This past Saturday I went to visit my father as I usually do on Saturdays.
The route I usually take goes past a certain flag-flying house. The flag flown is one you may have seen. Navy blue. The lettering touts a certain president's electoral wins, one of which is blatantly false. The guy (I assume it's a guy) has swapped the flag from time to time, flying the most current iteration.
I found that giving the flag the one-finger salute as I pass makes me feel better. It doesn't do anything, but it does put a smile on my face to do it.
This past Saturday, I had to take a slightly different route. (The reasons for this are irrelevant.) Instead of just passing the back of this guy's house, I traveled along the side, making a right turn onto the usual street.
On his front lawn he had another flag planted, one you're probably aware of. And then I saw the side of his house.
Someone had spray painted "F*** Trump" there in green paint. Although, the sentiment hadn't been censored in spray paint. And I found myself smiling.
This house is in Orange County. While California is a blue state, Orange County is a very red county. (It's been getting more liberal over the years. I grew up there.) That the guy has had these flags up for years does not surprise me. That anyone spoke out against him does.
There is reason to be hopeful.
I posted this before, but it's been a while: 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action.
And a follow up to the video I posted last week. (If you can't see it, here's a direct link.)
I salute your one finger salute.
ReplyDeleteWe have a house near us that had an over the top tribute to Trump, dozens of flags, anti LGBTQ, etc., etc. I can imagine how many one fingered salutes he got over the years. He has totally calmed it down and removed most of it. I'm hoping he's changed his stance.
ReplyDeleteSo many are taking down flags and such. I wonder if they've changed or they are realizing that their stances aren't as popular as they once thought.
DeleteThings are starting to shift …I don’t condone vandalism but agree with the sentiment.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's the thing. I don't condone the doing of the graffiti.
DeleteI can see why the one finger salute makes you happy.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize there were heavily red places in California. We live in a VERY red county, so we see those flags and signs all of the time, unfortunately.
Oh yeah. Remember, Reagan and Nixon were from California. And places not far from me. There are some very rural areas, and they're heavily red. Central CA. OC. Places inland. It's just balanced by LA, SF, and other bigger cities.
DeleteIf my daughter had her way, and she may in the future, she'd live in Orange Co. She would add a bit of blue! Oregon votes blue, but the red areas are huge, but much less populated. My county is purple. One house nearby still have their Trump/Pence signs up! When Trump ran the first time a house down the street was all Trump flags. His second time, not a thing. They learned their lesson I guess. We still call it the "Trump House," and the kids the "Trump Kids" when we need to refer to them at all! We have too many pickup trucks flying gigantic flags, American, Trump faces, even a few confederate.
ReplyDeleteWhen I see the huge flags in trucks, I wonder if they're compensating for something...
DeleteI grew up in Orange County, and I've been liberal my whole life. There's plenty of blue in OC, and more all the time. I look forward to the day it goes blue, but there are some areas where the rich live.
Graffiti is such a waste of time.
ReplyDeleteHad been to the Orange city twice. Things are not going in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteYa it looks like things are shifting, albeit slightly; but significant though. Mid-term elections this year will be a good pointer, I guess.
ReplyDeletePolitics and People.....a debatable topic!
ReplyDeletePeople may be shifting away from you-know-who but they are also keeping their basic beliefs. Let's see how they feel when the government starts trying to take away the midterms. Oh, that's right, they are already trying.
ReplyDeleteI know my state changed our congressional map in reaction to some of this chicanery. (My congressional map now includes Newport Beach. They won't like my liberal MOC.)
DeleteDefinitely agree with the sentiment. The one-finger salute would make me smile, too.
ReplyDeleteI'm in a very red part of the godforsaken swamp state, and there's a house on my regular route that has long been covered in those flags...but not anymore. At first I thought they had taken them down to put up new ones (which has been their MO for a while) but no new ones ever went up. A small thing, but a shift nonetheless.
I enjoy seeing art in cities, but murals and nice paintings done by artists...many are hired to do this work.
ReplyDeleteGraffiti, I cannot stand. Here in Montreal the graffiti is usually done by gangs. And it is not pretty.
Yeah, but this was art *chef's kiss*
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