Sunday, June 23, 2019

Two Sides

He’s wearing a camouflage “Fox NEWS” baseball cap, and the woman with him (presumably his wife) is wearing a t-shirt that reads, “American Branches...” (this over a silhouette of a tree made of an American flag) “...Norwegian Roots” (this over a silhouette of the same tree’s roots made of a Norwegian flag). I can instantly read all the dog whistles and overt symbols, and recognize that these people are likely right-wingers, and my hackles instantly stand up.

Flashback to about an hour before this: A woman walking past is jokingly asked if she owns the illegally parked car with American flags draped all over it, and she answers, in the poshest of British accents, “Certainly not with all those flags on it.”

I instantly feel a defensive patriotic reaction, like who the hell does this woman think she is?

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