November 02, 2021
So the Massachusetts state flag may be redesigned in the next year or so. When I was a kid I kind of liked the Flag, then again the first time I saw the flag it was in a book probably made in the 60s that instead of photographs of the each flag they had crude drawings, so six year old Jared thought our flag had a golden knight on it, and also a sword, and knights and swords are cool! Then I saw a better image of the flag and saw that the figure wasn't a knight, but that of a Native American, and the sword was weirdly held by a disembodied hand for some reason? Hey what's that Latin mean? I don't know, I'm like nine now. Then I later learned what that Latin means. "By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty." So yeah, I can see how someone might see the images of a drawn sword being held above a Native American's head with a motto that could be interpreted as, "We're just gonna stab people until everyone agrees that they don't want to be stabbed anymore, and listen to what the people with the swords say, lest the stabbing makes a comeback," might be problematic for some people.
But do you know what's demonstrably less problematic? Our Patreon! I think the most polarizing thing our Patreon represents is the idea that the arts should be supported, and if you don't think that's a polarized topic, I'd ask you to research why first run episodes of Sesame Street air on HBO now. Although I suppose that's more an example of access to education being polarized, but those muppets be wicked creative damn it!