Do you respect your country's flag?

[Steindorh]

Here in Iceland we have very strict laws about our flag. There's a specific way to fold it, specific days it must be up if you own one, on certain days you're not allowed to have one up, and other days it must be halfway up the flagpole. It is illegal to have a flag up after sunset, and if a flag touches the ground it must be burnt in a specific way.

It is also illegal to put the image of our flag on any sort of undergarment (a contestant on Miss Iceland 2008 or 2009 was disqualified and fined for appearing in a bikini bearing the flags resemblance, for example), or any other item not approved of by the government.

I don't respect my flag, per se, but I respect what the flag stands for, and I honour the laws and traditions surrounding it.

On a side note, we don't really have anything else. No statue of liberty, no Arc De Triomphe/Tour Eiffel, Torre pendente di Pisa, Big Ben, giant Buddhas, etc... so what else do I have?

 

[ethaninja]

No. Not until Australia becomes worthy of my respect.

You live in Australia don't you? I know this is a bit off topic but can you tell me why you hate Australia so much? In every Australia related post you write you have a negative attitude towards it. I'm not saying you need to or even should like it, I'm just curious and would like a bit of justification for your comments.

Not excatly sure what it is fully, but our government is very anal and stupid. Granted it's not as bad as some other countries, but I haven't experienced them so I'm just going to go with ours being really shit. Our schools (or at least the ones I wen't to) were out of control. As for entertainment, we have no cool shit. Our musical taste is shit, the cars are crap, and the shows are very crap. Hehe, thats my little nit picking rant

 

[chiefohara]

I respect my flag, but i respect its ideals more. I'd rescue a tattered flag but i wouldn't get all self righteous about it if someone had a problem with the tricolour.

Saint patricks day however annoys me when i see drunken idiots, tourists as well as Irish with the flag drapped around their shoulders, or their hips dancing in a fountain singing obnoxiously thinking they are being patriotic when they just want an excuse for a piss up. That to me cheapens the Irish flag more than it being burnt.

 

[vampirekid.13]

its just a piece of cloth...

 

[mrhappyface]

To one person the Mona Lisa is just a spatters of oil on canvas with a metal square surrounding it, to others, it's one of the greatest paintings in the world. I could say the same for a flag, isn't it? It's just colored fabric? In essence, they both are just amalgamation of various materials, put together into something visually appealing aren't they? But it's a all a manner of perspective. I can't try to rationalize my family's feelings toward the flag anymore than I can rationalize my sense of art to you guys.

 

[Danzaivar]

It was a sacred icon of patriotism to America. Every week, we washed it. Every single one was to be treated with respect. Hand over heart, eyes to the flag during the national anthem. To desecrate one was an act of treason.

By those kind of standards, hell no I don't respect my countries flag.

I do however swell with pride whenever I see ol'Jack raised and flying somewhere. It's a beautiful flag and a symbol of a (long gone) era of greatness. I'd quite like to have my own flapping about but in this day and age pretty much the only people that do that are just classed as racists here, so yeah.

 

[Daveman]

I do think that American's put a bit to much enthusiasm into defending our flag, mainly because we don't have any other real symbol of our country to relate to.

News broadcaster: "And what's this? The protesting Iranians seem to have got hold of a souvenir model of the statue of liberty and... I'm awaiting confirmation but that looks like a bald eagle. Now one man is taking the eagle and turning it to face him. Now the man with the statue is moving towards him... it almost looks like a run up and OH!!! I apologise to viewers. Certainly graphic material there. Now we're not entirely sure where the model was inserted into the eagle but that certainly did not look comfortable. Once again we apologise."

 

[DethVanXan]

I'm very anti-patriotism. It, to me, is just another form of discrimination. To like somebody less because they are not common. Also it seems stupid to allow somebody else to tell you what is right and wrong. Frankly, to agree with your country on every matter is to be weak-minded and ignorant.

To quote a man from my home town, also a rather famous man (across the pond especially):

Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide against your conviction is to be an unqualified and excusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may.
Mark Twain

Oh yeah, on topic, I don't really give a shit about the Union flag. To me it's just something for people to identify us as at the Olympics. I do like the Canadian flag though, it has a nice aesthetic with the red and white and the leaf. Simple and yet somehow delicate.

"Patriotism is the belief that your country is superior to all others because you were born in it."
- Bernard Shaw
I thought you would like this quote.

 

[Firsttoahundred]

I could not care less about the danish flag but heres a funnt note you guys did not know, well maybe. When the muhammed chrisis happened where a dansih newspaper made some satirical drawings of muhammed, muslims all over the world started burning danish flags. What they did not realise was that the only way a danish flag must be destroyed is by burning, that okay. All other ways a not cool. Not even that many danes know that.

 

[SonicKoala]

Personally, I think the Canadian Flag is relatively bland - that being said, as has been reitorated a number of times in this thread already, I greatly respect what the flag stands for; it's so much more than just a piece of cloth, and as a result, yes, I do respect my country's flag.

 

[Ophiuchus]

Meh. I'm not big on symbolism. I mean, I'm not gonna go burning a flag but I'm not gonna salute one either. A bit of cloth is a bit of cloth, regardless of what the design is. I'm also not a fan of the nationalism that usually goes hand-in-hand with symbol worship.

That said, I have two flags: one of these [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Piran%27s_Flag] because it looks cool, and one of these [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_George%27s_Cross] because (and I swear I'm not making this up) it came free with a bottle of shower gel. I used to have the first one pinned on my wall but I'm not likely to ever bother with the other one unless I have a complete change of interests and start caring about football by the time the World Cup starts.

 

[mrhappyface]

I'm very anti-patriotism. It, to me, is just another form of discrimination. To like somebody less because they are not common. Also it seems stupid to allow somebody else to tell you what is right and wrong. Frankly, to agree with your country on every matter is to be weak-minded and ignorant.

To quote a man from my home town, also a rather famous man (across the pond especially):

Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide against your conviction is to be an unqualified and excusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may.
Mark Twain

Oh yeah, on topic, I don't really give a shit about the Union flag. To me it's just something for people to identify us as at the Olympics. I do like the Canadian flag though, it has a nice aesthetic with the red and white and the leaf. Simple and yet somehow delicate.

"Patriotism is the belief that your country is superior to all others because you were born in it."
- Bernard Shaw
I thought you would like this quote.

I wasn't born in this country, so that doesn't count by Shaw's standards...

 

[Daveman]

"Patriotism is the belief that your country is superior to all others because you were born in it."
- Bernard Shaw
I thought you would like this quote.

Oh yes, I rather do. There's quite a lot of good ones about patriotism. Although due to my severe narcissism, that seems somehow in favour of patriotism. *sigh*

 

[thenumberthirteen]

I own one, but I do not "Respect" it in the way Americans seem to do. It is a bit of material so you can tell ships apart. I respect my country, not some hollow symbol.

 

[Christopher Waldron]

Not really, I mean we have monarchy for that and personally even them I find a bit pointless.

Although I do like the fact my flag has a dragon on it, I mean thats pretty cool compared to most flags which are normally just lines and stuff.

 

[katsabas]

If I respect it? I fuckin love my greek flag.

 

[DethVanXan]

I'm very anti-patriotism. It, to me, is just another form of discrimination. To like somebody less because they are not common. Also it seems stupid to allow somebody else to tell you what is right and wrong. Frankly, to agree with your country on every matter is to be weak-minded and ignorant.

To quote a man from my home town, also a rather famous man (across the pond especially):

Each man must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide against your conviction is to be an unqualified and excusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may.
Mark Twain

Oh yeah, on topic, I don't really give a shit about the Union flag. To me it's just something for people to identify us as at the Olympics. I do like the Canadian flag though, it has a nice aesthetic with the red and white and the leaf. Simple and yet somehow delicate.

"Patriotism is the belief that your country is superior to all others because you were born in it."
- Bernard Shaw
I thought you would like this quote.

I wasn't born in this country, so that doesn't count by Shaw's standards...

I know, I was passing it on to Daveman.

 

[Keepitclean]

Not excatly sure what it is fully, but our government is very anal and stupid. Granted it's not as bad as some other countries, but I haven't experienced them so I'm just going to go with ours being really shit. Our schools (or at least the ones I went to) were out of control. As for entertainment, we have no cool shit. Our musical taste is shit, the cars are crap, and the shows are very crap. Hehe, thats my little nit picking rant

I agree with two of those, especially the government. I like Australian cars and music Fords are better than Holdens.

Australia has plenty of good artisits. Pendulum, John Butler Trio, AC/DC, Hilltop Hoods etc. None of them ever get played on the radio because the radio is rubbish. I'm pretty sure radio is rubbish every where though.

I love the culture; the surfing, the fishing, the AFL, the food, the drinking, and the other stuff that goes with it.

EDIT: Awesome weather too.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

I grew up in a military, conservative family. In front of every house we ever lived the American flag waved. It was a sacred icon of patriotism to America. Every week, we washed it. Every single one was to be treated with respect. Hand over heart, eyes to the flag during the national anthem. To desecrate one was an act of treason. I don't know about you guys, but do you respect and love your nation's flag?

Ah the flag indoctrination scheme. Maybe thats put to harshly, the flag in the states has been given a lot of symbolism, it represents so much to you, other nations find it hard to udnerstand. It seems a bit odd to them, with flag day and swearing to it every day in school, it seems constraining but i see where it comes from. I respect my flag, but my respect lies with people and ideals and not with objects. Thats why i see where the flag swearing comes from. Its you swearing to its ideals. Some people do take it a bit far though, the flag is not a religious object, the loyalty is with freedom not that exact piece of cloth. I like my nations flag because i like my country,it shows the unity you know (as little as there may be), it distracts me from our terrible national anthem (brit) i think Jerusalem would be a much better national anthem for us.