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What do you think about Rolling Stones burning American flag joint? 
What do you think about Rolling Stones burning American flag joint?
The American flag joint image discussed in this blog is featured in the Rolling Stone magazine articled called MarijuanAmerica: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/32873354/marijuanamerica
I wonder what Gorman & Gorman (credited for the photograph in the article) were trying to convey with this image. The image is large enough to take up the top half of 2 pages in the print magazine. If an advertiser had paid for the space it would have cost a pretty penny.
The internet image is much smaller and less imposing but still would have cost an advertiser a considerable amount.
I cannot be 100% sure how much time and energy they put into this image but I will put considerable time into decoding the image. The first thing that struck me was the fact that the joint in the image is lit.
I dont know if the cherry on the joint is photoshopped in but I dont think it matters because the American flag joint looks on fire with a burnt section next to the cherry with the other end ashy.
To me it looks like an American flag being burnt as a joint burns. It seems like the photographer are equating smoking pot to burning an American flag. Thats a powerful and political image.
Personally, Im a bit indifferent to the idea of burning the American flag. Though I never have (and probably never will) want to burn the American flag, I think people have the freedom to do as they please as long as it doesnt infringe on the rights of others.
I see burning a flag as symbolic speech which is protected under our First Amendment Rights. It harms no one but gives voice to a dissent against the government. And I thought our Founding Fathers meant to protect all expressions of non-violent dissent against the government, especially if the government is going against the will and rights of its people.
I realize not everyone views the burning of an American flag so liberally. So I decided to ask my facebook friends what they thought of burning an American flag.
Now remember, most of my 1500+ facebook friends support medical cannabis and probably consume the medicinal herb and none of them knew I was asking about the Rolling Stones image. They were just responding to my status update about burning an American flag.
One of the first things pointed out is, it used to be illegal to burn an American flag until it was found to be unconstitutional to make laws against this symbolic speech. So just like it used to be illegal to burn the American flag, it is illegal to burn cannabis.
Both are non-violent crimes which some argue we should have the right to do.
So how are flag burners viewed in this country? One of my facebook friends, who is a medical cannabis patient, said flag burners are a disgrace to the ones that shed blood for FREEDOMS. Another said, They are trying to piss somebody off. Are cannabis consumers seen as a disgrace? As just wanting to piss someone off?
Im sure they are by some people but not by the people that responded to my facebook status update. I wonder what the people who approved this image at Rolling Stone magazine think of flag burners and cannabis consumers.
Another respondent also brought up the Pledge of Allegiance and I commented that at the end of the pledge I always add, Liberty and Justice for ALL including medical cannabis patients.
One responder said we (as Americans) are programmed/conditioned to view the flag as a symbol of identity, solidarity, protection & pride. And then he acknowledged that one trait of being American is to be rebellious.
Smoking cannabis is also a symbol of identity, solidarity, protection, pride and rebellion for many people. I can identify with a few of those symbols myself, as a medical cannabis patient. Yet, Ive never heard anyone claim to burn the American flag for medical purposes.
So what do you think about the Rolling Stones burning American flag joint?
The American flag joint image discussed in this blog is featured in the Rolling Stone magazine articled called MarijuanAmerica: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/32873354/marijuanamerica
I wonder what Gorman & Gorman (credited for the photograph in the article) were trying to convey with this image. The image is large enough to take up the top half of 2 pages in the print magazine. If an advertiser had paid for the space it would have cost a pretty penny.
The internet image is much smaller and less imposing but still would have cost an advertiser a considerable amount.
I cannot be 100% sure how much time and energy they put into this image but I will put considerable time into decoding the image. The first thing that struck me was the fact that the joint in the image is lit.
I dont know if the cherry on the joint is photoshopped in but I dont think it matters because the American flag joint looks on fire with a burnt section next to the cherry with the other end ashy.
To me it looks like an American flag being burnt as a joint burns. It seems like the photographer are equating smoking pot to burning an American flag. Thats a powerful and political image.
Personally, Im a bit indifferent to the idea of burning the American flag. Though I never have (and probably never will) want to burn the American flag, I think people have the freedom to do as they please as long as it doesnt infringe on the rights of others.
I see burning a flag as symbolic speech which is protected under our First Amendment Rights. It harms no one but gives voice to a dissent against the government. And I thought our Founding Fathers meant to protect all expressions of non-violent dissent against the government, especially if the government is going against the will and rights of its people.
I realize not everyone views the burning of an American flag so liberally. So I decided to ask my facebook friends what they thought of burning an American flag.
Now remember, most of my 1500+ facebook friends support medical cannabis and probably consume the medicinal herb and none of them knew I was asking about the Rolling Stones image. They were just responding to my status update about burning an American flag.
One of the first things pointed out is, it used to be illegal to burn an American flag until it was found to be unconstitutional to make laws against this symbolic speech. So just like it used to be illegal to burn the American flag, it is illegal to burn cannabis.
Both are non-violent crimes which some argue we should have the right to do.
So how are flag burners viewed in this country? One of my facebook friends, who is a medical cannabis patient, said flag burners are a disgrace to the ones that shed blood for FREEDOMS. Another said, They are trying to piss somebody off. Are cannabis consumers seen as a disgrace? As just wanting to piss someone off?
Im sure they are by some people but not by the people that responded to my facebook status update. I wonder what the people who approved this image at Rolling Stone magazine think of flag burners and cannabis consumers.
Another respondent also brought up the Pledge of Allegiance and I commented that at the end of the pledge I always add, Liberty and Justice for ALL including medical cannabis patients.
One responder said we (as Americans) are programmed/conditioned to view the flag as a symbol of identity, solidarity, protection & pride. And then he acknowledged that one trait of being American is to be rebellious.
Smoking cannabis is also a symbol of identity, solidarity, protection, pride and rebellion for many people. I can identify with a few of those symbols myself, as a medical cannabis patient. Yet, Ive never heard anyone claim to burn the American flag for medical purposes.
So what do you think about the Rolling Stones burning American flag joint?
