American Dream. After all, the TV stations and movies in Germany all talked about how the American Dream is achievable and desirable and that everyone could achieve it if they wanted to. In fairness, I would say that as a white male living here, I have been afforded all the privileges to make my American Dream happen, and over the next 19 years, I did. I'm now a master's degree graduate, getting ready to continue working in the field that I have gathered experience in, have my own small business, am married and all I seem to be waiting for is the house with the white picket fence and my 2.5 children...or something like that.

All of this to say that I have had it pretty great over the almost 20 years that I have been here, and that most of it is attributable to both the country that I now live in, my own unique skill set....and the fact that I seem to have the right skin tone to be successful. So yes - I am a proud American for those reasons, but in no way, shape, or form would consider myself to be someone who worships the ground that I stand on.

Yet, here is the other side of that coin: Within my perspective of America, I also understand that I am incredibly lucky, both because of the color of my skin and my gender. I am keenly aware that others have not been so lucky and have had hardships because of the way that a large number of Americans look at that specific group of people. And, I have empathy and compassion for those people, because that is what my America is about. Compassion, Support, and Empathy towards all people, not just those we deem 'worthy'.

And I wholeheartedly despise those who seem to think that racism, fascism, genderism, and any other -ism that degrades, discriminates, and disrespects others is acceptable in this country.