Flag waving.......Flag burning

[Ben Kenobi]

Btw what exactly means turn USA flag up - down...

That's been answered elsewhere in this very thread.

To turn the flag upside-down signifies national distress.

[Tiamat]

As I said before, burning a flag (of any nation) is like p!ssing on a grave.

See this is the point I was trying to make. And yes I also agree with Boris. While I feel that burning the Flag is an abomination.......it's still our right. Which is the point I made in the first post. We live in a country that gives us the freedom and the right to do so.

And I also agree......all the people that post burning flags....just reiterate the point. Thank you

[Spiffor]

Since many people made it clear they were offended seeing their flag burnt, I also think we could do without the pictures.
I hardly think most Americans are ready to wonder "why" today.
Because all the wondering after Sept. 11 was buried under bigotry that terrorists hate the US because it is the Land of the Free (basically, but please tell me if I am wrong, and if the "why?" feeling is as strong today as it was at Sept. 12)
This bigotry seems to be extremely present within the US now. At least, that's the impression I got when I see many pro-war Americans insisting how right their army is in smiting evil.

In the current context, I think showing pictures of flags getting burned can only upset people with minimal results

Edit : however, show as many pictures of upside-down flags as you want. They are a legitimate call to end the folly that has taken America, it's much different than a call to destroy America.

[jolair]

Here in spain if you wear a T-shirt with the spanish flag everybody would think you are a fascist (a spanish one, of course).

It isn't easy to explain...

For me a flag is just a piece of material.

To burn a flag IMO is just a stupid thing, not an abomination. To kill people is an abomination.

[Cinna]

Spiffor: I think you may have hit it right on the nose. From what I have seen, Americans, even close family and friends of mine, are generally unwilling to accept the atrocities that their government and flag have committed around the world. Instead they choose to only fan the flames (excuse the pun ) of ignorance by hiding behind the "terrorists hate us because we are free" and "they are all cowards" line. Frankly, the word coward is being thrown around just as much as the word Red was during the 1950's. If this really was the case, I think we would see a lot more Maple Leaf and Australian flags burned. But don't expect your average American to put common sense and patriotism together. Its more like they turn off common sense when they get in that patriotic mood.

[Boris Godunov]

Hey New Yorker! *waves*

[Ming]

jolair... you are restricted for a week for trying to get a flame war going with your repeated posting of mulitple pictures of the flag being burned. I can understand one or two picks... but you went overboard... and now you are toast.

[Alex]

Originally posted by obiwan18
tia:

Don't be sorry for expressing your opinion, by reducing your thoughts to mere opinion. The examples you provide are of real patriotism, and not mindless flagwaving.

Your uncle was a POW for 8 years, in the service of his country?

And all this forum offers to such a sacrifice is to spit in reply?

Sad. What could motivate someone to survive in such conditions for so long? That is the real question we should be asking here.

I respectfully disagree. I think that Tia was expressing her opinion in a very personal and emotional way, which is something that she certainly has the right to do, but to say that her uncle survived for 8 years in terrible conditions because of his patriotism or something like that is delusive at best. He survived because that is rule number one to all of us: to survive.

[Joseph]

Originally posted by Alexnm


I respectfully disagree. I think that Tia was expressing her opinion in a very personal and emotional way, which is something that she certainly has the right to do, but to say that her uncle survived for 8 years in terrible conditions because of his patriotism or something like that is delusive at best. He survived because that is rule number one to all of us: to survive.

You was not there, so how would you know.
A black American POW made a flag and the flag was found by the NVA and they beat him something terrible and when he was returned to his cell, he make another flag. John McCain was one of his cellmates and he John told the story after returning to the US.

[Six Thousand Year Old Man]

Countries are made of people, not fabric.

[Spiffor]

Those who burn flags usually do so out of hate for the people of the country the flag symbolizes. At least, it seems to apply to Israel. I suppose many Star-Spangled-Banner-Arsonists have a deep hate for the US too, and wouldn't mind its destruction.

[Verto]

Perhaps it is just part of American culture, where value is placed on the flag.

[Traianvs]

cool ppl get banned like mad here, threads are being locked and stuff, and me with my leftist views have never been banned!! how come

[Spiffor]

Our mods are leftists, didn't you know ?
More seriously, they try to only punish name calling and incivility, not opposed views. You can be leftist however you want, if you are civil by doing so, seemingly.

[St Leo]

Our mods are leftists, didn't you know ?

Really? Ming and MtG strike me as right of centre.

Of course, what do I know? I'm just a lowly peon from the upper forums.