# Book Burning or Flag Burning - which is worse **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 24, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-burning-or-flag-burning-which-is-worse/579584 "2011-04-24T20:19:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-burning-or-flag-burning-which-is-worse/579584/61 "2011-04-28T10:35:26Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > This was a normal fireplace strewn with bad cheesy science fiction. It was classic. > > I don’t think that that is what he said. He said that the book that they are burning is as offensive to them as _Protocols_ is to you. He was trying to use a comparison to underline that point that the person burning the book finds the book deeply offensive - for whatever reason, good or bad, logical or illogical. He could have said “as offensive as dog poop on your shoe is to you”, but he used a better, more parallel example, assuming that there wouldn’t be a knee-jerk reaction. I would probably just recycle the _Protocols_. :o I think book burning and flag burning are two different things and I disagree with both. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-burning-or-flag-burning-which-is-worse/579584/62 "2011-04-28T14:04:11Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Fair enough. While I uphold the _right_ to burn either, I agree with **SSgtBaloo** and others that there’s an implicit message that angers me in book-burning–_symbolically_, the burners seem to be saying that they wish to wipe that text out of existence. Not only do they dislike it, but _nobody should read it_. That message pisses me off some, even if I wouldn’t actually care for the specific book in question. > > Of course it’s all about the symbolism of the act. Library of Alexandria aside, I assume that the texts we might see aflame today are in little danger of actually being lost to us. Yeah, I can see that. It mostly makes me roll my eyes at the person’s inability to express himself in an intelligent manner. It’s meant to inflame passions, of course, and is successful in doing so for many. I remember being angered by the flag burning when I was in Vietnam, but mostly I remember feeling hurt that my fellow countryment thought so little of my service. In retrospect, that was an inaccurate interpretation of their actions. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-burning-or-flag-burning-which-is-worse/579584/63 "2011-04-28T14:16:32Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Thinking about it rationally, both are symbolic gestures indicating great disapproval of something, so they should be considered about equal. > > But while flag burning brings to mind images of hippies and anti-Vietnam protestors, book burning makes me think of Nazis. That’s a much more powerful connection. You took the words right out of my, er, fingers. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-burning-or-flag-burning-which-is-worse/579584/64 "2011-04-28T15:28:39Z")
Nothing wrong with book burning as long as it’s your book and doesn’t spread into a bigger fire. …I suppose the exact same thing could be said for flags too. People who get up in arms about either have got to get a life…and stop focusing on the act and focus on WHY it is being performed. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-burning-or-flag-burning-which-is-worse/579584/65 "2011-04-28T17:44:57Z")
I have to say “flag burning”, but that’s because I can see circumstances under which burning a book is merely using for kindling paper whose only other possible use is recycling (it’s not like the world needs a copy of a 1953 2-volume Complete Logarythms) but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody burn a flag without intent to offend. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-burning-or-flag-burning-which-is-worse/579584/66 "2011-04-28T20:13:12Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > I have to say “flag burning”, but that’s because I can see circumstances under which burning a book is merely using for kindling paper whose only other possible use is recycling (it’s not like the world needs a copy of a 1953 2-volume Complete Logarythms) but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody burn a flag without intent to offend. For the US flag, at least, it’s the preferred method of retiring them, actually. There is a lot of ritual involved first though, we don’t just chuck it onto a camp fire or anything. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-burning-or-flag-burning-which-is-worse/579584.md?page=3)