A few months ago, someone from my high school got beat up for wearing a shirt with an upside-down American flag on it that said "F--- America." I fully respect his right to have a shirt like that and to be free from harassment if he chooses to do so. That being said, I think it was a dumb thing to do.

To me, "America" doesn't mean just "the government." I oppose the war, along with a lot of other decisions the American government has made in the past, but I'd never say "F--- America."

To me, "America" means the people, the culture, the land itself. Saying "F--- America" would be saying "F--- you, f--- me, f--- my grandparents, f--- rock 'n' roll, f--- the Statue of Liberty, f--- the state of Nebraska, and f--- the ideals the country was built on."

An interesting paradox is created by this: In saying "F--- America," one is essentially also saying "f--- freedom of speech," which you are using when you make the statement. Of course, I think you should be allowed to say "f--- freedom of speech," I just think it's stupid. The question this leads me to is: What kind of person would make a statement like "F--- America" if he or she understood its implications?

Now, I don't have any kind of telepathic skills or above-average insight into the human condition, but I think he wore the shirt because he needed attention. He was using a strong political statement to be noticed by those around him.

What the statement actually is doesn't really matter. Maybe it's an upside-down flag "F--- America" T-shirt -- as long as it draws the gaze of people in the immediate vicinity, it might as well be a duck.

The cause doesn't matter and the effectiveness of the tactic doesn't matter. Wearing a T-shirt with an upside-down flag isn't going to convince anyone of anything and anyone worth a cent knows it.

The more important considerations are how controversial the statement being made is, because a more controversial statement will result in more attention, and how radical the means of making that statement are, because a more radical means will result in more attention.

The war is a great cause for this goal. During wartime, there are very few public statements to be made that will result in more controversy than a strong anti-war stance. For some reason, even those of us not usually as prone to restraint will speak a little softer about our country and the people who run it. Consequently, any strong anti-American or anti-government statement will have a little more weight.

The other essential facet, remember, is trying to find the most outlandish way to make your anti-war statement. While a simple pin or patch will do for most of us, the attention-seeking activist prefers to adorn themselves with white paint and lie somewhere inconvenient, grab a microphone and read verses of anti-American (and I do mean anti-American, not anti-war) poetry, or even march around with a drum.

Not that I don't think it's still important to, in a time of turmoil and intense moral ambiguity, stick to your guns on things such as war. Although I don't think there is anything to be done at this point, it is still a good idea to continue to let your view be known, if for no other reason than the preservation of your right to do so. At the same time, there is such a thing as wasting your time.

I take film theory classes in which we compare films and discuss how their themes and visual elements are related. Next time you walk by the Allen Street gates, look at what people are doing there as a film, rather than a reality. Then look at the protests during the Vietnam era as a film and compare the two aesthetically. Notice the similarities.

Notice the ragged clothing, the candles, the beards, the long hair, the knit wool clothing. Ask yourself if this current incarnation of activism is, in a way, a remake of a previous era. Then ask yourself: How effective was it then?

Vietnam protesters got their names in the papers and their pictures on TV, and in the end they didn't make a lick of difference. Vietnam became economically detrimental, and we pulled out. Protesters did, however, get noticed. To the current anti-war protesters I say, if you really want to be politically effective, change how you're doing things. If you just want to be seen, you're doing a fine job.

I think we all have the right to wear the flag upside-down. We have the right to protest the war too. I don't think it's terrorism, I don't think it's treason, and I don't think it hurts the war effort. But I think it's a waste of time, a waste of space and a waste of effort if continued in the manner that it currently exists.