Nor is it in any way “diseased” or “sick” to be realistically conscious of the possibility that he might be racist, and might be intending his flag display to convey a racist message.
That’s been the whole (unremarkable) point that this thread’s trying to make. If you are finally willing to accept its common-sense validity, then hallelujah and congrats.
Well, a number have claimed that the Thin Blue line flag, as often flown by a family who has lost a member in the line of duty- is unambiguously racist.
Nonsense, I haven’t said anything of the sort. What I have said, over and over, is that you need context. without context, you can tell very little and you are often jumping to unjustified conclusions.
If you now want to switch the discussion back to the issue of TBL flag symbolism, feel free to do that.
What you have also said over and over is that in situations without enough context to unambiguously decide the question of intent, even allowing for the possibility that the symbolic intent might be malign should be considered “diseased” and “sick” and “letting the asshole win” etc. etc. etc.
Which, as I have said over and over, is a naive and unrealistic denial of the real-world ambiguity of symbol use.
If the reality of that ambiguity has now sunk in a bit, then good. You can argue about TBL flag symbolism with somebody else if you like, I think I’ve worked hard enough.
Which is an argument advanced by literally no one in this thread.
It was clearly implied . . . or, was it inferred?
Some folks have a serious problem telling those two apart.
I don’t see any such implication. What’s been outright stated is that someone who flies the flag might be assumed to be MAGA. And that is simply a result of so many MAGA people flying the flag out of a faux patriotism.
They are currently coopting the symbol. We can try to prevent that/take it back. But you can’t do that by denying it’s happening.
I’ve heard that claim, but I’ve never encountered anyone who actually mixes up the terms.
The whoosh was to be inferred 
@crowmanyclouds wasn’t talking about the terminology used. They were talking about mixing up the actual actions of inference and implication.
[hijack]I have heard “s/he inferred” for “s/he implied” many, many times in the wild, so as to be unremarkable when I hear it. Strangely, I don’t think I’ve heard it mixed up in the other direction.[/hijack]
Seriously? Anyone who disagrees with you has a “diseased, sick mind”?
Thanks, @Kimstu. I was too groggy last night to phrase anything anywhere near that well.
That doesn’t make the answer “no”. It makes the answer “it does to some people; both to some people who are displaying the flags, and to some people who see the displays. Context is necessary.”
I don’t understand this. If it has different meanings to different people, which I certainly agree with you about, then how can it have an an unambiguous meaning of any kind?
Moderating:
I don’t believe anyone has said this in the thread. There is no need to employ such loaded language in your responses. It serves only to inflame passions and make the discussion contentious.
In a bit of irony, this thread has generated a lot of flags. Most everyone who has an opinion on the subject has expressed it forcefully and repeatedly. If you have, then it’s time to let your posts stand and move along.
Continuing to repeat points again and again is not useful and serves only to piss off others. Sometimes we need to agree to disagree on things.
I’m leaving the thread open for posters who haven’t participated in the discussion to let their views be known if they wish. If the narrow debate continues among those who have already said their piece, I’ll just close it.
It can certainly have a “hidden meaning” for some people, which is what the OP actually asked.
(I hope this explanation, in response to a direct question, doesn’t violate the mod note. I’ll otherwise stop answering.)
When my wife and I, hard-core liberals, lived in solid blue Maryland, we flew the American flag without any concern that we would be considered conservative, but that was in the innocent days of the Obama administration.
In 2013, we moved to purple Las Vegas, and continued flying the flag until November 9, 2016, when we took it down. (I briefly considered flying it upside-down, but decided against it.)
In 2020 we were in purple Marietta, Georgia, in Newt Gingrich’s former district which we had helped flip to a Democrat in 2018. Before the 2020 election, we didn’t fly the flag, but we did put out an “In this house we believe…” sign, to counter the Trump flags of the people two doors down. After the election we put the US flag back up, and kept the sign out as well.
Now we’re in solid blue Massachusetts, and we fly the US flag with no other sign that we’re liberals, and no concern that anyone will think we are Trumpists. Several of our neighbors also have US flags, and although I have never talked politics with them, it’s possible some are Trumpists, but I would be surprised (and disappointed). But it wouldn’t change our display of the flag. I refuse to allow the US flag to be co-opted as a symbol of hatred.
However, there are a few thin blue line flags in the neighborhood, and I’m sorry, even though I don’t know these people, in the absence of any sign to the contrary, I assume they’re racists. That flag is too tainted, IMHO.
But here’s a case that had me confused until just a few minutes ago, while I was preparing this post. There’s a house with a big flagpole that has displayed a number of flags. Sometimes the standard US flag. I think I’ve seen a 48-star US flag. Sometimes the “Betsy Ross” flag (blue field with thirteen stars in a circle), and then sometimes this one:
Thirteen stars in a staggered pattern, similar to the modern arrangement.
Then the other day I decided to take a picture of what I assumed was the flag above.
And I realized it has fifteen stars, not thirteen, as I assumed! Searching on “13 star US flag” I found this article about an exhibit a few years ago of 13-star US flags.
According to it, there was no standard design for the US flag until 1912, so there was quite a variety of arrangements of stars among thirteen-star flags. And the 15-star flag my neighbor is flying represents the period in the 1790s when Vermont and Kentucky had been admitted to the union.
When I saw the Betsy Ross flag I was concerned the owner might be signaling racist sympathy, since that flag has been associated with the KKK historically, as well as more recently with white supremacist groups.
But now that I’ve seen the fifteen-star flag, I’m more inclined to think they are simply flag fans who like to display a variety of flags.
Fun fact: did you know that the official aspect ratio (width to height) of the US flag, according to the US Flag Code, is 1.9? So all the 3x5 or 4x6 flags are, technically, wrong.
The ones with the correct aspect ratio are called “government specification” or “G-spec” and are harder to find, and generally more expensive.
Any of the previous national flags are considered ‘active’ and can be flown.
Is it appropriate to fly a flag that has fewer than 50 stars?
Yes. Official United States flags are always considered living, active flags. From the Betsy Ross flag to the present 50-star flag, any flag that at some time was the official flag is still considered a living flag to be accorded all due respect.
Tell your complaining neighbors to pound sand.
It is commonly flown by family who have had one of their members die in the line of fire. How is that “racist” or tainted"?
118 LEO were killed in the line of duty in 2022. So what is the probability that this is the motivation for any given flag that you see?
I fly an American flag in Honor of my Father, who died and was buried in Veterans cemetery several decades ago. Are you saying a person can only express honor for something that occured a year ago? Not to mention there is such a thing as extended family.
18 months if you file for an extension.
Thank you!
Ignorance fought (mine…) Other folks - not so much.
My immediate & actual neighbors supported me - it was my FaceBook ’neighbors’ (presumably on same planet, but …maybe not.) who took umbrage. I wasn’t sure it was legit to display the old flag, but it sure seemed appropriate, and hardly disrespectful. Maybe they were from Alaska and/or Hawaii……