In 1989, an artist by the name of Dread Scott, who has also graced the TED stage, created a piece of art in Chicago, where he simply placed an American flag on the ground and then invited you the viewer to go and stand on that flag and record how it felt in a journal. And to me, one of the most powerful things written in that journal, in essence, says, "Why are we so OK with homeless people, with human beings laying on the ground, but not flags?"
Godine 1989. umjetnik Dread Scott, koji je također nastupao na TED-ovoj pozornici, stvorio je umjetničko djelo u Chicagu tako što je jednostavno smjestio američku zastavu na pod i pozvao članove publike da stanu na zastavu i zabilježe svoje osjećaje u dnevnik. Za mene je najsnažnija stvar zapisana u dnevniku bila: "Zašto smo tako pomireni s beskućnicima, s ljudskim bićima koja leže po podu, ali ne i zastavama?"
And to some of you, this piece of art is quite disturbing. And that's kind of the point of this talk -- not to upset you or to make you mad but to prove to you that flags have an incredible power, and that even if you think you don't care about flags, you do. You know you do. Alright.
I za neke od vas, ovo umjetničko djelo je dosta uznemirujuće. I to je ustvari poanta ovog govora -- ne uznemiriti vas i ne naljutiti, nego dokazati vam da zastave imaju nevjerojatnu moć i da iako smatrate da vas nije briga za zastave - ipak jest. Znate da jest. U redu.
By the end of it, I hope that you're inspired to go out and harness this power of flags and fight for a better world. But before we get there, we're going to start on the opposite end of the spectrum. And before I show you the next stuff, I need to say that anything I show here is not an endorsement, it's usually quite the opposite. But more than anything, what I want to do is create a space here where we can look at these flags, these designs, and examine how they make us feel. We're going to talk about our emotions. Is that OK with everybody?
Na kraju svega nadam se da ćete biti inspirirani da izađete i upijete moć zastava i borite se za bolji svijet. Ali prije nego što dođemo tamo, počet ćemo s drugom krajnosti spektra. Prije nego što vam pokažem sljedeću stvar, moram reći da sve što pokažem ovdje nije odobravanje, već često potpuno suprotno. Ali više nego išta, ono što želim jest stvoriti prostor gdje možemo pogledati ove zastave, ove dizajne, i proučiti kako se osjećamo gledajući ih. Govorit ćemo o našim emocijama. Jeste li svi OK s tim?
OK. Are you ready for your first flag?
OK. Jeste li spremni za prvu zastavu?
Cool, we'll start with an easy one. That was a joke. (Laughs) So, some of you may be a little bit uneasy sitting in a room with this. I'm certainly feeling uneasy standing in front of it. Some of you may be feeling a little bit of pride. And that's understandable. This is Texas. This is not a rare sight, is it?
Super, počet ćemo s jednostavnom. Ovo je šala. (Smijeh) Dakle, nekima od vas je možda malo neugodno sjediti u istoj sobi s njom. Ja se zasigurno osjećam nelagodno stajati ispred nje. Neki od vas možda osjećaju i malo ponosa. I to je razumljivo. Ovo je Texas. Nije rijedak prizor, zar ne?
But let's start with the facts. So this is not the Confederate flag. OK? This is the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee. So next time someone tells you that this is their heritage, unless their family fought for that very specific militia, they're wrong, alright? And you have a flag expert's permission to tell them so. This flag rose into prominence during the mid-1950s and '60s as a response to the growing Civil Rights Movement. And then of course today, it has come to represent the Confederacy to most of us. But I shouldn't have to remind you what the Confederacy is. It was a rogue nation that rose up against the United States, waged war on the US, and at one point in time, this was one of the most un-American things you could have. But yet, this flag is protected by the same laws that protect the United States flag in the states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Ali počnimo s činjenicama. Dakle ovo nije zastava Konfederacije. OK? Ovo je borbena zastava vojske Sjeverne Virdžinije koju je vodio general Robert E. Lee. Tako da kada vam sljedeći put netko kaže da je to njihovo naslijeđe, osim ukoliko se njihova obitelj borila baš u toj specifičnoj službi, znate da su u krivu, u redu? I imate dopuštenje stručnjaka za zastave da im to kažete. Ova zastava se posebno počela isticati tijekom 1950-ih i 1960-ih kao odgovor na rast Pokreta za ljudska prava. A danas je, naravno, počela predstavljati Konfederaciju većini nas. Ali ne moram vas podsjećati što je to Konfederacija. To je bila pobunjenička država koja je ustala protiv SAD-a, ratovala protiv SAD-a i u jednom trenutku ovo je bila jedna od "najneameričkijih" stvari koje možete imati. Ali ipak, ova zastava je zaštićena istim zakonima koji štite zastavu SAD-a, i to u sljedećim državama: Florida, Georgia, Južna Karolina, Mississippi i Louisiana.
But let's pick on Georgia for a second, shall we? So in 1956, a few years after desegregation was mandated in public schools, Georgia changed their state flag to this. I think everyone watching can agree that this was not meant to be a flag that every Georgian was proud to fly outside of their home, was it? No. Just like all of the Confederate statues erected in the mid-1950s and '60s, this was meant to be a symbol of who was in charge and who was not. This remained the flag of Georgia until the year 2001, and in that year, they changed their flag to this. Now, as a flag expert, I can tell you: this is officially ugly. OK? It's OK to laugh at this flag. It's ugly, and because it's so ugly, that's one of the reasons they changed it just two years later. They had a referendum where they got to choose between that thing and then what is now the current flag of Georgia.
Ali uzmimo baš Georgiju na sekundu, može? Dakle, 1956. godine, nekoliko godina nakon što je desegregacija proglašena u javnim školama, Georgija je promijenila svoju zastavu u ovu. Mislim da se svi koji gledaju mogu složiti da ovo nije trebala biti zastava na koju će svaki stanovnik Georgije biti ponosan ispred svog doma, zar ne? Ne. Kao što su to bili svi spomenici Konfederacije podignuti 1950-ih i 1960-ih, ovo je trebao biti simbol tko je gazda, a tko nije. Ovo je ostala zastava Georgije do 2001. godine i te godine su promijenili zastavu u ovu. Kao stručnjak za zastave mogu vam reći da je ova zastava službeno - ružna. OK? U redu se smijati ovoj zastavi. Ružna je, i baš zato što je ružna, to je bio jedan od razloga da je promijene nakon samo dvije godine. Održali su referendum gdje su mogli birati između nje i onoga što je današnja zastava Georgije.
Now some of you might be wondering, "Wait a second, Michael -- if that before wasn't the Confederate flag, what was the Confederate flag?" Georgia flies the first flag of the Confederate States of America to this day. They just slapped their state seal on it.
Neki od vas se sada pitaju: "Samo sekundu, Michaele, ako ono maloprije nije bila zastava Konfederacije, što onda jest?" Georgija koristi prvu zastavu Konfederacije do današnjeg dana. Samo su nalijepili svoj državni grb na nju.
Well, let's go back to our emotions for a second. That didn't punch you in the gut as much as the other one did, did it? Right? And that's why I love flags. They are the simplest pieces of design, usually just two or three colors, just some bars or stripes. But yet, they can invoke the deepest emotions within us. They'll make us swell with pride or burn with hatred. We will die for a flag or even kill for one.
Pa, vratimo se našim emocijama na sekundu. Ova vas nije toliko pogodila kao ona prije, zar ne? Je li tako? Zato volim zastave. One su najjednostavnijeg dizajna, obično dvije ili tri boje, samo par stupaca ili linija. Ali ipak mogu probuditi naše najdublje osjećaje. Učinit će nas strašno ponosnima ili ćemo izgarati od mržnje. Umiremo za zastavu ili čak ubijamo zbog nje.
One of my favorite designers, his name is Wally Olins, they call him the father of nation branding, and he's quoted as saying that "Everyone wants to belong, and then they want to display symbols of belonging." And it's crazy that these pieces of cloth that are just sewn together or dyed come to be such a sacred item, and that's because they become parts of our identity. They are powerful tools to unify but equally powerful tools to divide.
Jedan od mojih omiljenih dizajnera je Wally Olins. Zovu ga ocem brendiranja nacija i njegov citat je: "Svi žele pripadati i žele istaknuti simbole svoga pripadanja." I totalno je ludo da ti komadi tkanine koji su samo ušiveni ili obojani postaju tako sveti predmeti, a to je zato što postaju dio našeg identiteta. One su moćan alat zajedništva, ali također i moćan alat razdvajanja.
You ready for the next flag? Right. Take a moment. Really examine how you felt when this hit the screen. I'm going to change the slide pretty quickly so you don't take pictures of me in front of this one.
Jeste li spremni za sljedeću zastavu? U redu. Uzmite vremena. Istinski proučite kako se osjećate kada se ovo pojavilo na ekranu. Promijenit ću dijapozitiv vrlo brzo tako da me ne uslikate ispred nje.
(Laughter)
(Smijeh)
Alright?
U redu?
So Germany after World War I, it was in a pretty bad state, and a young Adolf Hitler had a lot of -- let's call them -- "ideas," of how Germany got to where they'd gotten and how to get them out. He spent entire chapters in his book "Mein Kampf," which I don't recommend reading, about how Germany lost World War I partially because the British had better graphic design and better propaganda.
Dakle, Njemačka nakon Prvog svjetskog rata bila je u poprilično lošem stanju i mladi Adolf Hitler imao je puno, nazovimo ih - "ideja" - o tome kako je Njemačka došla tu gdje jest i kako je izvući iz toga. Posvetio je cijela poglavlja svoje knjige "Moja borba", koju ne preporučam za čitanje, o tome kako je Njemačka izgubila Prvi svjetski rat djelomično zbog toga što su Britanci imali bolji grafički dizajn i bolju propagandu.
So, as the Nazi Party rose, Hitler created one of the thickest brand guides I've ever seen. It's thicker than most company brand guides today, and in it, he details titles and uniforms and lots and lots of flags. Hitler knew the power of flags. He says in "Mein Kampf," "The new flag ... should prove effective as a large poster, [because] in hundreds of thousands of cases a really striking emblem may be the first cause of awakening interest in a movement." He was an artist, after all. He knew the power of visual identity and uniforms could reignite the German identity. And to millions of Germans, this was a welcome sign. But of course, this was also a mark of death to others.
Kako je Nacistička stranka rasla, Hitler je kreirao jedan od najdebljih priručnika o brendu koje sam ikada vidio. Deblji je i od većine priručnika kompanija za brendiranje danas i u njemu detaljno opisuje titule, uniforme i mnoštvo, mnoštvo zastava. Hitler je znao za moć zastava. U "Mojoj borbi" kaže: "Nova zastava ... treba imati efekt velikoga plakata [zato što] u stotinama tisuća slučajeva zbilja moćan amblem može biti jedan od prvih razloga pobuđivanja interesa u određeni pokret." Ipak je on bio umjetnik. Znao je da moć vizualnog identiteta i uniforme mogu pomoći pri ponovnom usponu njemačkog identiteta. I za milijune Nijemaca to je bio dobrodošao znak. Ali, dakako, to je također bio znak smrti za ostale.
We don't often think of flags as weapons, but like the Confederate battle flag, the Germans used their flag to make an out-group feel unwelcome and less than. You see, when you create a flag, you immediately do two things: you create an in-group, a group that's meant to be represented by the symbol, but then, inevitably, you create an out-group. And usually, that's subtle. It's a byproduct. It's usually not the intent. But the Germans were very clear as to who was represented by the swastika and who was not.
Često ne razmišljamo o zastavama kao o oružju, ali kao i borbene zastave Konfederacije, Nijemci su koristili svoje zastave kako bi svaku vanjsku grupu učinili nedobrodošlima i manjima. Vidite, kada kreirate zastavu, odmah činite dvije stvari: kreirate unutarnju grupu, grupu koja bi trebala biti predstavljena simbolom, ali uz to, nesumnjivo, kreirate i vanjsku grupu. Obično je to suptilno. To je nuspojava. Obično to nije namjera. Ali Nijemci su bili poprilično jasni o tome tko je predstavljen svastikom, a tko nije.
In 1935, Jewish people were banned from flying German flags. And in this way, the Germans, maybe more than any other time in history, used the dual power of flags to unite but also to divide. Flags were used as identity weapons. And now, in 2019, the Nazi flag is banned from being flown by anyone in Germany and anyone in Austria, in Hungary, in Russia and in Ukraine. Think about that. It's a piece of cloth, but it's banned. On its face, that sounds crazy. But I don't think anyone in this room would disagree that it's probably good. Sounds a lot like a weapon.
Godine 1935. Židovima je zabranjeno koristiti se njemačkom zastavom. I time su Nijemci, možda više nego ikada u povijesti, koristili dvostruku moć svojih zastava kako bi ujedinili ali i razdvojili. Zastave su korištene kao oružje identiteta. I danas, 2019. godine, nacistička zastava je zabranjena za korištenje svakome u Njemačkoj, i svakome u Austriji, Mađarskoj, Rusiji i Ukrajini. Razmislite o tome. To je komad tkanine, a ipak zabranjen. Na prvu, to zvuči ludo. Ali mislim da nitko u prostoriji ne bi proturječio da je to dobro. Zvuči kao oružje.
As a vexillologist, sometimes the most interesting thing about a flag is not so much its design, but it's those laws around the flag. For instance, in India, to create an Indian flag, you must use a hand-spun cloth named "khadi." If you make a flag out of anything else, you could go to jail for up to three years. It's crazy. Here in Texas, we've all heard that the Texas flag is the only state flag that can fly at the same height as the US, flag, right? Because we were a nation before we were a state. Who here has heard that? Yeah. Well, I'm here to tell you that is completely false. OK? First of all, we were not the only state that was a nation before joining up. And secondly, all state flags can fly at the same height as the US flag according to the US flag code.
Kao stručnjaku za zastave ponekad mi je najinteresantnija stvar vezana za zastave ne toliko dizajn, nego zakoni vezani uz zastave. Primjerice, u Indiji, kako biste kreirali indijsku zastavu, morate koristiti ručno predenu tkaninu koja se naziva "khadi". Ukoliko napravite zastavu od bilo čega drugoga, možete završiti u zatvoru do čak tri godine. Totalno ludo. Ovdje u Texasu smo svi čuli da je teksaška državna zastava jedina koja može biti postavljena na istoj visini kao zastava SAD-a, točno? To je zato što smo bili nacija prije nego smo postali država. Tko je od vas to čuo? Da. Pa, sada ću vam reći da je to potpuno krivo. OK? Kao prvo, nismo bili jedina država koja je imala naciju prije pristupanja. I drugo, sve državne zastave mogu biti na istoj visini kao i zastava SAD-a prema američkom kodeksu o zastavama.
And I don't have to ask you how you feel about this one, right? Most of us grew up pledging allegiance to this every morning, knowing we should never let it touch the ground, etc. We take our flag code very seriously here in the United States.
Ne moram vas niti pitati što mislite o ovoj, je li tako? Većina nas je odrasla zaklinjući se njoj svako jutro, znajući da nikad ne smijemo dopustiti da dotakne pod, itd. Svoju zastavu shvaćamo vrlo ozbiljno ovdje u SAD-u.
You remember, recently some NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. It was a big controversy. They were breaking the flag code. It states during the national anthem, stand at attention, hand at the heart, etc. But what was fascinating to me as a vexillologist is that I didn't see anyone getting upset when something like this happens. The flag code says, "The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free." So sometimes during the exact same national anthem, this was being done, and no one's upset. Or this. This happens all the time. The flag code is clear: "No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or on an athletic uniform." This is Texas A&M baseball, not to get them in trouble, but this happens all the time, especially in November. I'm sure, I can almost guarantee when you leave here tonight, you will see on the back of someone's car or truck a black and white American flag with a blue stripe, a thin blue line, right? Blue Lives Matter. That breaks the flag code in multiple ways.
Sjetit ćete se, nedavno su neki NFL igrači klečali prilikom izvođenja himne. Bila je to velika kontroverza. Nisu poštovali kodeks o zastavi. On kaže da tijekom intoniranja himne moramo stajati mirno, s rukom na srcu, itd. Ali ono što mi je kao stručnjaku za zastave bilo fascinantno je to da nisam vidio da se itko uznemiri kada se dogodi nešto ovakvo. Kodeks o zastavi kaže: "Zastava nikad ne smije biti nošena položeno i vodoravno, nego uvijek visoko i slobodno." Tako da kad se to dogodilo tijekom intonacije te iste himne, nitko se nije uzrujao. Ili recimo ovo. Ovo se stalno događa. Kodeks o zastavi je jasan: "Niti jedan dio zastave ne smije nikad biti korišten kao kostim ili na sportskoj uniformi." Ovo je teksaški A&M bejzbolski tim, ne želim ih dovesti u nepriliku, ali ovo se stalno događa, posebno u studenom. Siguran sam, mogu garantirati da kada večeras izađete odavde, na stražnjem dijelu nečijeg automobila ili kamiona ćete vidjeti crno-bijelu američku zastavu s plavom prugom, s tankom plavom prugom, OK? "Plavi životi su važni". Time se višestruko krši kodeks zastave.
But all of these things are done with the best intent. No one's here to argue that. But of course they break a section of the flag code titled "Respect for the Flag," so by putting this on your uniform, you are legally disrespecting the flag. And what I find interesting is that those NFL players kneeling during the anthem and the people who would put Blue Lives Matters stickers on their car are both on the opposite end of a very big issue, but they're both breaking the exact same law, a law that is 100 percent unenforceable. In fact, it was Dread Scott's piece of art in 1989 that led the Supreme Court to rule that the flag code is just a guideline. You cannot be prosecuted for breaking the flag code. You cannot be forced to be patriotic.
Ali sve su ove stvari napravljene najboljom namjerom. Nitko to ne spori. Ali svakako krše dio kodeksa o zastavi nazvanog: "Poštuj zastavu." Tako da stavljajući ovo na uniformu, legalno ne poštuješ zastavu. I ono što smatram zanimljivim je to da su NFL igrači koji kleče prilikom intoniranja himne i ljudi koji stavljaju naljepnice "Plavi životi su važni" na svoje automobile, oboje na suprotnoj strani vrlo velikog problema, ali oboje krše upravo isti zakon, zakon koji je 100 posto neprimjenjiv. Ustvari, upravo je umjetnički uradak Dreada Scotta iz 1989. godine doveo do toga da Vrhovni sud proglasi kodeks o zastavama samo kao smjernicu. Ne možete biti kazneno gonjeni ukoliko prekršite kodeks o zastavi. Ne može vas se prisiliti da budete patriot.
So why, then, have all of these little laws around how we use our flag if you can't enforce them? And that's because a nation is a fragile collective idea. It only exists in our minds. Can I see this? Thank you. Sometimes a flag is the only tangible symbol of that idea. Right? Our unity is sometimes only held together by literal threads. And that's powerful. The flag code is meant to preserve and protect that fragile idea, while also protecting your right to break it. And that's what's special about the United States, right?
Zašto, dakle, imati toliko sitnih zakona o tome kako koristiti zastavu kada ih ne možemo provoditi? To je zbog toga što je nacija osjetljiva kolektivna ideja. Postoji samo u našim umovima. Mogu li pogledati? Hvala. Ponekad je zastava jedini opipljivi simbol te ideje. U redu? Naše zajedništvo ponekad na okupu drže samo doslovne niti. I to je moćno. Kodeks o zastavi bi trebao očuvati i zaštititi tu krhku ideju, usput također štiteći pravo da ga kršite. I to je posebnost SAD-a, zar ne?
And that's what's unique about our flag. Our flag is amazing. It has changed more than any other flag in the world. It's the flag code that says when a new state is created, a star shall be added to the union of the flag, and such addition shall take place on the fourth day of July. Our flag is unique because it is meant to grow as we grow. By design and by law, it is meant to change with us. It's a living symbol of our individuality, our diversity in the stars and our unity. We have a gift in the United States to have a flag that is inclusive. If the Nazi flag was an identity weapon, the United States flag, by design alone, stands in direct contrast. And I have to say, as a vexillologist in 2019, using this flag as an identity weapon against anyone disrespects it far more than letting it touch the ground or any one of the other little laws that we break every day. Right?
I to je specifično za našu zastavu. Naša zastava je nevjerojatna. Izmijenjena je više od bilo koje druge zastave na svijetu. Kodeks o zastavi kaže da kada pristupi nova država, dodat će se nova zvjezdica uz već postojeće i to će se napraviti 4. srpnja. Naša zastava je posebna jer bi trebala rasti kako mi rastemo. Dizajnom i zakonski trebala bi se mijenjati kako se mi mijenjamo. Ona je živi simbol naše individualnosti, naše raznolikosti sadržane u zvjezdicama i našeg zajedništva. Mi u SAD-u imamo uključivu zastavu kao dar. Ako je nacistička zastava oružje identiteta, zastava SAD-a je, prema samom dizajnu, u potpunoj suprotnosti. I moram to spomenuti, kao stručnjak za zastave, 2019. godine koristiti ovu zastavu kao oružje identiteta protiv bilo koga pokazuje veće nepoštovanje prema njoj nego pustiti je da dodirne pod ili bilo koji drugi sitni zakon koji kršimo svakog dana. Zar ne?
This flag is a symbol of our unity. We should never use this as a weapon against someone else. I resonate so deeply with the person who wrote in Dread Scott's journal, "We should never value the symbol over the thing that it symbolizes. We should never value a piece of cloth over a human life." And if you're ever going to use a piece of cloth as a weapon, you should never use this one, not when it has always had room for more stars.
Ova zastava je simbol našeg zajedništva. Nikad je ne smijemo koristiti kao oružje protiv drugih. Duboko odjekuju riječi koje je netko zapisao u dnevnik Dreada Scotta: "Nikada ne smijemo cijeniti sami simbol više od onoga što on predstavlja. Nikada komad platna ne smijemo cijeniti više od ljudskog života." I ako ćete ikada koristiti komad platna kao oružje, nikada ne smijete koristiti ovaj, dokle god još ima mjesta za još zvjezdica.
Hopefully by now, you've felt the power of flags, and you can see what they can do. So what if we harnessed that power, and we used it to fight for something greater? This is the flag of Earth, designed by Oskar Pernefeldt of Sweden. Just imagine with me for a second: What if we celebrated our humanity as much if not more than we celebrate our nationalities? As we become a spacefaring civilization and we go off into the stars, what do our nations mean anyway when you're standing on the surface of Mars or any other planet? And then of course, back here on Earth, as our planet is facing a climate crisis, as our climate could be unlivable in our children or grandchildren's lifetime, I believe we need a strong symbol, a flag, to unite us to fight, not just as nations, but as a species.
Nadam se da ste do sada osjetili moć zastava i uvidjeli ono što mogu napraviti. Što kada bismo upregnuli tu snagu i koristili ih da bismo se borili za nešto veće? Ovo je zastava planeta Zemlje. Dizajnirao ju je Oskar Pernefeldt iz Švedske. Zamislite na trenutak: Što ako bismo slavili čovječanstvo isto toliko, ako ne i više, nego što slavimo pojedinačne nacije? Kako postajemo civilizacija koja putuje u svemir i odlazimo prema zvijezdama, što uopće naše nacionalne zastave znače dok stojimo na površini Marsa ili nekog drugog planeta? I dakako, tu na Zemlji, dok se naš planet suočava s klimatskom krizom i klimom koja bi mogla biti nepodnošljiva za našu djecu i unuke, vjerujem da trebamo jaki simbol, zastavu koja će nas ujediniti u borbi, ne samo kao nacije, nego i kao vrstu.
Thank you.
Hvala.
(Applause)
(Pljesak)