December 15, 2009
Dear Colleague:
I opened a large box and was greatly surprised to find in it a huge American flag and a certificate which reads as follows:
The Flag of the United States of America. This is to certify that the accompanying flag was flown over the United States Capitol on December 5, 2009. At the request of the Honorable Mark H. Schauer, Member of Congress, this flag was flown for University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Emeritus Yi-Fu Tuan, on the occasion of his 79th birthday.
It was signed by Stephen T. Ayer, Acting Architect of the Capitol.
Well, am I a VIP? Not at all. But I am a citizen, and the dignity of a citizen in the good old USA is such that he or she has the right to have his or her birthday marked in this semi-official and conspicuous manner. But, you say, it is just a symbol--a gimmick. Maybe so. I believe, however, that such a symbolic gesture–a gimmick, if you like–is nevertheless deeply revealing of the values of society. I am a Chinese by birth. As a Chinese citizen, is it conceivable that on my birthday, the flag of the People’s Republic will be flown over Tiananmen Square? Of course not. Equally inconceivable is that the birthday of an ordinary British subject will be celebrated by having the Union Jack raised over Buckingham Palace. The Queen, for one, will not be amused. The contest of symbols occurs not only in public space. It is being waged right now in my little Science Hall office. A flag of the People’s Republic of China sits on my desk. It was the only flag, but now it is overshadowed by the gigantic Star-Spangled Banner.
At issue in all hierarchical societies is the dignity of the ordinary man and woman. In a traditional hierarchical society, he or she has very little. Kowtowing to one’s superior is one form of showing one’s low status. How far can soul-blighting deference to power go? The sinologist Simon Leys tells a story that dates back to the Tang dynasty (608-917). “The younger brother of an official prepares to leave for his first posting. He promises his elder brother that he will be patiently obedient in all his dealings with his superior. ‘If they spit on me, I shall simply wipe my face without a word.’ ‘Oh, replies the elder brother, aghast. ‘They might take your gesture for an impudence. Let the spittle dry by itself.’” You, dear reader, might think that such humility in the ordinary person, vis-à-vis power, can only occur in another country, or in the Dark Ages. But think again. Even in America, the lack of dignity of the ordinary citizen can know no bounds. Consider this story. When John F. Kennedy, Jr. died in an airplane crash at age thirty-eight, people lined outside his New York residence to pay homage. A twenty-nine-year old salesman, Anthony Owens, was among them and in tears. Several years ago, Owens made a delivery to Kennedy’s office building and spied him in the corridor. “I froze,” he said. “Then I started shaking like this.” He extended a trembling hand (New York Times, July 22,1999). Why? How is it that the mere sight of a Kennedy could make the salesman forgets that he too is made in the image of God? Theology aside, would Owens be so much in awe if he knows that he is a citizen, and that as such he matters? To what degree does he matter? Well, symbolically–a symbol not to be forgotten–is that on his birthday, the national flag will be raised over the US Capitol.
Realists will say, forget the flag, just make my vote count. I say, your vote cannot and will not count unless it is backed by the sentiment embodied in the country’s founding documents and by gestures of respect toward the ordinary citizen such as the one involving the flag.
Best wishes,
Yi-Fu
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