“The flag is a symbol which speaks of the past and of the future; it is not a thing of cloth, but a thing of spirit.” President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed these words during his Memorial Day address on May 31, 1915, while contemplating the notion of entering an already raging world war in Europe. Just three weeks earlier, the Germans had sunk the Lusitania, killing 128 American civilians. Outrage swept the nation, and the prospect of joining the Allies in World War I became increasingly real. Against that backdrop, Wilson effectively hoisted the American flag as a powerful symbol to unite the nation and reinforce our values of freedom and liberty.
My American flag is proudly flying high again in front of my house right now—happy Independence Day weekend, everybody! This has always been one of my favorite times of the year. The weather out here in California is always nice and hot, like it is today, and everybody seems to be in a great mood—and that puts me in a great mood! The long weekend will undoubtedly turn out like every other Independence Day weekend: I’ll make more food than we could possibly eat, drink way more than any reasonable person should, and party like there’s no July 5th. I will definitely have a hangover something proper on Wednesday; however, no use saying sorry, it’s something that I enjoy.
I still get emotional during Independence Day. Of course, that happens when you put away the amount of beer that I drink during this time, but it’s more than that. I have always been deeply patriotic, especially after serving in the United States Army as a soldier stationed in West Germany patrolling the East German Wall (back when that was a thing). I was conditioned to love my country and respect our flag and I am a better person today because of it. The power of the flag is in its ability to instantly install a mindset and motivate behavior, without the need for anyone to do or say anything. Any soldier in uniform is required to salute the flag when they pass by it. And, there are special rules for handling the flag, for instance, it is never allowed to touch the ground. Nobody has to lead or manage a soldier’s behavior when it comes to the flag, they just know what to do.
A sophisticated power structure intentionally uses both people- and non-people-based power agents. Strong symbols, like a country’s flag, are an important element of a society’s power structure. They provide behavioral governance in the absence of directive people-based management. This is a very effective way to scale governance and ensure important norms are followed even when people aren’t around to enforce them. In fact, when the right association is made between a symbol and the values that it represents, it provides an even stronger behavioral motivator than a formal directive from a superior (e.g., an officer’s order). Nothing will motivate someone’s behavior like a deeply held value. And that’s what where strong symbols connect to us.
So let’s all virtually and physically hoist our flags in celebration of freedom, democracy, and liberty and embrace the American spirit that makes us unique. She’s a grand ol’ flag, she’s a high-flying flag. She’s the symbol of the land I love. I hope you feel the same way, it’s a great feeling.
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