I recently replaced our storm-tattered U.S. and Kentucky state flags with a 20th Maine regimental flag.
My neighbors probably don’t appreciate the “hidden meaning”.
There’s “don’t appreciate” as in “don’t comprehend”, and “don’t appreciate” as in “don’t approve of”. I think you’ve probably got a two-fer on most of your neighbors. They’d disapprove, if only they could comprehend.
Very well-played Good Sir.
Thanks to your wiki link, I see that the fifteen-star flag my neighbor is flying also has fifteen stripes, which I had not noticed. Also, it’s the “Star-Spangled Banner,” the flag that was current during the War of 1812, that Francis Scott Key wrote a poem about. (Coincidentally, FSK was a graduate of my alma mater.)
Yeah, it was about then they figured as the union got bigger the number of required stripes would become unsupportable. Can you imagine a flag with 50 stripes? It would resemble one of those feather banners merchants use.
The flag would look pretty in pink.
Without counting that can’t be 50. The fact both outer stripes are red means the total of red + white has gotta be an odd number.
Unless there’s a white stripe across the bottom we can’t tell vs. the background.
On the skin I’m using, the background is black, the bottom stripe is white.
Ok then. Thank you. Makes me think such a flag might want to have a contrasting border. Hmmm
Better yet, it should have a gold fringe. Can you imagine the total head asploding from the wackadoodles around the USA if we made the gold fringe an official and required part of the flag?
If we don’t go with a gold fringe, maybe the blood of traitors?
Just don’t make it a thin blue line.
That would blend in with the red.
Orange?
At this point, I still had to go count them. Yep, it’s 50 stripes.
For international comparison: outside big international sporting events or national days, or regions where national identity is a big issue, it isn’t that widespread to see people flying national flags, certainly in England - Scottish and Welsh nationalists might make more of a display, and of course Northern Ireland is a law unto itself. Abroad, I’ve seen in Barcelona conspicuous displays of the Catalan flag (and even the Spanish Republican flag). I believe it’s very common for Danes to fly the Dannebrog, with no particular political connotation.
But there was a time when conspicuous displays of either the Union flag or the St George’s flag in England could be (was meant to be?) a sign of support for extreme right/racist movements. Gradually that has diminished, as their connections to football hooliganism has been neutralised. But it can still be sensitive for some. Pink Union flags appear at Pride without an issue, but it’s not so long since this occurred and was seized on by the RW press as left-wing patronising:
I watch Escape to the Country and a LOT of homes are decorated with Union Jack everything- pillows, towels, clothing etc. More so than the American flag usually is.
Ah, but that’s indoors.
I know a few of us check out electoral-vote.com for US political news and insights. They have a weekly feature where they run a question from a reader, and ask other readers to respond to it.
This week, the question is the same as this thread:
D.D. in Hollywood, FL, asks: Whenever I see an American flag in someone’s yard, I can’t help but think they must be MAGA Trump supporters. Am I the only one to see what Donald Trump has wrought for our national symbol? Or am I overreacting?
Many thoughtful responses came in from readers of the column. Folks here might find it an interesting read. Scroll to the bottom of today’s page.
And, is “D.D. in Hollywood, Florida” a reader of StraightDope? D.D. posed the question about a week after this thread wrapped up. Hmmm.
Is this thread dead yet?
Since I responded with the link and info about the Thin Blue Line flag, (and, yes, other crappy attempts at pedantry) I thought this might be relevant.
Barring ‘thin blue line’ flag on Pennsylvania township property is unconstitutional, US court rules
Link to the newspaper article (nothing unsafe for work here): Barring 'thin blue line' flag on Pennsylvania township property is unconstitutional, US court rules | AP News
Some excerpts:
Prohibiting the use of the thin blue line flag [by the public employees on governmental properties, including their uniforms] restricts the free speech of public employees under the First Amendment, U.S. District Judge Karen Marston decided.
. . .
“Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the Flag carries racist undertones to certain members of the community,” she wrote in denying a request to impose sanctions on the township. “Indeed, the individual Plaintiffs admitted that they have been told the Flag carries racial undertones.”
So it is still quite actively controversial, years after the inflamatory event and its resulting demonstrations and counterdemonstrations.
–G!