Show Your Work, HoCo

“Don’t let your mind wander. It’s far too small to be let out alone.”

This admonition, which I first spied on a bumper sticker, would be funny if it weren’t so true. People seem to feel the need to let their minds run any old place without benefit of a plan, a map, or adequate provisions.* Simply put: if you’re going to present an argument you need to be ready to prove it. Show your work.

A current example of brains that have been let out to wander is the trend to vilify the Howard County new flag initiative by stating:

We don’t need a new flag.
There’s nothing wrong with the old flag.
It’s a misuse/waste of public funds
It’s nothing but a vanity project/ego trip for the County Executive.

Okay: prove it. If you’re going to make those accusations then I want evidence. Where is it? I have yet to see one shred of evidence backing up these accusations but they sure must be fun to say because they are popping up all over the place on social media.

Have you done enough research into the history of how the present flag came about to be able to articulate what that means to us today? Can you prove that there’s nothing objectionable about the current flag? Have you delved into the topic enough to understand what other people’s objections might be?

Oh, and the money. How much is being spent? How was it allocated? What percentage of the overall budget is it? How many flags will need to be made altogether? How does that compare with the regular reproduction of the current flags as they wear out?

And lastly, what is your evidence that the new flag initiative originated solely from the County Executive and that its intent is purely self aggrandizement?

Go ahead. I’m waiting.

You want to be an expert? Great - - where’s your expert knowledge? If you had any I feel you would have shared some by now.

Let’s be honest. This is what you are really saying:

I don’t understand why we need a new flag.
I don’t understand what’s wrong with the old flag.
If I don’t like it it must be a misuse/waste of public funds.
I don’t like the initiative and I don’t like Calvin Ball so it must be nothing but a vanity project/ego trip for the County Executive.

This would be honest. But it sure sounds less impressive, doesn’t it?

I’ve been trying to think of an similar example that might illuminate how limited this kind of reaction is. Let’s try this one.

Several years ago the County started creating cricket facilities for residents. Let me try applying my personal attitudes and preferences to this topic.

I think: I’m not at all sporty and no one in my family is, either.

I say: We don’t need more sports facilities.

I think: Isn’t cricket is a niche sport played only in England? Didn’t we go to a lot of trouble to separate ourselves from England?

I say: Building cricket pitches is pandering to a small and unrepresentative fragment of the Howard County population.

I think: I don’t particularly care about sports, but I do think we need better performing arts facilities.

I say: These cricket facilities are a misuse/waste of public funds.

I think: I’m annoyed at the continued focus on sports when we could be supporting local arts programs. I want to blame someone for making a choice that I don’t like.

I say: It’s selfish, capricious, and I blame local politicians.

Please note: I don’t actually hold this point of view and it’s is based purely on personal opinion and verifiable inaccuracies but it’s likely that I might have drifted in that direction if I hadn’t researched this topic for the blog. For example, did you know:

The sport of cricket is the national summer game of England, where it has been played for hundreds of years, possibly since the 13th century. Laws to standardize the rules of play have existed since at least the mid-18th century. During England’s colonial history, cricket was exported around the world, and it is now played in more than 100 countries. It is particularly popular in the British Isles, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and the West Indies. - - from the cricket entry on Kids Brittanica

Back to the new flag designs. They were created by members of the community, not professional artists or vexillographers. You can vote on the one you like best. (You were given an opportunity to submit your own. I’m guessing you didn’t.) So you’ve had multiple ways to participate in this process. Have you? Or do you prefer standing on the streetcorner and spitting on things?

Ahem. Sorry. I can see I’m beginning to lose my temper here.

True confession: this one is my favorite because I think it best represents where we are now: agriculture, nature, green space, housing and community-building. For some reason the placement of the bird feels a little random to me. I like the choice of green and blue for the same reason I chose it for the title art for my blog: it echoes the Columbia/Howard County street signs.