Due to recent events, many have been lead to question the patriotism of citizens residing within our country today. Those who find themselves doubting this, may have been accused of misusing the American flag as patriotic attire by the very people causing them to consider our divide. Of course, there are many that are truly concerned about the treatment of the flag and ensuring it is not being misused. However, the ones who attempt to contradict those who proudly wear their country's flag appear to be at the head of this disagreement.

First, let's start out by making it clear that according to The American Legion, "unless an article of clothing is made from an actual United States flag, there is no breach of flag etiquette whatsoever. People are simply expressing their patriotism and love of country by wearing an article of clothing that happens to be red, white, and blue with stars and stripes." With this, we can see a clear difference in the violation of flag etiquette through the images below.

The person in the image on the left is simply wearing a hoodie made to resemble the flag but does not contain any materials from an authentic American flag. Therefore, they are not in any kind of formal violation of flag etiquette. However, the image on the right not only uses an actual flag but also disgraces it. The woman is draped by the flag insinuating that she is not wearing any clothing underneath of it. To be clear, she would still be violating etiquette had she dismantled the flag to create an article of clothing out of it in order to be fully clothed.

These examples are direct and provide straightforward guidance on what may or may not be acceptable in terms of patriotic clothing. However few consider the indirect possibilities of publicly dishonoring the flag even while wearing a piece of clothing that was not made of authentic material. In other words, this indirect reproach is not necessarily spelled out in a code of ethics. Rather, it is an assumed matter of common sense. For instance, the way one carries themselves while wearing clothing that resembles the flag should be done so with careful consideration of how others might perceive their actions while wearing something that singles them out as a proud American citizen. One would not otherwise conduct themselves in such a disrespectful manner if they were sporting a job uniform that includes the company's name across their chest so why should this present a different circumstance? Poor representation of a company is nothing compared to the false representation of a nation to those visiting from other countries. Should a tourist visiting our country run into say, the famous naked cowboy of New York City wearing nothing but an American flag speedo, they may not get the same impression of our country had they instead witnessed the flag draped over a coffin in honor of a fallen soldier.

The greatest influence for intolerance toward patriotic clothing today, however, is not the misuse of those wearing clothing that was not directly made from an authentic flag. Rather, it seems to be the backlash from those being called out for defacing national monuments, disrespecting the elected president, and burning the American flag. Those who are answering to or supporting such actions now attempt to grasp at anything to point blame at those who are calling them out thus questioning the true meaning of having respect for the flag and its initial intended purpose.

Ultimately, flag etiquette is very simple. While we possess the freedom to do and say as we wish within reason as law-abiding citizens, this does not mean that we have the right to take advantage of such freedoms simply because we are entitled to them. The American flag and those who fight for our right to wave it high deserve to see their efforts appreciated and respected. For no one is entitled, but privileged due to the sacrifices of those willing to fight for our country.