Burning The Flag And Responsibility For It - Essay Example

?Argument The Father was Justified in Burning the Flag When the Michigan father burned the flag of New Jersey after it had been lowered to half-staff in honor of Whitney Houston’s death, I believe he was entirely justified in doing so. I do not believe the action to be ideal or politically correct, but I do certainly believe that he had a reasonable and understandable point of view and reason for such an extreme action. The process of lowering the flag is part of a long-withstanding and old tradition that is undertaken exclusively in honor of those individuals who have fought and lost their lives in war for their country. It is a mark of respect and of gratitude that this simple action takes place. In lowering it for anybody outside of the context of war and patriotism is therefore an outright offence to those who have given their lives in this way and furthermore, it shows huge disrespect to the families who have lost people they loved in order to serve and protect their country and citizens. The fact that this man lost his son during the war in Iraq gives him every right to react in ways which express his disdain and feelings of anger. This 60 year old man is entering the last stage of his life and he has made the ultimate sacrifice for his country; he has lost his child in order that his country is protected. It could be said this soldiers parents have suffered more than their son. Soldiers are fundamentally aware of the dangers in entering war zones and a military profession, in that is it quite likely they will become physically hurt or even lose their lives. The fact that these individuals still take up such roles despite this understanding, highlights the standards of patriotism, honor, bravery and selflessness that these people have and the American population owes them a massive debt of gratitude for this. They do not receive any sort of monetary compensation, power or acclaim that compensates for risking their lives, which really emphasises the honorable motivations that these people have in carrying out these roles. If or when they die due to war related activities, lowering the relevant state flag in their honor is the absolute least thing that a country can do in order to acknowledge their massive sacrifice and courage. Of course, the families they leave behind are the ones that suffer even more. This man in particular, is obviously extremely upset and proud of his son for what he did. Seeing the flag lowered in honor of his son and others who lost their lives in this way, was obviously a great comfort to him, and more than likely symbolized the bravery and sacrifice made by his son and other soldiers. In this way, seeing the flag lowered for a non-war related reason, is a blatant insult to this and undermines the sacrifice that his son made. Though burning the flag was an extreme action, I believe it is justified as the emotionality of the event was understandably high and reasonable actions such as complaining to officials would no doubt have had little effect in reducing the man’s stress and negative feelings. However, burning the flag probably offered him a way to manifest his feelings in a very symbolic way as actions do speak louder than words. If this helped him to express his feelings, then he should not be criticized for it. As well as it being justified from an emotional point of view, the principle of what occurred is also questionable. Of course, the death of a superstar like Whitney Houston is a tragedy and I am sure that her home state is in mourning still over this loss. I am in no way disrespecting this individual by saying that the flag should not have been lowered for her. But I am saying that this method of grievance and showing respect was extremely inappropriate and there are surely an array of other ways in which the singers life could have been honored in a more meaningful and relevant context. Concerts could have been given in her name, shows and entertainment venues could have held events to raise money for her charities, the options are endless. However, there are not nearly half as many ways to honor the countless soldiers who lose their lives every day. By lowering the flag for a non-soldier, it immediately undermines the process. The action taken by this man in burning the flag as a response to it being lowered for Whitney Houston, is entirely justified and understandable and officials should think twice before attempting any similar actions in the future. It is vital that governments maintain the dignity and respect of lost soldiers in every way they can. In addition to this, the fact that Whitney Houston is so famous and recognisable, means that she has been and will continue to be honored and remembered in actions and memorial events for decades to come, if not longer. Soldiers have but little opportunity to be honoured or even acknowledged, and by talking away one of their only opportunities for this, is highly inappropriate and disrespectful. Argument 2: The Governer of New Jersey was Right to Lower the Flag in honor of Whitney Houston The governor of New Jersey acted in an appropriate and respectful fashion when he lowered the state flag in order to pay respect to the life and death of Whitney Houston. The primary reason for this justification is that Whitney Houston was a national and state cultural icon who inspired and entertained millions. In marking her passing, the state is simply acknowledging her contributions to society and the people within that society. It is also representative of the hundreds of thousands of people living in the state of New Jersey who have been genuinely upset and aggrieved by her death. Whitney Houston was not just a famous singer. For millions of people all over the world she was a massive inspiration. Her talent was enormous and her hits spanned decades as people grew up with her and her songs, which marked pivotal moments in people’s lives and helped to create precious memories that people will treasure forever. For anyone growing up in the 1980s, they would have quite literally grown and matured along with Whitney Houston as her songs became a soundtrack to people’s lives. The fact that she continued to have chart success well into the 2000s highlights the fact that she was more than just a singer, she was an icon. Her songs were never throwaway pop nonsense, they were emotional, sentimental, thought-provoking, inspirational and highly enjoyable. Many such songs are very meaningful to a lot of people and they can speak for people who find it difficult to understand or even express their own feelings. In this way, she was certainly a cultural icon as she offered so much to the music industry and to her fans. The personal life of Whitney Houston also in some way justifies her status as an inspirational icon, therefore justifying the lowering of the flag. The star was overtly plagued by drug and alcohol problems which greatly affected her personal and professional life. For years she was photographed in magazines, newspapers and gossip websites looking haggard, withdrawn and shockingly unhealthy as she fought with demons of addiction and psychological problems. The fact that this icon was extremely flawed and vulnerable, actually made her much more relatable to many people. Problems such as drugs and mental issues are things that people must fight against every day. Seeing an icon like Whitney Houston battle these same issues can be very inspirational for people as they empathise with her and see any of her successes and attempts at recovery as inspirational which could have made her a potential role-model, had she successfully recovered from her problems. When she unfortunately passed away, this not only marked the death of an amazing singer, but it represented another death to (likely) addiction issues, which would have made her passing much more meaningful and personal to a large amount of the population, particularly those who struggle with the same problems. Though the flag is traditionally reserved for those who have died at war, there is surely room to acknowledge the death of a cultural icon whose passing has deeply affected so many civilians. The burning of the flag was an extremely severe reaction and actually quite undermines the death of the singer. One life is no more or less meaningful than another no matter what the context of that life or death, and reserving an honorable action to just one category of people, immediately suggests that certain lives or individuals deserve more respect than others. While it is of course understandable that this man felt strong emotions of anger and confusion at the lowering of the flag, burning it was entirely inappropriate. This individual, though phenomenally wealthy and famous, had a daughter, a family and friends who deeply cared about her, and seeing someone act in this way about the showing of a national mark of respect to her life, was no doubt very hurtful and disconcerting. The family of Whitney Houston should be shown the exact same respect and empathy as the family of a lost soldier. Both families have lost someone they love, the reasons and context of their deaths should be irrelevant. By lowering the flag of New Jersey to half-staff, the state governor helped to acknowledge the life and death of a cultural icon who has inspired millions. This action may have helped those grieving by symbolizing it in this way. While it is the right of every civilian to express their thoughts and personal opinions, burning flags and symbols of state is highly disrespectful. The soldier’s father could have very easily communicated his disdain to the appropriate parties and I am sure the matter would have been dealt with in a very sympathetic and understanding way, even if the flag remained lowered. Read More