# Do you fly the flag? When? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 13, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624 "2009-10-13T04:41:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/21 "2009-10-13T18:05:16Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > Actually, I have been to Turkey about a dozen times and while you see a lot of Turkish flags in markets and on public roads (usually a bunch of small flags all tied to the same line), it is not as common to see them flying from private homes as it is in the US in my experience. Several Middle Eastern countries are like this too. Really? I saw a lot of Turkish flags flying from apartment windows in Istanbul. I have a picture of a random street from a time when I got totally lost that shows several flags in apartment windows. I tried to find it, but it’s apparently not on this computer. What freaked me out more about Turkish patriotism were all of the ever-present portraits of Ataturk. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/22 "2009-10-13T18:15:23Z")
We fly one at our house, 24/7/365. When we moved into the house it was Independence Day weekend, and the sellers left it flying by the front door, so we just left it there. After a while it started falling apart so we replaced it. We don’t light it at night or take it in during the rain; I know you’re _supposed_ to, but I don’t agree that I’m being disrespectful just because we don’t do those things. Mesquite-oh summed it up pretty well here: > [@](#): > > At the risk of sounding a bit cheesey, I like to step out of my house every morning and see it waving, I am happy for the opportunities and freedoms this country has presented to me and my family, it is a bit inspirational. Along these lines, I also display it for my kids, as a reminder to not take things for granted and to think about how they can be a contributor to society. We’re not loud, ignorant, bigoted types, nor do I agree with everything our country’s leaders do. Regardless, I love my country. Don’t think less of me for flying it; I don’t think less of you for not flying one. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/23 "2009-10-13T19:10:50Z")
I was in Copenhagen in September. Saturday 5th September was “National Flag Day” - held to honour the armed forces of Denmark. As well as flags being flown from public buildings, every bus in the city carried two of them on their roofs. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/24 "2009-10-13T20:33:39Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > …_until_ 9/11 and its aftermath and the beginnings of the war in Iraq. Even though at the time I was pro-Iraq invasion, the proliferation of flags everywhere, including car antennas and bumper stickers and clingfilms on windows felt weird and aggressive to me. As my political ideals spread leftward, the more twitchy 24/7 flag displays by private citizens make me. I’m with ya here. David Cross NSFWly sums up my gut feeling on it [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbQL3yB3HcA). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/25 "2009-10-13T20:51:16Z")
There is one on my apartment building that is left up overnight and in all weathers. That bothers me (though my complaints to management did nothing). However, I would never fly one personally. It seems weird to me. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/26 "2009-10-13T21:08:23Z")
No, and I find the practice somewhat bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/27 "2009-10-13T21:09:52Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Really? I saw a lot of Turkish flags flying from apartment windows in Istanbul. I have a picture of a random street from a time when I got totally lost that shows several flags in apartment windows. I tried to find it, but it’s apparently not on this computer. > > What freaked me out more about Turkish patriotism were all of the ever-present portraits of Ataturk. Was it a holiday of sorts? I was in Kayseri during a holiday and flags were everywhere. That’s fine, I just think the flag-waving on normal days in the US etc is a bit odd. Most of my time in Turkey has been in the eastern half of the country in and around Erzurum for example. For pictures of the leader try Turkmenistan and North Korea. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/28 "2009-10-13T21:13:14Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > What freaked me out more about Turkish patriotism were all of the ever-present portraits of Ataturk. He’s their Thomas Paine, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton all rolled into one. Think of it like the 470-something thousand high schools named after Washington. ---
**Author:** ![Jettboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@Jettboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jettboy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/29 "2009-10-13T21:19:55Z")
Nahhh, I’ve never really grasped the whole ‘nationalism’ thing. ---
**Author:** ![Kickback\_Joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/cdc98d/32.png) [@Kickback\_Joe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kickback_Joe)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/30 "2009-10-13T21:30:05Z")
I used to fly one all the time until some jerkwad broke my light. I took it down that night after discovering the previous home owner did not know what he was doing and the wiring is all jacked up. It is being repaired this weekend and then I will then once again fly the flag all the time unless it is raining. I fly the flag to remind me of my father who spent most of my childhood serving in the Air Force. It reminds me of my youth when I sit out on the front porch and hear the flag flapping and see jet contrails in the sky. ---
**Author:** ![Tayto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Tayto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tayto)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/31 "2009-10-13T21:39:30Z")
Not so much here (Dublin), mostly on Government buildings and what have you. Mind you, we don’t have much to be flag-waving about these days… ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/32 "2009-10-13T21:59:18Z")
Dubai… I am trying to imagine UAE flags hanging on every apartment building and villa, from the antennas of every car, on t-shirts and bumper stickers and a large crowd gathered along the Creek listening to one of the Sheiks while all chanting UAE! UAE! UAE! It just doesn’t work for me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/33 "2009-10-14T01:44:54Z")
I don’t even own a flag. My little girl got one last Independence Day but I think it was broken before the fireworks began. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/34 "2009-10-14T01:57:19Z")
I have a three by five footer attached to a 4x4 porch support post that flies 24/7. No biggie. My family has always had an American flag flying since I was a lad. Nothing showy, just a flag. It’s a good reminder of where we were, where we’ve been and where we are now. I would only take it down when the black helicopters and jack-booted thugs come calling. I love my country and all but I suspect that most people like me just like having it…it’s really no big deal nor is it some lame attempt to “be more patriotic than the other guy”. And my military upbringing and my own personal experience with the Army colors that some. The flag means something to me and to many, but it isn’t “America…Fuck Yeah!” Simply put, to me, it’s more about honoring the concept of the nation, the ideals it’s _supposed_ to uphold, and the many that have died trying to fulfill that vision. Nothing more, nothing less. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/35 "2009-10-14T02:32:20Z")
We fly our flag 24/7/365. We light it and it stays up during rain because a) it’s allowed if the flag is nylon (waterproof) and b) it only rains once a year in So Cal. We are not right wing or jingoistic or any of the other insulting names that have been called in this thread. I like how the flag looks and I like being free to fly the flag. (ahem). Also since there are several people in our neighborhood who fly the Mexican flag, I like to fly the American one to remind them and myself where we live. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/36 "2009-10-14T02:41:26Z")
We don’t, but that’s only because we don’t have one. I help take care of the flag duties at work, though: I take it down when it rains and at night (no light on the flag) and keep track of when it needs to be lowered to half staff and raised again. Work is considering having a light installed so we can fly the flag at night as well. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/37 "2009-10-14T02:53:15Z")
No. I’m not into arm band patriotism…or any kind of patriotism, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/38 "2009-10-14T03:01:08Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > Was it a holiday of sorts? I was in Kayseri during a holiday and flags were everywhere. That’s fine, I just think the flag-waving on normal days in the US etc is a bit odd. > > Most of my time in Turkey has been in the eastern half of the country in and around Erzurum for example. For pictures of the leader try Turkmenistan and North Korea. Nope, I was there during my winter break 2007/2008. No holidays. I was mostly in the western part of the country, though, in Istanbul, Selcuk, and then in Cappadocia. Turkmenistan and North Korea are two of the only countries in the world that I’m afraid to go to, tbh. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/39 "2009-10-14T03:06:44Z")
I fly the flag on holidays and 9/11. It’s a 3’x5’ flag that I display on my balcony railing. I live above the 10th floor in an apartment complex. My apartment faces south, and in that direction there is nothing nearly that high, so my flag is visible for some distance. I haven’t seen any other US flags in my complex, which, considering its size, is sad. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624/40 "2009-10-14T03:26:54Z")
My genealogy is about as purely “American” as you can get going all the way back to the 1st colony at Jamestown and persisting on almost all sides for about 400 years. I am almost all Southern with just a few exceptions but I own a pre-Revolutionary Era house here in Massachusetts as well. You can bet your ass that the U.S. flag will be flying on several holidays during the year. I am very proud of my heritage even if I do come from an extremely long line of Southern plantation slave owners. I am my family’s general historian and I really am very proud to be an American (not to get all Lee Greenwood and all but it is a real emotion). U.S. Southerners have the weird mental trait of defending the South to this day but are also some of the most patriotic citizens to the U.S. as a whole as well. I can’t really explain it but I do understand it intuitively. Yes, the U.S. flag will fly over my house for my lifetime when it is appropriate and respectful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-fly-the-flag-when/513624.md?page=3)