Whatever Happened to Flag Waving?

We are in one of my favorite times of the year: those weeks between Memorial Day and Independence Day. Spring moves into summer, days are longer and with Flag Day falling between these national holidays, we have three opportunities to recall those things unique to our American heritage.

What we have and what we are able celebrate in the 21st century is the direct result of generations of Americans, many of whom, in spite of the disparate cultures and beliefs, came to these shores in optimistic hopes for something better. What they did, and what so many immigrants who come here today are unwilling to do, is set aside their native heritage to become part of and pursue a dream of health, life, happiness and freedom only possible here. Immigrants of the past made the active choice to leave one culture for the hope of creating something greater in a country that valued and rewarded ideals like honesty, integrity, hard work and giving back.

The best example to illustrate this point is Frank Capra. The renowned movie producer and director immigrated from Italy to the United States with his family (parents and six brothers and sisters) in the last decade of the 19th century. As a youngster he sold newspapers, fruit, played the banjo in saloons and worked other odd jobs in order to save money for college.

While studying chemical engineering at Cal Tech, he worked as a waiter, ran the school laundry, worked in a power plant. He also edited the school newspaper and served as a captain in the Cal Tech ROTC unit. The rest of this biographical background can be read at click here

His journey took him into the film industry and most people will remember Capra for his "screwball comedies" of the 1930s and 1940s. What I appreciate about his body of work, though, is how he melded a sometimes crazy storyline with the ideas of social consciousness -- entertaining audiences and at the same time bringing home points of optimism and really, the innate goodness of people. He made movies at a time when people needed to see and feel good about the circumstances in their world, particularly the Great Depression. During World War II, and like other movies made in this time, the undercurrent theme was unabashedly American. With battles and warfare scattered across the globe, Americans still suffering the economic ravages of the Depression, the stresses families felt as loved ones were sent overseas to fight, Capra's movies provided an escape from the harsh realities of life.

Many of the stories Capra brought to the screen portrayed the idea of the struggle of the "little guy" when confronted with those corrupt powerbrokers of business, finance or even government. Besides that now standard Christmas favorite It's a Wonderful Life, those interested should check out You Can't Take it with You, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and one of my new favorites, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The theme of American individualism, American honesty, the ideals of hard work, being a good neighbor -- those things that are now considered "so much sentimentality" and not so much "reality" are lost on at least two generations of Americans who have little knowledge of our American heritage and what it truly means to be an American.

Francois Truffaut, the iconic French filmmaker, (director, screenwriter, actor and film critic), had this to say about Frank Capra:

In recognizing the facts of human suffering, uncertainty, anxiety, the everyday struggles of life, Capra, with his unquenchable optimism, was a healing force. This good doctor, who was also a great director, became a restorer of men's spirits.

In these very uncertain times with the threats of war and global terrorism, American cities suffering the ravages of unemployment, increased crime, widespread corporate and government corruption, wouldn't it be great if another Frank Capra -- immigrant-turned-American -- emerged to remind us of the optimism and hope that really is what America is all about? Everyday struggles are the plight of all humans, but what America offered was an ability to build a brighter life in spite of the obstacles, simply because American culture fostered the idea that hard work, honesty, ingenuity and the value of the individual are the things that the human spirit needs to thrive in this life.

So we fly our American flag from Memorial Day through Independence Day. It is a simple thing to do and a wonderful reminder of what it is to be American.