I Choose America

Big pro-immigration protest (is that the phrasing we've all decided on?) in Union Square right now, and it's great. In the middle, there are Che signs, which there always seem to be at these sorts of things--I guess when your dorm is right next to the protest site you can get out there faster--which is too bad, and across the street gawky white dudes say vaguely racist things to their girlfriends like "the problem with those protesters is that there's no rhyme or reason behind different races' attitudes toward work," but on the edges, on the corners and patrolling the borders, are people selling flags:



And not just American flags, but flags from all different countries:



And, you know, it made me tear up a bit. Somehow the whole thing seemed like exactly what's great about America, for reasons I can't really articulate. I think it probably has something to do with the fact that it was a bunch of people, at least some of whom were breaking the law simply by being there, all hanging out and waving brightly-colored things and yelling and pushing strollers, and buying things from people who might also very well be breaking the law simply be being there.



Something about that attitude of, "We're breaking the law, woohoo, let's yell and buy things" that appeals to something patriotic in me. Maybe patriotic is the wrong word.
posted by Mike B. at 2:39 PM 0 comments