I'm pretty sure this is the most iconic photograph of 2024.
After pro-Hamas activists replaced the American flag on the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) campus — which, by the way, had been flying at half-staff in memory of four Charlotte police officers who were killed earlier this week — the school's chancellor directed law enforcement to return the American flag to its rightful place. This upset the anti-American children masquerading as anti-war protesters, but before they were able to tear the flag down again, a collection of real-life heroes stepped in to protect Old Glory: frat bros.
Because, in times of trouble, what you really need is some good-ol'-fashioned toxic masculinity.
This isn't even the first time frat bros have stepped in. Fraternity brothers helped break down a pro-Hamas encampment in Arizona State University, and one Florida State student (whose Greek Life involvement is unknown) provided us with this highlight moment to uncover a sprinkler aimed at another pro-Hamas encampment:
During these troubling times, when the American flag is being thrown to the ground and replaced by the Palestinian flag, the image of fraternity brothers defending the American flag stands out to me as evidence of so much.
It's evidence that there are still people out there willing to stand up to a vicious mob to defend basic American values. It's evidence that there are still people out there who will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Jews and smile in the face of anti-Western, anti-American, anti-Christian, and anti-Jewish insanity. And it's evidence that even the smallest acts can hold more weight than a thousand screeching leftists squatting on campus property in makeshift encampments while demanding access to DoorDash.
It's not hyperbolic to say that we should all be like these frat bros. Both literally and figuratively, we need to be willing to hold the American flag off the ground to prevent it from being torn down by maniacs whose oxymoronic views of LGBTQABCDEFG+ and radical Islamic hatred has goals far beyond replacing a flag on a college campus.
As a vocal minority of entitled college students cosplay oppression, let's stand in their way - with or without a smile - and keep their nonsense at bay.
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