Supporting your country doesn’t mean blindly following the government’s every move. You should question a law or act if it doesn’t feel right or fair. When an artist in Missouri recorded herself with an American flag burning in the background, you would have expected some horrendously unsupportive comments. I know I did, and I was 100% wrong (and I’m glad I was). In fact, the most wholesome support he got came from a surprising group.
Artist Julie Burrito shared her video on TikTok, where she’s beading an American flag. In the background, a cloth American flag is aflame, which she’s been doing in protest. Julie says her reason behind the video is because of Donald Trump’s recent executive order, which states flag burning would result in a year in jail. As Rage Against The Machine plays in the background, Julie beads the flag. As they sing, “F**k you, I won’t do what you tell me,” the flag steadily burns from the bottom up.
Burning an American flag has largely been known to be a form of political expression over America’s history. Not to mention controversial, at least to conservatives. More importantly, it’s protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution but, as with most things, President Trump doesn’t hold that sacred. Still, Julie continues to bead and do her thing. As one commenter asked, “Why don’t some people realize that this embodies what it means to be an American?!?!!”
Now, I expected men and women who served in the military would be the most negative about Julie’s protest. And there’s plenty of interactions like that on social media, but I was pleasantly surprised. Military veterans came out in droves to show their support on Julie’s video. One commenter said, “Disabled Marine veteran here, I just want to say thank you.”
Another stated, “U.S. Army Veteran. This right here is what we all served for. Don’t give up your freedom to a tyrant. I approve this!” Or, as one person put it: “All I’m seein’ is a true patriot.” It’s my understanding the U.S. military defends our right to speak up, and Julie exercising that right is as patriotic as it gets.
