I just walked past a woman in her late teens wearing a large American flag as a scarf. Printed on a slightly crumpled, gauze-like material, it is quite decorative, too. Stars and stripes are quite a fashion item, and that is how the young woman sees them most likely. The fact that it is also a flag, let alone the flag of the most powerful country on the planet, adds a little to its charm, but not much. Fashion is fashion. Period. Which is why flags were revered and respected until recently. They were not to be displayed in vain. An old-fashioned idea to boot, it goes without saying. The way things have gotten, it is fashion that is revered and respected. As well as paid for through the nose.