I went to work today wearing a big old American Flag tie. The stars are near the knot with red and white stripes at the bottom. It’s a nice tie and it’s one of my favorites. I’m not sure I would have worn it in the late 60s.
Back then, as now, a controversial war was being fought. It was a war fought primarily by conscripts – we still had a draft. Today, it’s a war being fought by National Guardsmen.
If I would have worn this tie in 1968, I would have been yelled at or derided. Being patriotic was unacceptable. Today, angst about the war seems to be separated from patriotism.
It’s interesting to note. There are so many parallels between then and now and, obviously, many differences.