Does the display of American flags have some "hidden meaning" these days?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve noticed that in my neighborhood several homes flag US flags nearly daily. It used to be we were one of few houses that flew the flag even on federal holidays. And it isn’t every block. But on some blocks you’ll see as many as 6 American flags - which is more than I used to see on Flag Day or the 4th of July.

Some of the are accompanied by “blue stripe” flags, which made me wonder if they intended a specific message. We noticed a lot of flags displayed on a recent trip to a very “red” locale in another state.

Our Chicago suburb/county used to be very red, but is now purple tending blue nationally/statewide, but still predominantly red locally.

2

Blue stripe flags certainly are sending a specific message.

The thin blue line flag represents the ideals of justice and freedom, bravery and solidarity. Although it has great meaning for the fraternal feelings of police officers for others in the profession, it is not reserved for use only by police officers.

As symbolized by the field of stars, citizens are integral to the message of the flag. Those who want to express their support for police officers and their partnership in the mission of law and order should feel free to fly the thin blue line flag.

Sadly, the thin blue line has been falsely identified with police misconduct and racism. Those who display blue line symbolism by flag or decal have faced verbal abuse and vandalism. Some Homeowners Associations have opposed the flags, and even some police agencies have removed the image from their patrol cars, station houses and uniforms. - SOURCE

Regarding racism:

Since this is FQ I will leave it at that. Factually, it is a divisive flag. More argument is for a different thread I think.

3

I applaud @Whack-a-Mole’s post on blue line flags.

I’m not sure anyone can answer the current meaning of widespread display of US flags in an FQ manner.

I will factually say that the last time a sudden explosion of USA flags on cars and such was seen in my area, a substantial percentage of them also displayed MAGA paraphernalia. Not all, but a clear majority.

It is a fact that at the midterms and since, many R candidate have campaigned on a theme that only their party cares about the USA at all. The other party are all about overthrowing the USA. Adverts with R candidates literally wearing American flags like shawls were common around here.

So for many folks back in 2016, during 2016-2020, and at the midterms, flying the US flag was flying what they perceived as an R party banner. Or at least an unambiguous symbol of support for the R party.

Does that explain any / some / all of your neighbors? I can’t answer to FQ standards.

4

Ostentatious patriotism certainly tends to be associated with populist ideology. It’s an expression of the tribal “us/them” mindset that’s difficult to challenge, because there’s nothing wrong with being constructively proud of your nation. The critical question, of course, is exactly what “America” means to the flag flyer. Who is included as a true American, and who is a traitor betraying true American values?

5

We drove through some of rural PA back then, as I was still chasing ancestors and some of them had come from that area. I remember every single house along the main drags of those small towns had an American flag hanging off the porch. I remember thinking that somebody was making a lot of money selling them.

6

I really want to fly an American flag that has been smuggled out of Iran, subverting its intended purpose.

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[Moderating]
I’m really not seeing a Factual Question here. Moving to IMHO.

8

I used to fly my flag continuously from Memorial Day to Labor Day. But on January 6, I put out my flag and it has flown continuously since then. I recently bought a new flag, as the old one was getting worn.

Why? Because those MAGA fuckers at the Capitol were beating police with it. I will not let them claim a symbol I associate with freedom, equality and democracy. I don’t care what other people think when they drive by my house. I fly the flag because of how it makes me feel.

9

Since it is in IMHO now I will say it:

The Thin Blue Line flag is a white supremacist flag.

Its meaning is not hidden. Those who fly it pretend it is all well and good but it is a dog whistle at the least.

10

It’s the flag version of “All Lives Matter”.

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Now that we’re in IMHO …

The US flag flown from cars, trucks, or houses means similar to most of the ostentatious patriots as @Riemann so eloquently put it. It is a symbol of MAGAtry with intent to intimidate. They fly it to demonstrate their fealty to authoritarians, utterly unlike the symbolism @Fear_Itself intends.

It will be the work of decades to take the American flag away from the Reactionary Totalitarian anti-Americans and return it to its rightful place as a symbol for all that every American holds dear under our Constitution, rather than standing for that which all true Americans revile.

12

Joe Biden must be a Fucking Stud!

All kinda flags around my neck of the … Sand… of people wanting to Sex Him Up!

13

Not even close.

You know, I am getting tired of ordinary things becoming “sekret simbols of nazis”. The American flag is our flag. It’s nice to display it There is no hidden meaning. The Okay sign is not a white power sign. If you believe that, you were trolled- by tolls at 4Chan. The Gadsen flag is a historical American flag. The Thin Blue line means you support the police.

Now sure, some assholes fly certain flags, make certain signs, etc- but that is becuase they are assholes.

14

With a substantial overlap with fascism, to the extent fascists like to style themselves as populists.

Which, in certain contexts, also aligns quite well with fascism. The American flag has become sadly questionable. But IMHO, there is no doubt about what the Thing Blue Line flag represents. It has a very specific message that has gained wide acceptance among a certain (disproportionately white) segment of the population at a very specific time. Not unlike, say, the mass adoption, in the South, of pro-Confederate displays and monuments concurrent with the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century.

15
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It’s unfortunate, but another nice novel idea from the past has been co-opted and abused by extremists. According to FlagAndBanner, a website that calls themselves The experts on flags and their meanings…

. . . The first use of the thin blue line was used in 1911 in a poem by Nels Dickmann Anderson referring to the United States Army.

In the 1950s, Los Angeles Police Department Chief Bill Parker coined the term “thin blue line” as the barrier between law and order, and social and civil anarchy. By the early 1970s, the term had spread to police departments across the U.S. Use of the term became especially widespread following the release of Errol Morris’s 1988 documentary, “The Thin Blue Line.”

In addition to the police, eight other public service branches have adopted thin line colors of their own, including the thin red line flag of the fire department. Flying a thin line flag shows support for the associated service branch, noted below:

The rest of the list can be seen by going directly to their website, if you wish. I don’t feel the need to copy their whole web page into this thread.

So, according to this, the thin blue line has been symbolic of support for law-and-order since the 1950s. I know what was going on at the time; I suspect but don’t know which side LAPD’s chief Bill Parker supported in those issues or if he intended the thin blue line to be particularly or exclusively supportive of law-enforcement officers (as opposed to support for ratified authority and laws).

With that symbolism being added back to people’s flags in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests, the thin blue line has certainly become a reactionary effort to dilute and weaken the point of the protests. And then, with the thin blue line becoming popular, others have undermined that reactionary reaction by displaying flags with other thin lines, including rainbows for LGBTQ support and pink lines for support of women’s rights and – well, see the web site for more meanings if you wish. I, for one, would like to see a line in support of globalism (as opposed to nationalism).

The US Government has put forth no opinion on the matter. The official flag of the United States has no thin lines of any color.

And, by the way, there is no “American Flag” and there probably never will be.
The United States of America is one of many nations on the two American continents and there are also several Central American nation-states on the isthmus that connects North and South America.

–G!

17

When people - or any of zillions of Google searches- or even the Op says "American, with a capital A, they mean the USA.

We can also put away our Hawaiian shirts too. Letting the asshole win is- letting the asshole win.

18

It’s more like “If we pretend the asshole isn’t there, she/he will just disappear magically!”.

19

@DrDeth Beau of the Fifth Column has a video on this. Symbols change.

That said, the concept of the thin blue line seems bad to me even when it wasn’t a racist dogwhistle. The idea that cops are the only thing protecting us from a violent chaotic world just isn’t true.

20

So do you have any thoughts as to why American flags have become somewhat common in our previous mostly flag-free neighborhood?

Hopefully one guy decided to fly his out of non-MAGA patriotism, and his neighbors followed suit. But IMO it is generally a sucker’s bet to presume innocent motivation by my fellow citizens! :wink: