Foreign flags in the US

[soldier9501]

Here's the semi-official etiquette on this sort of thing:

The US flag is flown at the same height as other national flags.
State flags are flown lower than national flags.

Fun fact of the day from Mr. Eagle Scout. Enjoy it.

 

[Anacortian]

I, too, have lived in Canada. For all their talk of a multi-culture, they are a poly-culture. The difference is that the cultures stay divided and stay in conflict. Quebec (the archetypal example) is at a constant state of odds with Anglophonic Canada. The Asians which settled in British Columbia are at odds with the more native population there. All of the above have serious complaints both to and from the most Native people. I have lived their, you are misdiscribing your own country to a humorous extent.

Are you telling me that in America everyone lives in harmonious multi-cultural neighborhoods? Or do the Hispanics live in one neighborhood, the Asians in another, the Black Americans in another, very much divided along economic and cultural lines? Even a number or southerners see themselves as seperate from the Yanks. (I found this odd as in the UK you are known collectively as Yanks). There are divides everywhere, in all nations. Telling people which flags they can and cannot hang doesn't bring poeple together.

No. I am telling you that people are people. America does not claim to be a multi-culture. It claims to be many melding naturally into one (e pluribus unum). Canada claims to be a multi-culture, and is in fact but many cultures legally kept separate. I think America comes closer to its own claim, but not the claims of Canada. I have seen much of America, and, generally speaking, about three generations here and you just become culturally an American. Some take more, some less.

I should insist on "culturally;" politically, divisions run deep. I am not talking so much of party and spectrum, but state and region. Note that these are not ethnic lines. I have met those of Asian decent proud to be Texan. But they weren't made Texans (American) by being told what flag to fly; they were made Texans by being let to be what they will.

 

[Corven]

Old Canadians migrate here during the winter; so I wasn't surprised when I saw some R.V. parks with the Canadian flag up there right with our own.

 

[Kuchinawa212]

Sure I'm all for flying another country's flag. Just be sure to not jump up and down on ours while doing it. I mean show respect to both countries and I'm fine with it.

 

[Flamed up]

Driving to work this evening I saw a car with the mexican flag in the back window and this got me thinking. Should foreign flags be allowed to be flown in the US? I'm not talking about say the UN or embassies with foreign flags, or something in your car window(for example). But rather should people be allowed to fly say the mexican flag in place of the US flag? IE in your yard you fly the mexican flag without the American flag above it(as is the norm I believe).

I think even if legal it's extremely tacky. Your kind of saying I'm not american I'm X, and I don't even think enough of this country to even fly their flag.

Since you've made a substantial amount of posts in this thread, I'm only going to quote your original post and I trust you can surmise the rest by context.

I realize you haven't actually stated that you want to illegalize flying a flag other than your own "Stars and Stripes", but from what I can ascertain this is something you have strong feelings against, and you'd probably prefer that it be illegalized.

I don't know if you are aware of this or not, but what you suggest is in clear violation of the first amendment. Just passing a law that states you have to at least have an American flag along side your own flag is a violation of the first amendment.

You express concern that it is tacky and disrespectful. While that may or may not be the case, it is their right as human beings to express their opinion in whatever way they see fit. Whether you disapprove is irrelevant. Not you, nor the government, have the authority to tell them otherwise. You can disapprove, you can voice that disapproval, but you can never make them obey said disapproval.

Besides, I hope you realize that it probably didn't even cross their mind that they were doing something supposedly wrong? When they raised that flag they weren't thinking; "I'm sure as hell not raising the American flag along side with my own", they just wanted to raise their flag and be proud of their heritage. Just because they are waving their own flag doesn't automatically mean that they do not respect America, they are just proud of who they are.

I guess the message I've tried to convey is this: Shouldn't you as a patriotic American support the individuals right to voice ones opinion through action and word alike, regardless if said opinion differentiates from your own? I know I do, and I'm not even American.

I for one am happy whenever I observe someone expressing pride of ones origin, regardless of whether my *country's flag is included or not.

*Sweden

 

[thenumberthirteen]

My old house had a Flagpole in the garden, and I put up a Jolly Rodger for Halloween, and kept it there for about a month and a half until it fell apart (it was a cheap flag). A year or so later I heard on the news about someone who did the same thing and the council took him to court over it.

 

[Godavari]

Freedom of press, yo.

 

[Pimppeter2]

Yes? I couldn't imagine anyone being mad at people who do this. I mean think of all the immigrants/2 generation kids we have

 

[Pimppeter2]

Freedom of press, yo.

WHAT? How does that have to do with it?

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

I think people need to get some perspective on the foreign flags. When the Irish came over, they waved the Irish flag. That didn't mean they hated America- at the same time they waved the Irish flag, they were often proud to learn English and assimilate.

So I say, welcome to America, and bring your flags.

EDIT: I was thinking about the Eastern Europeans from The Jungle when I mentioned language. My brain is all over the place.

 

[historybuff]

Obviously, yes, it should be allowed. Because America is made up of people from so many different cultures.

There's a guy in my town who flies the flag of Ireland and Germany because he's obviously Irish and German. That doesn't make him any less of an America.

Who is anyone to say that we can't be proud of our heritage? America is one of the most diverse nations around. We should celebrate that, not try to hide it.

I have roots in Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, and England and I have little flags of all four nations in my room. I see that as an asset. It's not tacky at all.

 

[Godavari]

Freedom of press, yo.

WHAT? How does that have to do with it?

Waving a flag around is a form of press. You are putting your ideas into the public forum through means of a medium. Therefore, it is protected under the first amendment. I'm not saying it's not kind of a dick thing to do, just that people are allowed to do it.

 

[The Austin]

can I still fly this?

Spoiler

 

[Pimppeter2]

Freedom of press, yo.

WHAT? How does that have to do with it?

Waving a flag around is a form of press. You are putting your ideas into the public forum through means of a medium. Therefore, it is protected under the first amendment. I'm not saying it's not kind of a dick thing to do, just that people are allowed to do it.

Ohh, well I didn't realize that. I was thoroughly confused

 

[ae86gamer]

I don't see why not. Its not harming anyone/anything so it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[chronobreak]

I know a kid whose parents grew up in Puerto Rico, now keep in mind he's never been there himself, even though he has family there. He's really big into their flag, and puts it on everything, including his skateboard and car. I could care less, because he is my friend, but he does it as a way of distancing himself from American culture and politics because he is extremely liberal, and wants nothing to do with it. His parents also encourage this behaiviour, and for all I know could be the reason for his voracious appetite for letting everyone know about the land he has never visited and his parents left. Anyways, just sharing a personal experience.

There's so many different routes you can take with this discussion, like the anti-assimilation movement and the like, but the fact is in the US, in most places, at least where I live, you can fly whatever flag you want. You know, melting pot and all that. But, no matter what flag people fly, if they live here, they are American, no matter how much they want to distance themselves. The best thing we can do with these people is be compassionate, and let them know that even though they may not agree with our country's politics and leaders, they have a responsibility to the rest of their nation to try to make it better.

 

[SilentStranger]

It shouldnt be illegal, but I find it disrespectful to fly another nations flag if you're living in another country. Unless it's on that nations embassy, or other place that would technically be their property

 

[sov68n]

Also, @ sov68n, I don't know the American numbers for comparison, but about 20% of Germans are actually immigrants or descendants of immigrants, I'd call that pretty diverse. And hey, it's what we need. Westerners aren't producing enough kids, we'd die out without immigrants. Even today we have a lack of skilled workers and need people from outside to fill these positions.

Well yes, but that other 80% is still what you would consider German, correct? People who descend from that Germanic "race" that's been around since before Roman times. However, there is no such thing as an "American race" (sans Natives). America is simply a mishmosh of people from other countries, we have no singular heritage to draw upon, rather we draw upon the heritages of all the other countries in the world, and mixed with our unique history as a nation, makes us who we are as a people.

It's all very complicated and hard to describe >.<