Pros And Cons Of Flag Desecration

Symbols mean a lot, and when one represents a whole country a lot of controversy can surround that symbol; In this case, the flag of the United States is an important symbol that stands for many things. Some people put the flag of the United States on a pedestal, they look up to the flag, and value it, so when someone desecrates the flag they get infuriated. On the other hand, some people see the flag as a symbol of our freedom that supports the First Amendment which allows us to disrespect the flag if we want to. For many years controversy has surrounded flag desecration and one of the most famous cases surrounding the topic would be Texas v. Johnson (1989): This case focused on Gregory Lee Johnson and if his act of flag burning was “symbolic speech” protected by the First Amendment--They

A lot of citizens want our country to have patriotic customs, they say that “We must restore our flag to its rightful place under the law so that our children and our grandchildren will never be confused about its meaning, its value, or the price paid to preserve it” (Wheeler). Most people agree that we should respect our flag, but this amendment is bigger than the flag, it is about upholding our First Amendment right even if that means disrespecting our sacred flag. Another argument that supports the amendment would be that people don’t think that flag burning is considered “speech” they argue that “what is said when the flag is burned?” (Brady). Although nothing is verbally said when burning a flag the message is “symbolic speech” and this can be backed up by Texas v Johnson (1989). In conclusion, although flag burning may be disrespectful this “symbolic speech” is allowed by the First Amendment and we should keep it this way instead of giving up a