Wingnut World Crumbles Over Macy Gray Suggesting We Change The Flag

That's one way to celebrate Juneteenth

Macy Gray is the freaking best. In an op-ed on Market Watch (next time pitch Wonkette, please!), the singer proposed changing the current flag of the United States with something that makes us all feel a little less gross.

She wrote:

The Confederate battle flag, which was crafted as a symbol of opposition to the abolishment of slavery, is just recently tired. We don't see it much anymore. However, on the 6th, when the stormers rained on the nation's most precious hut, waving Old Glory — the memo was received: the American flag is its replacement.

President Biden, Madame Harris and members of Congress: the American flag has been hijacked as code for a specific belief. God bless those believers, they can have it. Like the Confederate, it is tattered, dated, divisive, and incorrect. It no longer represents democracy and freedom. It no longer represents ALL of us. It's not fair to be forced to honor it. It's time for a new flag.

She's not wrong. This current flag has all kinds of baggage and there are a lot of people out there who feel a cringe coming on every time they see it. There's something insidious about the way the Right has sort of taken ownership of the flag and then expects us all to honor it, because it actually kind of feels (to me, at least) like it's about us honoring them. You know, because of how they are the "real" Americans.

Gray had some thoughts about what might be nice for us all, as well:

Let's look to the stars. There are 50, where there should be 52. D.C. and Puerto Rico have been lobbying for statehood for decades. Both have been denied, since statehood would allow each territory's elected officials seats in the house.

Assuming D.C. reps would be African-American and Puerto Rican reps would be Hispanic, the ultimate assumption is that these elected officials would be Democratic. That alone is racist.

On to the stripes. The Smithsonian documents that the "white" stripes represent purity and innocence. America is great. It is beautiful. Pure, it ain't. It is broken and in pieces.

What if the stripes were OFF-white? What if there were 52 stars to include D.C. and Puerto Rico? What if the stars were the colors of ALL of us — your skin tone and mine — like the melanin scale? The blue square represents vigilance and perseverance; and the red stripes stand for valor. America is all of those things. So, what if those elements on the flag remained? What if the flag looked like this?

Behold, a picture of the very nice flag that Macy Gray designed.

Naturally, Gray ended up trending this morning because conservatives were going bonkers over this suggestion, and got all "AMERICA: Love It Or Leave It" about everything, leading to outraged posts on Breitbart, the Washington Times and other right-wing sites that I haven't bothered to click on because I know exactly what they say.

Kristi Noem: A new flag?! No thanks. Old Glory still waves as a symbol of liberty and justice for all.  

Lauren Boebert: If @MacyGraysLife or anyone else hates the American flag so badly, they should pick a flag they like & go live in the country that flies it!  

Of course, lots of other people pointed out that people on the Right sure do love carrying both the Confederate Flag and the hideous Thin Blue Line Flag so it seems unlikely they're actually averse to any flag other than the current US model. If they're so big on patriotic symbolism, you'd think they'd never fly anything else. Also, it's hardly as if we've had the same flag since the beginning and I don't think anyone would suggest that the multiple edits it has gone through have all been "unpatriotic."

Anyway! Those people suck, Macy Gray is great and also correct, and let's kick off your OPEN THREAD with this jam.

Macy Gray - I Try (Official Video)    www.youtube.com 

Have a lovely day!

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