Russell Cruse
  • Home
  • The Rothko Room
    • Writing The Rothko Room
    • The Rothko Room Characters
    • The Council
    • The Real Rothko Room
    • Rothko Room Covers
    • The Rothko Room Music
    • The Rothko Room Puzzles
    • Locations in The Rothko Room
    • Waifs & Strays >
      • Churchill
      • The Origin of The Council
      • The First Meeting of The Council
  • Books
    • Head Count
    • The Circling Song
  • Weblog
  • Comments
  • Ukulele Stuff
  • Weblog Selections

A Flap Over A Flag

17/1/2013

1 Comment

 
Of course words are merely symbols; only a fool would assert otherwise.  Furthermore, the power of all symbols to inspire and affirm, offend and decry cannot be argued against.  However, words are, if you like, the scalpel to the scythe of those less subtle organisers of ideas – flags.

I’ve never really got flags. Perhaps I can’t see past the gaudy, often facile imagery they offer (is there an aesthetically pleasing national flag anywhere in the world?) and the shorthand, blunt idea they purvey; namely, “This is us; we are different from you; and frankly, we like it that way”.  But perhaps it’s more than that.

It denotes to me the most grievous of sins that can be perpetrated by the animal with the best-developed brain on the planet: lazy thinking.  Indeed, the kind of lazy thinking that asserts, in the phrase ascribed to Carl Shurtz “My country, right or wrong…” without going on to quote the second clause in the sentence: “…if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right."[170] 

This is where words get in the way of ideas.  Don't analyse; don't see beyond The Colours; just wrap yourself in the comforting symbol that stands for all those ideas you don't want to be bothered with; because the only one that matters to you is belligerence.

I get no glow of pride when seeing a Union Flag fluttering on a flagpole; in fact, the phrase that comes most readily to mind is Samuel Johnson’s oft-misused assertion that “patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”  Johnson has nothing against patriotism per se but is aggrieved to see it resorted to when an opponent has legitimately and effectively despatched all rational argument.

Rational argument and Protestant Loyalism.  I leave the two phrases hanging there, unremarked.

1 Comment
    Follow this blog

    RSS Feed

    UK Amazon Kindle Forum's group-authors-bookshelf book montage
    UK Amazon Kindle Forum 222 members
    Somewhere else for those who hang around on the official Amazon Kindle Forum to slouch around.

    Our group-authors-bookshelf shelf



    View this group on Goodreads »

    Archives

    November 2015
    August 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011

    Categories

    All
    A Clockwork Orange
    Alice Cooper
    American Literature
    Andrew Mitchell
    Anthony Burgess
    Blogging
    Book Cover
    Cover Design
    Crossword
    Eastwood
    Editing
    Emperor's New Clothes
    English
    English Language
    Films
    Frazier
    Gary Barlow
    Godfrey Bloom
    Homeless
    Homeless Man
    Homophones
    Internet Down
    John Farris
    Julian Fellowes
    Kelsey Grammer
    Language
    Left-Wing
    Literary Fiction
    Lord Mcalpine
    Mark Rothko
    Nomophilia
    Nomophobia
    Patrick O'Brian
    Pleb
    Politics
    Prejudice
    Pretentious
    Promoting Literature
    Publishing
    Raimi
    Reliance On Mobile Phones
    Richard Matheson
    Self-publishing
    Semiotics
    Spin
    Twitter
    Without The Internet
    Writing


Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.