CU Dems’ Flag-Washing Raises Controversy

Twenty American flags, newly washed and hung out to dry in the sun yesterday afternoon on Low Plaza made a bold visual statement that few could ignore.

The event, hosted by the Columbia University College Democrats, was both a commemoration and a protest of the five-year anniversary of the U.S. engagement in the Iraq War. The 20 flags, each of which represented a grievance the College Democrats associated with the war, were washed, dried, and folded individually. The complete list of grievances was displayed on the ground next to the flags, highlighting the death of soldiers and civilians and the degradation of Iraqi and American rights.

According to the media director for the CU Dems, Jonathan Backer, CC ’10, the act of washing American flags is purely metaphorical. “We need to think about the restorative process,” he said. “We need to repair the flag, to bring it back to a point where it is not an edifice of cynicism.”

For some, though, the idea of publicly cleansing the flag is ideologically problematic. President of the Columbia University College Republicans, Chris Kulawik, CC ’08, who specified that he was not speaking on behalf of his organization, commented, “I really do believe this borders on the desecration of the American flag.”

But according to Backer, the act of literally washing the flag is not only legal, but encouraged. He noted that an American flag is the only thing a laundromat will wash for free.

Still, Kulawik criticized the CU Dems for what he believes to be a presumptuous and unpatriotic act. “It says something when elitist Ivy Leaguers think that they have the right—nay the responsibility—to tell us the flag needs cleansing and that they have the hubris to do so,” he said. “I think it’s insulting. I’m outraged, and I don’t think it’s something we should accept.”

Many students agreed with Kulawik. “I was offended by Jonathan Backer’s use of the phrase ‘intangible filth’ to describe the American flag,” Lauren Salz, BC ’11, said in response to Backer’s op-ed piece in the Spectator. “It [the event] is offensive and embarrassing to our school.”

Another student stopped to ask Backer about the event, only to spit on the grievances and walk away.

President of the CU Dems Josh Lipsky, CC ’08, responded to these and other claims arguing, “What we’re trying to do here is raise serious questions in an activist way. As Democrats and as progressives, we simply cannot be afraid. We have to go out there and say what we think.”

“What we’re doing is very patriotic and I think people on this campus are smart enough to figure that out,” added Mara Richard, BC ’09 and head of the activist council for the CU Dems.

Both Backer and Lipsky said that they were pleased with the outcome of the event, noting that many passers-by had stopped to take photographs or ask questions.

“I hope that all the voices get heard today and in the days after,” Kulawik said. “I hope they [the Democrats] don’t come away from this without being criticized.”

Backer said the CU Dems aimed to get people talking, even if the activity itself attracted criticism. “We welcome the controversy and look forward to the discussion,” he said.

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