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CNN Live Today

Colors of Liberty

Aired July 04, 2002 - 10:55   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to do a little piece from Bruce Burkhardt here, who is -- I'm not really even sure what Bruce Burkhardt is talking about, but let's go ahead and look at his piece.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUCE BURKHARDT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At ease, men.

We are here for three reasons: one, red; two, white; and three, blue. And, truth be told, we're here for another reason: to try and figure out what it means when a bikini or a dinner napkin comes in the colors of the flag. It seems that, when it comes to the colors of liberty, we've been taking a few liberties.

Confused? Well, I wouldn't give a hootin' heck for someone who wasn't confused. Trust me. We'll try and clear it up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Red, white and blue M&Ms.

BURKHARDT: Does that mean you're a patriot if you eat those things?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. Absolutely.

BURKHARDT (voice-over): At Wal-Mart or Kmart or any mart, red, white and blue are all over the shelves.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have patriotic Rubbermaid cooling for your cooler.

These are going around your flower pots for your yard, your picnic tables.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm trying to get some socks.

BURKHARDT (on camera): Red, white and blue socks?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, white socks with red, white and blue flags.

BURKHARDT: These are peppermint nuggets. And, if you could see real closely, there's a flag on each one.

Oh, I don't even know what that is. It's a whole bathroom set here: trash can, soap holder, and a toothbrush holder. You get a mat, a bath mat.

Hey, look. Is that what you're looking for?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, that's perfect.

BURKHARDT: Rolled up, it's USA. Rolled down, it's got the flag.

(voice-over): Patriotism or commercialism? Well, maybe a little of both. One thing is for sure: It is as American as the flag itself.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Starting in about the 1880s, you see the American flag appear a lot on advertising, whether it's advertising cigars or other products.

BURKHARDT: Post-Pearl Harbor, like post-9/11, created a thirst for red, white and blue. A current exhibit at the Smithsonian shows how the nation's magazines, just a few months after Pearl Harbor, featured the flag on their cover, everything from "The Poultry Tribune" to "American Hairdresser." Patriotic, yes, but also some self-interest, a desire to prove the value of magazines at a time when rationing could affect their business. Maybe Martha Stewart had the same idea.

At one time, wearing a flag was considered disrespectful or a sign of protest. But, then again, Abby Hoffman never wore this: a bra and girdle from the Munsingwear company in 1942.

So, what is disrespectful? Certainly, burning a flag is. But what about this? When veterans officially retire old flags, they burn them. Which brings back to all this stuff on the shelves: Maybe the taste is questionable. Maybe it's all about dollars. Or maybe it's about something else.

(on camera): But isn't there more to being a patriot than just wrapping your flower pots in colors?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, but it takes the inside to show it outside, is the way I feel, because I wouldn't make a show if I didn't truly feel it. And I think everybody this year is really feeling it.

BURKHARDT (voice-over): Feeling it more than usual this particular July Fourth.

Bruce Burkhardt, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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