To Flag or Not To Flag

My complicated patriotism

My essay in Esquire is now online, and soon in print.

I don’t adhere to a dress code. I have no HR Department. I haven’t navigated workplace politics since 2012, when I left the NYPL. As an independent American presidential historian, my code of conduct is wholly my own.

What does that mean? In my professional life, I put country over party. I tout books on all of them. I haven’t contributed to a political party for much of my adult life—which may change in 2024.

If Trump is the candidate, I may send money to his opponent, presumably President Biden. That doesn’t strike me as a great aberration—nor does wearing the “Four Seasons Total Landscaping” shirt I bought off Etsy. The latter is funny, the former is not. Trump and his merry band of bozos, as I call them in Esquire, are out to, well, destroy the country. He’s already done so much harm, but in the next presidential election, the stakes could not be higher.

The most minor: Lawn candy. In the essay, I talk through my indecision. There are the obvious reasons to foist a flag in my yard:

And the obvious reasons not to: After Trump, a house with a flag suggests a racist dwells within. I can’t envision the flag without seeing insurrectionists storming the capitol, but it’s not the only image in my mind.

In this essay, I write about something that I rarely discuss: My deceptively simple patriotism—and my historic farmhouse. Do read the whole thing over at Esquire, and if you have a good idea for companion flags, leave a comment below. The most obvious, from my glorious home state, occurred to me last week

ON A SOMEWHAT RELATED NOTE:

If you’re still looking for holiday gifts and like my work, you might consider bidding on a book club + signed copies. And if you’re interested in writing history books, something I usually reserve for colleagues and friends: a coaching session.

See you soonish! Until then, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram. If you’d like a personalized copy of my books, please order them from Oblong.