Do you get angry/annoyed when people disrespect your country's flag?
- Thread starter twistedmic
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I honestly can't remember any instance of seeing someone 'disrespecting' a Dutch flag. Probably because I don't care at all about this and wouldn't even notice. Tricolour red-white-blue flags are terribly unoriginal anyway.
I'm American I never really cared about the flag. Until I saw someone burning it on TV. I can't explain why, but that infuriated me. It's like they burned what our entire country is supposed to stand for. All our ideals, all the dreams of the people who died for the country.
I think Americans care about the flag because it isn't just a piece of cloth with pretty colors. It's a symbol every part of it stands for something. Also in the way we became a country. We fought hard for it. We were outmatched, and the flag has become a symbol of perseverance and pride to the Americans. That people untrained outmatched, and frankly outnumbered could do what they did. To Americans our flag represents not only the states and colonies, but heroism, bravery, pride, perseverance, and of course liberty.
Again I don't much care about folding it and whatnot, and I find a tattered flag to be even more symbolic because of what our flag saw as we fought for our liberty. I don't own a flag either.
Now that I'm done preaching. Once in school me and a friend were elected to raise the flag and lower the flag every day. Our first day we go out, and it's cold as hell. We raise it, and by lunch we are told that we raised it upside down.
I think Americans care about the flag because it isn't just a piece of cloth with pretty colors. It's a symbol every part of it stands for something. Also in the way we became a country. We fought hard for it. We were outmatched, and the flag has become a symbol of perseverance and pride to the Americans. That people untrained outmatched, and frankly outnumbered could do what they did. To Americans our flag represents not only the states and colonies, but heroism, bravery, pride, perseverance, and of course liberty.
Again I don't much care about folding it and whatnot, and I find a tattered flag to be even more symbolic because of what our flag saw as we fought for our liberty. I don't own a flag either.
Now that I'm done preaching. Once in school me and a friend were elected to raise the flag and lower the flag every day. Our first day we go out, and it's cold as hell. We raise it, and by lunch we are told that we raised it upside down.
I couldn't give two flying shits about someone disrespecting the French flag. (Especially because I'll jump ship first occasion I get after I get all my degrees and stuff)
I honestly don't care, the Union Jack and the George Cross both mean nothing to me and seeing someone burn it or tear it up has no effect on me since, even though it's a symbolic gesture, it's nothing to be upset about since we live in a society where these kinds of things are easily reproduced so the effect of the gesture is pretty pathetic nowadays, in comparison to the past where materials and dyes were hard to come by and mass-production had to wait for the industrial revolution.
Also, I'm a republican (as in I want Britain to be a republic, not a monarchy) so both flags are symbols of something I don't really care for in the first place.
Also, I'm a republican (as in I want Britain to be a republic, not a monarchy) so both flags are symbols of something I don't really care for in the first place.
I get annoyed when the union jack is upsidown, which is less about national pride and more about "Come on at least learn which way round it goes..."(Pro tip, remember Lower Left or LL sorts this out in a second). While I don't get mad, I do really like both of my countries flags, both the Union jack and Y Ddraig Goch, both have either a rich history or a grand fable behind them (the story of the Y Ddraig Goch is inparticular, random.) but Freedom of speech is just that. Oh and the Dragon should not be on the union jack as that would look silly, unless it REALLY annoys BNP idiots, then go for it.
Still, I've noticed in recent years some of the people who don't care can be as annoying and arrogant as the people who DO care too much. I've seen quite a lot of snobbery from so called intellectuals looking down on people who care in the slightest about anything regarding national pride like anyone who cares either way is some chest beating God fearing tea party idiot who screams about communism when anything they don't like happens. Flags, like it or not are a reprisentation of what your country stands for, and while a double edge sword national pride IS important when not taken to the extreme. Lack of pride or connections in your local community or Country can lead to as much problems as over zealousness can (see English Riots).
Still its all in finding the middle ground.
Still, I've noticed in recent years some of the people who don't care can be as annoying and arrogant as the people who DO care too much. I've seen quite a lot of snobbery from so called intellectuals looking down on people who care in the slightest about anything regarding national pride like anyone who cares either way is some chest beating God fearing tea party idiot who screams about communism when anything they don't like happens. Flags, like it or not are a reprisentation of what your country stands for, and while a double edge sword national pride IS important when not taken to the extreme. Lack of pride or connections in your local community or Country can lead to as much problems as over zealousness can (see English Riots).
Still its all in finding the middle ground.
I'm from Germany. Most of the people of my age over here don't feel anything towards our flag, because of very obvious historical reasons. We Germans get practically every sense of nationality driven out of us. This happens by being shown again and again throughout our whole school career how incredibly brutal and shameful our nation's past is. That leads to a very pragmatic relationship towards symbols and the state. I wouldn't get upset over it, but I would interpret as a warning signal. Or extreme disgust because of the flag's boring design 
Sweden is more than a piece of blue and yellow fabric. People can do whatever they want to our flag, it won't hurt us.I feel that people aren't even trying.
A Swedish cartoonist decided to get in on this whole Muhammed caricature thing, which caused a small protest in some Muslim country.
They tried to burn a Swedish flag, but couldn't even get the colours right.
The one they burned was yellow and green...
A Swedish cartoonist decided to get in on this whole Muhammed caricature thing, which caused a small protest in some Muslim country.
They tried to burn a Swedish flag, but couldn't even get the colours right.
The one they burned was yellow and green...
Can't say I really care.
No amount of respect or disrespect for a piece of cloth will ever compensate for any amount of respect or disrespect to other people. People, not flags, matter.
Burning a flag without a very good reason is bad because it's disrespectful towards those people who see that flag as a symbol, that's why it's bad. Not because you're burning a piece of cloth.
Any form of disrespect towards people who treat a flag like a piece of cloth and not a sacred symbol is equally bad.
A flag deserves neither burning nor worship, with the exception of very special occasions such as days of mourning or serious protests against a country's policies.
No amount of respect or disrespect for a piece of cloth will ever compensate for any amount of respect or disrespect to other people. People, not flags, matter.
Burning a flag without a very good reason is bad because it's disrespectful towards those people who see that flag as a symbol, that's why it's bad. Not because you're burning a piece of cloth.
Any form of disrespect towards people who treat a flag like a piece of cloth and not a sacred symbol is equally bad.
A flag deserves neither burning nor worship, with the exception of very special occasions such as days of mourning or serious protests against a country's policies.
I mean, if somebody is actively trying to piss me off then Peeing on my flag would obviously get on my tits. But if somebody falls into a septic tank and the nearest bit of cloth is a Canadian flag, I really couldn't care less.
Of course I do.My country's been fending off northern tribes and the Byzantine Empire when they were still tribes roaming the countryside.Most of them at least.
In most cases no because I realize that the position of authority and power that America commands in the world is going to automatically mean that they get twice as much scrutiny for its mistakes as its counterparts. If a country like Canada or Britain had America's power and authority they would get just as much criticism. Besides America has fucked up quite a bit in its history, I am willing to admit that, and some times we do need to stop being so uptight and just laugh at ourselves.
Where I do take offense is when America's Military is disrespected or if some statement is made about America needing to be destroyed like it is some sort of great devil out to destroy the world and get rid of all the good things in life like ponies, rainbows and ice cream. Other than that I just take negative comments in stride as if it were some harmless troll or joke.
Edit: Oh lol I should have paid more attention to the title. Do I care if people burn or otherwise mistreat my country's flag? Nah, I may own an American flag and I treat it with as much respect as I can muster but at the end of the day it is just a symbolical representation of my country, some random protester burning it on live TV is going to do jack shit to destroy the ideals for which that flag stands for. Plus in a way I find it flattering that someone out there has enough passion to hate my country that he wants to do something about it, if our politicians loved America and the ideals that the flag represents as much as that protester hates it then we would be a lot better off. Also isn't it funny that by burning the flag those protesters have to deal with cleaning it up, if they spent more time cleaning it than burning it their environment would be a lot cleaner.
Where I do take offense is when America's Military is disrespected or if some statement is made about America needing to be destroyed like it is some sort of great devil out to destroy the world and get rid of all the good things in life like ponies, rainbows and ice cream. Other than that I just take negative comments in stride as if it were some harmless troll or joke.
Edit: Oh lol I should have paid more attention to the title. Do I care if people burn or otherwise mistreat my country's flag? Nah, I may own an American flag and I treat it with as much respect as I can muster but at the end of the day it is just a symbolical representation of my country, some random protester burning it on live TV is going to do jack shit to destroy the ideals for which that flag stands for. Plus in a way I find it flattering that someone out there has enough passion to hate my country that he wants to do something about it, if our politicians loved America and the ideals that the flag represents as much as that protester hates it then we would be a lot better off. Also isn't it funny that by burning the flag those protesters have to deal with cleaning it up, if they spent more time cleaning it than burning it their environment would be a lot cleaner.
Not really. I don't own the flag, so I don't mind. It's not like I had anything to do with it's creation, I was just told that this was our flag. :/
(English)
(English)
Agreed, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and as long as they aren't taking out their anti-Australian-ness on other people, then no harm no foul.kman123 said:
If someone drops (or loses, or whatever) a Union Jack or St. George's Cross and it gets dirty or damaged, then there's no rational reason for me to get annoyed.
But if people burn it as a form of protest or symbolism, i.e. if they're using it as a symbol for the country and then intentionally damaging it, then I can't help but get irritated.
But if people burn it as a form of protest or symbolism, i.e. if they're using it as a symbol for the country and then intentionally damaging it, then I can't help but get irritated.
No, I mock my country on a daily business, I don't feel my country is superior merely because I happened to be born here.
Nationalism... I also wondered if it was a great idea; if it bound people together or separated them instead.
My boxers has the Union Jack printed on it. Is that disrespect?
My boxers has the Union Jack printed on it. Is that disrespect?