Do you get angry/annoyed when people disrespect your country's flag?

[Phlakes]

...No, it's a big piece of fabric. You could print out a picture of a flag and tear it in half and it would be the same.

People fight and die for their country's flag. At least show a little respect.

...What?

They fight for a country, not for a piece of cloth. If anyone actually dies for an easily replaceable thing like a flag...

But what does that flag represent? Try thinking outside the box.

It represents a country like the little swoosh represents Nike. Marking out one of those on your shoe is nothing to get worked up about, no matter how big a fan you are of Nike.

I should have realized that arguing with a person such as you wasn't worth my time. My point is that a flag isn't a useless piece of cloth. It represents a nation and its people. To compare to it the Nike emblem is absolutely absurd. As I said, I truly don't feel like arguing over this. Good night!

Yeah, basically I'm not patriotic and you are, so a flag has meaning to you but not to me. Just good old opinions.

 

[Conza]

I get extremely angry, I believe disrespecting the flag should be considered a criminal act, punishable by severe fines and possible jail sentences.

That's kind of a fascist attitude.

I refused to say the pledge of allegiance in school, partially because it unconstitutionally references god, and partially because I'm not pledging allegiance to a flag. That could be considered disrespect. Should I be fined for refusing to partake?

*note* I'm an American, and get a lot of jingoistic, fascist attitude for not venerating the flag like a golden idol.

Incorrect, don't call me a facist. Just to inform you, a facist, would kill you for disrepecting the flag, I wouldn't have that.

Getting to what you did, while I find that behaviour extremely distasteful, its not criminal per say (in my opinion), burning a flag, letting it drop to the ground, using it against the government, those are acts of disrespect.

While I'm surprised you were not personally reprimanded for not pledging allegiance to your nations flag, I wouldn't imprison 'you' because of that action. In that setting, a detention would possibly be appropriate, not sure.

I merely speak to the outright abuses of flags, even an enemies flag should not be burnt or disrespected I feel.

 

[uberDoward]

No, he couldn't leave. If it was as easy as you describe, people would do it all the fucking time. If you want to hear about countries people are risking life and limb to get into, please refer to Europe. Refugees get sent there all the time, and immigrating into Europe is harder than crossing some symbolic line in the sand, yet people still do it.

Anyways, even as an American I still can't bring myself to give the slightest shit when I see people burning our flags. Considering all the shit we've been continuously pulling since Korea, it's understandable hatred; and I have enough empathy to understand that.

I wasn't referring to Europe - nice deflection, though. If you want to leave the US of A it IS easy. 90 miles from Key West, FL. Canada is just a hop north, and Mexico a hop south. Nothing keeping you here if you don't want to be here - it's just easier to complain than it is to actually DO something.

That's what my generation has lost, in my opinion. The backbone and will to get off one's rear and DO something, instead of complain.

As for your comment, Zetion, I agree the world has a right to be royally pissed at how we, as a country, tend to handle what our government sees as foreign issues of interest. Unfortunately, we're the metaphorical 800lbs gorilla in the room, and general behave as such.

People from other countries burning our flag is a symbolic attack on the United States. Why else would they be burning Old Glory instead of say.. a map of the US? Or maybe shooting a globe? No, they choose to burn the United States flag BECAUSE of the symbolism that evidently my fellow Americans are either too stupid, or too wrapped up the being 'cool' to see.

People in the United States burning the United States flag? Kindly show them the door, if they are so displeased.

We need less whiners, complainers, and collective attitudes of entitlement in this country, and more of what BUILT this country in the first place - individuals doing the best they can with what they've got, working and producing to create their own wealth rather than attempting to steal from others using the collective force of government.

 

[uberDoward]

I'm paranoid about any large government, but a unified world government would be better than what we have now.

Anyhow, America has plenty of folk tales and such. And we have an identity already: swaggering cowboy. I was under the impression we pretty much embraced that one.

Nope, the 'swaggering cowboy' is just an easily identifiable figure of what the United States of America stands for - individual freedom and liberty.

The cowboy is a good example of just that - individual that handles his or her own life with his or her own hands, often just a single individual vs the world.

It's the idea that yes - one person CAN make the world a better place, with a good attitude, hard work, and a drive to succeed.

Our past few governments have not been representative of what the United States once stood for, and I for one intend to see this country back on course.

 

[TheMagicLemur]

I'm willing to die for a cause I believe in.

That's the basic definition of Patriotism.

Not really. it's one of those "a=b, but b doesn't always = a" things. I am willing to die for my ideals, but I am not willing to die for my country. I would die for a fellow human being, but not for a government.

 

[TheMagicLemur]

We need less whiners, complainers, and collective attitudes of entitlement in this country, and more of what BUILT this country in the first place - individuals doing the best they can with what they've got, working and producing to create their own wealth rather than attempting to steal from others using the collective force of government.

This is why I dislike a lot of right-wing folks.

Ever notice that the people who freak out about flag-burning tend to have this attitude? The implication in that statement seems to be "welfare and/or taxes are wrong". The most patriotic people tend to be, in my experience at least, the most selfish.

 

[TheMagicLemur]

Nope, the 'swaggering cowboy' is just an easily identifiable figure of what the United States of America stands for - individual freedom and liberty.

The cowboy is a good example of just that - individual that handles his or her own life with his or her own hands, often just a single individual vs the world.

It's the idea that yes - one person CAN make the world a better place, with a good attitude, hard work, and a drive to succeed.

Our past few governments have not been representative of what the United States once stood for, and I for one intend to see this country back on course.

Frankly, in a modern world, that sort of aggressive individualist-at-all-costs attitude is counterproductive.

I get the feeling you're one of those people who've been brought up to never complain and always put on a good face. Which is fine; more power to you, but it's unrealistic and frankly just as selfish to demand than no one else express dissatisfaction or negative emotion.

I've never liked the american ideal of "work yourself to death", either. I like to earn my money, but I just don't get people who want to work their asses off 24/7.

 

[Vivi22]

I'm willing to die for a cause I believe in.

That's the basic definition of Patriotism.

No, patriotism would be devotion and loyalty to one's country. This does not necessarily include the ideals one personally holds, nor that the country claims to be founded on. Believing in a cause or ideals to the point of seeing them as worth dying for may invoke some of the same feelings and responses as patriotism does, but it's still quite separate. For example, if I was willing to die to defend free speech or a right to privacy, this doesn't necessarily make me a patriot. Particularly since I'm Canadian and my country has seen fit to place limits on free speech which I don't agree with.

 

[Bento Box]

S

If some religious twat is stomping on the US flag and burning it -- well, they're doing it wrong. Yeah, the stomping was disrespectful, but then you burned it, asshole. That's what you-re -supposed- to do if the flag becomes tainted. Way to go, you accidentally honored the flag.

True, they do burn a flag when it is being retired, but in that instance it is a ceremonial burning akin to cremation. When people burn the flag in anger it is just to destroy the flag, there is no ceremony involved. In that instance, it's closer to arson than cremation.

I totally disagree about the absence of ceremony, but that's not what we're talking about, and also a little bit pedantic of me.

I suppose that arson's a fair enough comparison, but if that's the parallel we're going to draw, then I fucking well say let them burn flags. Someone probably (possibly not, of course) paid for the buckets of flags that they pass around to burn at those things, so even if it is arson, it's not being committed against the makers of the flag or the nation. Bonus points for home-made flags. Someone's losing money, and it ain't the 'oppressors.'

I consider it akin to book-burning, in that it's fucking stupid and a waste of time. Way to go, man, you put a lot of work, a few dollars for fuel and a whole bunch of ceremony into a practice that is archaic and useless in a modern world. Burning books is no longer an effective way to remove ideas with the internet spreading every piece of information (and thousands and thousands of times more) in every book ever. IT might be a dramatic way to express sentiment, but that kind of dramatism is often seen as silly, bronze-age ceremonial horse shit. It isn't making a point; it's just being an asshole [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Jones_%28pastor%29#Pastor_Terry_Jones].