Black and white flag raises controversy in small town Washington…

Some people thrive on change.  They look forward to the challenges of a new day, and relish the thought of tackling the winding road of life with all its unexpected twists and turns.

And then there are people who would rather fork their tongue in two instead of facing anything different in their life.  Such is life for some, apparently, in the tiny town of Waitsburg, in Walla Walla County in eastern Washington, population 1,250.

Charles Smith is a local artist and award-winning winemaker, who has had the gall to introduce something different into the small town where he owns two buildings and a house.  What did he do?  Why, he painted a black and white American flag on the front facade of the American Legion Post building in Waitsburg.  Which he owns.

A black and white flag adorns the American Legion Post building in Waitsburg, WA.

Apparently not everyone has taken to this idea of his.  ”He meant it to be an ambush.  I think he meant to disrespect the town,” says Vance Price, a Korean War-era veteran.  You see?  Different equals “ambush”.  Clearly, painting a flag on the front of a building that you own is an insult to the town.

Ok, enough of the sarcasm.  What amuses me to no end is how people opposed to things like this “think” that it means certain things, and those things are inevitably seen in the worst possible light.  But do they actually go to the artist to find out what his intention was and to hear about what he thinks his work means?  No, of course not, they make baseless assumptions instead.  So, let’s go over the facts of the case and the artist’s actual intentions, as opposed to drawing conclusions from thin air.

First, Smith has violated no laws with his painting.  It doesn’t violate city code, and it doesn’t violate the Flag Code.  There is no desecration here.  Period.  I would like to hear Mr. Price explain why it’s disrespectful to the town.  Another shop owner in the town has a different opinion:  ”"I think it is an extremely positive contribution to the atmosphere of Waitsburg. This gives your eye a relief. I think it’s fun.”  Mr. Price might want to consider lightening up and seeing it for what it is, not for the dark demons he’d like to attribute to it.

And what is it anyway?  Let’s hear it from the artist’s own mouth:

Wow, how disrespectful!  Oops, sorry, I’m lapsing back into sarcasm again.  It’s hard to help it though.  Why does it always seem that the people who are most offended by what they don’t understand never seem to make even the smallest effort to understand it?  Obviously, Smith’s work is anything but disrespectful – in fact, it’s the exact opposite.  And I would think a Korean War-era veteran would know the difference.