Spiegelman vs. Pollitt

There was one panel we did not discuss that I found to be poignant and also relevant in our post-9/11 world. It can be found at the very top of page 7. In it, Spiegelman echoes Katha Pollitt in illustrating that the “provincial” American flag may be an inappropriate symbolic representation of our solidarity, and that a globe would be a better option. Unlike Pollitt, however, he manages to make his point in a handful of words and a couple of pictures – not by writing a roundabout article. Moreover, Spiegelman then uses this point to indicate his belief that Americans are essentially hiding behind the flag. The illustration on the far right – the Red, White & Blue Alert – is significant in that it [humorously] depicts the seeming silliness of the Homeland Security Advisory System, the anxiety following 9/11, and the clean slate handed to the government. It says a lot about how Americans turned a blind eye to what the government was doing and let them unilaterally make poor decisions under the pretense of doing what is best for the country.

What I found most interesting were my contrasting reactions to this Spiegelman illustration and to the Pollitt article. After reading “Put Out No Flags,” I felt that Pollitt’s idea to use the globe as a symbol was an impractical one. I thought I saw the importance of the Stars and Stripes as a sign of solidarity, but Spiegelman (possibly in combination with Pollitt) made me realize that it was a little more like a blindfold that much of the American public temporarily put over their eyes. It seems that the mounting discontent with our present government is an indication that the blindfold is off.