Big flags.

There's an article in today's New York Times about the proliferation of big flags-- flags as long as a 15-story building is tall--at sporting and other events across the United States. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/04/sports/04flags.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1215180053-uyEdptUvEtLCyoD+fCWPnw

Since it's Independence Day, since we are in an election year battle, and since we are nearing the close of what will likely be regarded as one of the worst three presidencies ever, this article made me think about brand America.

If you you go to http://www.brandtags.net/browse.php you'll find an assortment of logos. Viewers are asked to respond to a logo by typing the first word that comes to mind. Responses are weighted by popularity. The more popular the response, the larger the type. So if you examine "Blockbuster," the words that "pop" are "bankrupt," "cinema," "dead," "dvd," "crap." (Netflix on the other hand, yields "awesome," "fast," "convenient.")

My post, though, pertains to big flags and brand America. What does our brand mean today? If a big flag was found at brandtags.net, what words would "pop." What words would pop among Europeans, Africans, Asians, South Americans, Muslims, the poor, the environmentally conscious? What words would pop in different regions of the US? What words would pop among the 63,000 Americans who lost their jobs last month? What would Ray Hunt, the Bush crony, Halliburton board member, and war-profiteer whose oil company manipulated the State department for profit have to say?

In other words--what does America mean?

How will Obama answer that? How will McCain?