For many, Independence Day is a chance to put their patriotism on full display: whether that’s wearing red, white and blue, flying a flag or singing along to the National Anthem. However, such displays have become divisive cultural signifiers often associated with right-wing politics. On this July Fourth, Forum takes up a comment submitted by a listener who writes “Rarely do I notice an American flag at liberal street events. Why has the Flag become a symbol for the right and ignored by the left?” And we want to hear from you: What’s your relationship to the American flag? How, if at all, do you choose to display your patriotism? Is it hard to display your patriotism in the Bay Area?
Guests:
Todd Gitlin, professor of journalism and sociology, Columbia University; author, “Occupy Nation: The Roots, the Spirit and the Promise of Occupy Wall Street”
Mohamed Shehk, director of media and communications, Critical Resistance