You can stand alone
Or with somebody else
Or stand with all of us, together
If you can believe
In something bigger than yourself
You can follow the flag foreverThey say it’s just a dream
That dreamers dreamed
That it’s an empty thing that really has no meaning
They say it’s all a lie
But it’s not a lie
I’m going to follow the flag ’til I dieInto every life a little rain must fall
But it’s not gonna rain forever
You can rise above–you can rise above it all
We will follow the flag together
We will follow the flag together
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The Confederate flag is a highly polarizing symbol.
Seven years ago, Yahoo Sports National Columnist Dan Wetzel wrote an excellent article on what symbols mean to people. The catalyst for that column was the presence of the Confederate Flag in NASCAR races. The premise being that symbols pack a punch.
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After a decade of massive growth, NASCAR’s popularity has slowed and television ratings have slumped. To restart its progress, NASCAR must continue to attract new fans in fresh, more diverse markets, many of whom view the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism and oppression. Yet NASCAR doesn’t want to alienate its loyal base, many of whom view the waving flags in the infield as a symbol of honor, history and traditional Southern pride.
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For many minorities, as well as many whites, a sporting event where Confederate flags still flap freely is an unwelcoming and negative place.
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For a lot of people it is a very loaded symbol that has a history of enslavement and hostility built up into it. African-Americans find it very difficult to separate this history from the symbol itself,” . “They also see people displaying the symbol as being racist, bigoted and anti-black. As a scholar I understand that symbols have multiple meanings and don’t have the same meaning to everyone.
Red Flag by Dan Wetzel
The U.S. South was the one region where archaic values lived the longest or at the very least died last. It was not that long ago that David Duke ran for governor of Louisiana. Go through his history and tell me if you don’t need a shower after reading it. Sorry, any place takes this very candid racist seriously is just not OK in my book.
As a young boy I enjoyed Dukes of Hazzard as much as the next kid. They had the Confederate flag. For me though the one reel life example that solidifies my feelings towards that particular flag was the child rape scene from the film Time To Kill. Keifer Sutherland did an excellent portrayal of someone you really wanted to hate. Rightly or wrongly that is what I perceive of the Confederate flag.
I am sure there are people out there who will tell me I am wrong but films like Glory, Ghosts of the Mississippi, Remember the Titans, O Brother Where Art Thou, Betrayed , Glory Road helped fuel my perception of what the South was like. Technically I have been there twice but somehow I doubt Disney World and a business convention in the heart of downtown Atlanta did much for my appreciation of local culture.
Musically I recommend Neil Young’s Southern Man, Randy Newman’s New Orleans Had Won The War and Rednecks. To give the other side some exposure, the band Lynyrd Skynyrd did answer Neil Young’s Southern Man in their Anthem Sweet Home Alabama in which they state ” I hope Mr. Young can remember a Southern Man don’t need him around anyhow.” Neil Young hails from Winnipeg, about as far away from Alabama as you can get without touching water. Sweet Home Alabama was used in three films in the last twenty years: Crimson Tide, Con Air and Reese Witherspoon’s Sweet Home Alabama. None of which speaks to racial oppression.
Don’t believe a Mar Roxas adversary? So Mar himself has to be believed?
Bobby Capco’s Facebook post caught my eye where he stresses not to don’t believe a word of Mayor Romualdez’s where he states Mar Roxas tried to do a power grab. Nowhere there does he mention that Noynoy and Mar are punishing Tacloban for not voting yellow in 2010. Nowhere in that analysis does it ever come up that Noynoy has no place for people who will not be obedient lapdogs. Tito Sotto said as much last year when he did a complete 180 on his stance on the Cybercrime Prevention Act. ‘Gusto rin ni Noynoy‘ is the famous quote. Way to have independent thought there buddy.
“There’s little room in Tupolev’s heart for anyone but Tupolev. ”
Captain Marko Ramius in the Hunt For Red October (1990)
In the song Follow The Flag there is the phrase “You can rise above it all”. That’s the point. Noynoy does not rise above it all. He never rises beyond his family let alone beyond his country. There is little room in his heart for anyone but himself. That is why will always see Noynoy sporting that yellow ribbon. One word that is hardly ever brought up with in the analysis of the moves of B.S. Aquino the III. is compromise. There is just his way and he rarely makes any consideration for people who are not like him. Well, his needs are indeed special as we have come to see during his term.
Leaders in other countries wear their national symbol. It is about the country and not their self interest.
Unless you are four years old, the Philippine flag has to have some meaning to you. Flag raising ceremonies with Lupang Hinirang playing. When I was a Boy Scout, they taught us to fold the flag and that it never touch the ground. Noynoy who is supposed to be my president does away with all that and replaces the flag with a yellow ribbon. No big deal right Noynoy?? The President of the Philippines gives priority to Tony Orlando and Dawn rather than Lupang Hinerang. What kind of moron does that??
Even with the world watching, his own symbol and not the flag of the country. A public servant is not above the country.
When I brought up the yellow ribbon objection to yellow relatives, the reply was that he is wearing what he believes and he does wear the Philippine flag. Do any of you see the Philippine flag? Maybe it’s tattooed on his inner right thigh. A place I doubt any of us would dare venture. There is truth to the yellow flag being what he believes in. Noynoy believes in his family’s priorities over the country’s priorities. It is symbolic in his dress and is consistent with his actions from day 1. Literally and figuratively with Noynoy there is no flag to follow. There is no ideal to follow. I will let you in on a little secret. Noynoy is not a leader, never was a leader and never will be a leader.
David St. Hubbins: We say, “Love your brother.” We don’t say it really, but…
Nigel Tufnel: We don’t literally say it.
David St. Hubbins: No, we don’t say it.
Nigel Tufnel: We don’t really, literally mean it.
David St. Hubbins: No, we don’t believe it either, but…
Nigel Tufnel: But we’re not racists.
David St. Hubbins: But that message should be clear, anyway.
Nigel Tufnel: We’re anything but racists.
Noynoy famously said “kayo ang boss ko” ( the people are my boss). Nice sound bite but he never really meant it. He does not serve you. He serves himself, he serves his family, anybody but you. Unless your first name is Bimby or Josh.
All this done to make Noynoy look better than he actually is.
How many pictures have you seen Barrack Obama donning the Democrat logo during his terms as U.S. President? How about George W. Bush wearing a Republican pin from 2001 to 2009? I thought so. Logic dictates that party symbols are there to differentitiate during the selling process (elections) but once they are over you are serving the electorate, whether or not they voted for you. You should be unifying the country by rallying behind the flag. Noynoy though will continue to divide by forcefeeding all the Filipino with that yellow ribbon. Just like the Nazi party adopted their swastika to symbolize all of Germany.
World War II was a bad time in the history of the world. Did the Nazi party represent all of the Germany at that time? What was the meaning then and what is the meaning now? Wetzel’s article addressed the issue of symbols and the evolution of their meanings.
Moreover, while the history is clear, so too, for most, is the present. A symbol does not get to define itself; society’s oft-changing reaction to it determines that. The swastika has been used for 3,000 years in cultures as different as China, India, Japan and Europe. Its literal meaning in ancient Sanskrit comes from the words “su” meaning “good,” “asti” meaning “to be,” and the suffix “ka.” But once Adolph Hitler’s Nazi political party in Germany seized it as a symbol in the 1920s and went on to wage the Holocaust on Jews, it changed. In no way can anyone argue it still means “to be good.” Its original intent no longer matters.
The yellow ribbon does not symbolize you. It symbolizes the interest of the family in power.
It is very obvious that Noynoy by his actions is trying to jettison the Philippine flag in favor of his family’s symbol. No other group of Filipinos has ever claimed that as a symbol before the early 1980s. A leader should be the embodiment of the hopes and dreams of the collective. Well does that mean in Noynoy Aquino we have the laziness, pettiness and myopia of the Filipino people? When he is on the job, he forgets that he is on the job for YOU. He may say it but he does not really mean it. His words are not worth the spit they are spoken on, to quote Agnes DiPesto.
The difference between the Nascar and Noynoy Aquino is this. In Nascar, what is offensive is the presence of a particular flag. With Noynoy Aquino, it is the absence of a particular flag. You know the one he once swore allegiance to June 30, 2010.
Putting a very sharp needle into the balloon known as Pinoy Pride since 2012.
Very good point, there! That yellow symbol on his left chest says it all! He’s the president of his family, relatives, friends, allies and those yellow zombies! Boo!!! Real suckers!!!
Thank you Crissyname. He is indeed yellow bellied.
@Gogs, R U WATCHING THE EVENTS UNFOLD IN TAHILAND?
HOW ABOUT KIEV,Ukraine? or BULGARIA???
The people of those countries, for much the same reasons but wanting different outcomes, are in the streets of their CAPITAL CITIES demanding the ouster of their Governments! In Bangkok the entire Parliament has been dissolved and the President is considering, so I hear, fleeing the country….to keep her life! In Kiev, Ukraine the citizens are looting City Hall and demanding the stepping down of the current admin. and the protest is turing dreadfully violent as Heavy-Weight Boxing Champ, Vitaly Klitscho is demanding that Ukraine join the EU. In Bulgaria the Houses of Parliament are being ransacked by protesters who are sick of the ‘Klepto-cracy’ and are willing to burn the buildings down to get rid of the status -quo.
SO, what are you guys up to? Figure it out yet?
The color yellow also symbolizes impatience and cowardice, just saying.
I do talk about symbols changing meaning . Try as they might yellow is indeed that not what the Aquinos want it to mean.
It isn’t what Tony Orlando intended either.
@ Gogs, I can tell you this: The Confederate flag is the Southern expression of the white guys hatred towards the Black Man, make no mistake. It is as racist as the day is long. and Skynryd? well look at what happened to them!
Anyone who tells you other-wise is dead wrong! it is a racist statement,PERIOD! Skynrd had guys runnin on-stage during their encores waving that symbol of “The Souths gonna do it again”, seceed from the Union that is the United States, as it was an expression of longing for the ‘old days’.
In some places in the USA,
The USA is the most racist country in the world BUT there are many, if not most, citizens are enlightened with the ‘all Men/Woman are created equal’ mantra…including myself. But in the so-called ‘Deep-South’, the racists are alive and well.
IDK how well this comparison relates to what is happening in the Philippines at present. A paradigm shift in the way that country operates is called for, but the Flag and who salutes it may not be the best place to start. After-all the U.S. civil war was a bloody affair that may have united the country but the battle-scars remain, and run pretty damm deep. May I suggest that the struggle in the Fils is more a caste system problem, as was slavery (but in the USA it was against a particular race),rich against poor…not race against race.
I thought yellow meant jealousy? 😀 love the article btw. I haven’t noticed the yellow ribbon though. Maybe i’m not watching enough tv?
pnoy aquinos wearing of the yellow ribbon symbolises his self-interest, lack of statemanship, and divisive nature.
no wonder he didn’t want to go to mandela’s funeral. chalk and cheese.
yellow is also the colour of piss. appropriate for aquino. piss poor politician, president, and performance
The yellow family of fanatics have their symbol in a yellow ribbon. Is this colored ribbon not similar to the symbolism of the Nazi swastika? Every time the fanatics wear the yellow ribbon and color their elite divisiveness shows. They are the elite as they continue to divide, rule and fool others into joining their false matuwid na daan. The yellow deception is complete with false campaign promises and slogans. Repeating this over and over attracts the gullible and the opportunists. A false truth is then
created… just like a grave. Clean and white without but full of rot within. The dictator BS Aquino insists that his symbol and color be worn by the yellow elite and it goes on… the incompetence, the massive corruption within the corridors of power, violations of human rights and the rule of law replaced by the rule of men. The followers of the yellow symbol continue their hypocrisy as they lead this country to perdition. Rally to the Philippine flag! Down with the yellow dictatorship!!!
U kno, you keep comparing the current admin. to the Nazi’s, LMAO at U!!! Where is the ethnic cleansing? U kno, the part where the systematic extermination of a particular religion are targeted for extinction?
You are a Jack-ass. get off your soap-box and get a clue before you compare admins. to ruthless annihilators of entire races of people.(Where is the planned ‘Filipino-race’ Grand City going to be?, Herr Doktor?), Zeig Heil, u idiot!
The Nazis did a lot more than just kill people, you know. Their mental manipulation of society took a while, and it was perfectly executed…everyone fell for it.
Ps….the systematic extermination of a particular religion/race has already happened here….and still continues.
What happened to the Babaylan Spirit?
The Batak are going extinct….
Its seen as laughable and low class to be Igorot
Pintado is seen as drug-users and low-lives instead of the warrior class they are….
Your extinct languages are as follows:
Agta Dicamay
Agta Villaviciosa
Ayta Tayabas
Katabaga
Ermitaño creole
You need to study your own history a bit more.
Once Aquino is out of power.That yellow ribbon will be forgotten as well. Liberal will not hold on yellow, they only do this because of what benefit they received from inutil
Hmm, it seems that our “favorite” yellow punching bag, kathniel, is absent again.
Looks like he’s out of ammunition against us or Mr. Carandang has ran out of spiels to use.
Hmm, well kathniel or “Ricky Carandang” can always use the “cut-and-paste” method of his spiels, oh wait…bad idea.
Even if he recycles his spiels, they won’t have any effect here since they’re too flawed. Even a grade school pupil can see that his “arguments” are too weak.
He thinks that his arguments are effective here when in reality, they are easily crushed,killed and destroyed by the GRP peeps.
I can only imagine kathniel arguing against my nephew (who actually knows global politics at 13) and losing to him because of his recycled spiels…that would be a new low for kathniel.
Threatening us with “re-education camp” is already low enough for the likes of Kathinel and his retarded friends.
or jumping ship as many of the rats are doing/planning to do
There is buzz coming out of Malacañang that Ricky Carandang is looking for employment outside of government.
Just sit back and wait. 😛
“Kathniel” is probably gonna start his spiel with
“Blah blah blah, tuwid na daan”
“Blah blah blah, mataas ang GDP natin”
“Blah blah blah, bayaraan kayo ni gloria at ni corona”
“Blah blah blah, inggit lang kayo”
“Blah blah blah, tumulong nalang kayo!”
“Blah blah blah, ( insert random yellow propaganda here)”
NASCAR was founded, during the Whiskey Prohibition in the U.S. The Police were chasing , Moonshiners (people who make and distilled Whiskey in the forest). Then, transport the distilled Whiskey to their customers in populated places. The Police spots them, but these Dudes, have an Eight (8) cylinders Cars. So, the Police cannot overtake and arrest them. A NASCAR race was then born, using, not racing cars. But, ordinary designed cars.
The color of Mr. Aquino is not Yellow. It is Greed. Whom the Gods, want to destroy, they make them Mad first. This Aquino Greedy family wants to stay in power longer? Mussolini did that. He ended up hanging in a gas staton. Adolf Hitler did that. He ended up dead in his bunker. Khadafy did that. He ended up shot in the head.
I’m tired of the Aquino family. They are boring Greedy people. Self promoting and plainly stupid.
Yellow is the color of Greed…
Where did U hear that one? I have a tower in Paris 4 sale too! LMAO.
it is true that Moon-shiners used to out-run the cops, but not because they had superior vehicles but because they had set the roads up w/booby traps, and secret entrances/exits.
NASCAR was born out of need for speed, and a place to compete safely….not a pipe-dream of some boot-leggers. Stop listenin to ex-pat bull-shit artists.
I worked with Ford Motors Company, in Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.A. When I was just starting my career, as a Technical man.
This is what the Moonshiners (drug dealers, for today) wanted. So, the Design Engineers came up with a good design for speed. Money is not a question to the Moonshiners. Outrunning cops, is better than smuggling it from Windsor, Canada. Detroit River is too treacherous; plus the cops are waiting on the other side of the border…My information came from old Design Engineers. I was able to see the Design Blueprints, as ordered by a Rich Moonshiners.
@H.T.
Khadaaffy is dead because he decided he wanted to sell Oil without using the Petro-dollar, just like Iran was doing recently b4 the accords were signed w/The USA (guess what would have happened if IRAN had refused to keep using the U.S. Dollar to sell its Oil?). Iran was selling Oil for Gold and it was working much to the detriment of the USA and the Petro-Dollar. The USA petro-dollar is what the entire world must convert to b4 it buys Oil from OPEC, and others.
That is the reason Khaddaffy is dead, he wanted to cut out the Middleman, the USA, in selling HIS countries Oil. You need to get a clue B4 YOU actually think you know what you are talking about.
You might not hear about these things over there in S.E.Asia but you do have the Internet, so you really have no excuse.
@SacreBleau
My blog here is about leaders, who stayed
in power for too long. They got killed.
Their own people get tired of them. Some went into exile.
The Middle East is a very complicated political tinderbox. Petro dollars is not just the cause. Sectarian violence is also one. Islamic Shiites versus Islamic Sunnis. Al Queda is there also. The creation of the State of Israel, is also one. If you read your Christian Bible, the Old Testament. You will find wars, conflicts, never ending antagonism there. If you remove all of these factors. People there would still be on each other’s throat.
Neil Young is a two-faced douchbag, who did not even write most of his early songs and that is evidenced by the fact that most of the music he has pot out in the last 30 years, his own, sucks!
Young ruined Carrie Snodgrass’s life, he deserted his sickly child they had. I used to like the guy till I realized the above truths about him. He has no place in USA politics, first-off, is hypocrite of gigantic proportions and his music sucks now too.
If you want to know what the USA is like, go live there. Do not think for a minute that Hollwoods representations of it, or what you read in the mainstream media is in fact what is going on. As for Neil Young? a contemptible two faced douchbag.
Actually Gerry I was disillusioned by him a long time ago. Does not mean I won’t listen to his stuff that I find good. Neil Young in the Last Waltz necessitated the utilization of primitive CGI, to remove cocaine booger in his closeups. Also a long time ago , Billy Joel complained that when he assumes characters in songs , people assume they are really him. The exact example he used was when Ray Bradbury says “I went to Venus”. Nobody believes he went there. The Billy Joel example made me think of my Grade 10 homeroom teacher who thought that Only The Good Die Young was hitting below the belt.
As for the South, I just find that symbolic war fascinating and tried to compare it to our symbolic war here. Plus I get to recommend movies and songs. Just in case people will care to watch them. One of the perks of the job.
@ Gogs, ah yes…the all important perks! Very COOL!!! it is only since ’04 that I found out what was up W/Young. Not writing the early stuff, just like Dylan. When Young played in NYC in ’04 and did not play anything from his catalogue and only his new CD (Greenville?), it was just terrible and a waste of $$$. Rust, RE-AC-TOR, is the only stuff I can stomach by the guy any more. I always thought he was THE guitarist in CSN&Y but no, STILLS was the lead player. As far as “Stars” go, he is one I really came to despise, and, unlike Billy Joel, I’ve never even met the guy.
KEEP ROCKIN…..
Neil Young isn’t even a born American. He’s Canadian, and still uses his Canadian passport.
I did mention his Winnipeg roots. If you ever saw his dad, who was a famous hockey journalist. Looks just like him.
sana tumulong na rin si madame imelda, bongbong, imee at mga kaanak nila para makabangon na agad ang tacloban city. kahit 1/10 lang ng ninakaw ng pamilyang marcos-romualdez, malaking impact na yun. at malapit na rin ang pasko. merry christmas po, madame meldy and family!
They did. But the issue here is Mar Roxas stupidity. And I know you won’t reply because the fact is you’re a REAL-LIFE PIECE OF SHIT FRAUD.
Merry Christmas po, you SON OF A BITCH! :p
So far you are correct. Typical pinoy epal than Jacinto. Thread has nothing to do with them sticks em in anyway.
YELLOW POLITICS IS NOT LINKED ONLY TO THE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION, BUT TO THE YELLOW PARASITE ANTICHRIST CHURCH OF ROME – THE ROMAN CHURCH…. WOULD YOU DARE TO DISAGREE? WHY DO THIS DIRTY, FALSE CHURCH GO AGAINST DUTERTE ALMOST IN EVERY POINT OF HIS PLATFORMS? THE ROMAN-CATHOLIC BISHOP CONFERENCE OF THE PHILIPPINES SHOULD BE SUED FOR TREASON IN THEIR OPPOSITION.. AND THE HEADS OF THIS PARASITE INSTITUTION SHOULD BE SENTENCED TO DEATH.
YELLOW RIBBON = YELLOW CHURCH (THE MOST CORRUPT AND WICKED INSTITUTION ON THIS PLANET FOR MORE THAN 2000 YEARS.