Desecration Should Be Banned

Due to recent political shifts in power, questions regarding the protection of the American flag from desecration have resurfaced. In its nearly 250-year existence, the American flag has been altered and redone several times, but the symbolism behind the flag has remained constant. The flag represents everything that makes this country great from the resounding cry of the people to the hard fight for freedom, but most importantly the inalienable freedom of man. To truly protect the flag and its symbolic significance, it must be allowed to be desecrated. By banning the defilement of the American flag, we endanger the very liberty the flag is meant to protect. Those in favor of protecting the flag from desecration often argue that by allowing the defilement of the flag, we are tarnishing the banner that hundreds of thousands Americans died defending. This argument, however, fails to acknowledge that these …show more content…
If we ban something, such as the burning of the American flag, because a majority of the American populace deems it offensive, it opens the door for other gross restrictions of the American people’s constitutional rights. A certain group could argue that books or magazines insulting their leaders should be banned. Before long, entire newspapers or genres of music could be prohibited because Christians, Muslims, Republicans, Democrats, or any other group find their content offensive. Although many would argue that changes would never proceed to this extent, simply the idea that a sufficiently large enough or powerful enough mass of people is able to dictate the freedoms and liberties of others should appall the minds of every true supporter of democracy. Despite the fact that acts such as the burning of the American flag are horrible and misguided, we cannot allow our hatred for them to destroy the free society that so many have died to