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:: Friday, August 27, 2004 ::
Story Time
While I was at camp this past summer we had a scouter from Mexico City work on our staff. Since he was there, we flew the Mexican flag in addition to the US flag. Putting up two flags isn't a problem, but taking down another country's flag can be since, as you might imagine, there is a special way to fold the Mexican flag just as there's a special way to fold the US flag. The staff learned how to fold the Mexican flag pretty quickly, and most troops figured out that there was a certain way to fold it when we demoed it on Sunday evening and would ask a staffman to teach them. One troop, though, didn't think of asking and then went ahead and folded it as a normal flag. While they did that, I visibly cringed and watched our Mexican scouter look on in shock that someone had done that to his country's flag. As an American Boy Scout, it is important to me that the US flag be given the proper respect, and I could easily empathize with our Mexican scouter as he looked on in horror as the Mexican flag was treated as just another piece of cloth. Needless to say, he and I retrieved the flag from the troop immediately after the flag ceremony and refolded the flag properly.
Don't worry, I'm getting to a point with this.
I was reminded of this incident when I read this post by Kerry over at her blog. It seems to me that one of the things many pro-Chief people lack is empathy. Yes, the Chief is a longstanding tradition at our fair university, and that's important to some, but what about those whose heritage the Chief touches on? If you were a Native American, coming from a liniage that has been shat upon and trivialized by white people for centuries, how would you feel? Honestly think on that for a bit the next time you're upset at something an anti-Chief person says.
:: The Squire 12:53 AM :: email this post :: ::
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