# First Blood - what was wrong with Rambo's flag? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 21, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320 "2005-10-21T19:51:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/1 "2005-10-21T19:51:55Z")
In _First Blood_, Teasle tells Rambo that a man with “that flag” on his jacket in this town is asking for trouble. The flag is an ordinary US flag. Why would wearing that flag be asking for trouble in that town? Was it a Southern town retaining civil war resentment? I always thought it happened somewhere up north, where wearing the Dixie flag is more likely to invite trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/2 "2005-10-21T19:55:55Z")
Because Rambo had long hair and looked like a drifter. Hippies don’t get to touch Old Glory in red states. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/3 "2005-10-21T20:04:59Z")
> [@Fear Itself](#): > > Because Rambo had long hair and looked like a drifter. Hippies don’t get to touch Old Glory in red states. Really? Was this a reality? A long-haired drifter wearing the flag would really be asking for trouble in small, conservative towns in the late seventies/early eighties? By the way, which state was it? It’s been years since I read the book, but I seem to remember it being Oregon. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/4 "2005-10-21T20:09:09Z")
It is Oregon in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/5 "2005-10-21T20:20:47Z")
> [@Priceguy](#): > > Really? Was this a reality? A long-haired drifter wearing the flag would really be asking for trouble in small, conservative towns in the late seventies/early eighties? The “Easy Rider” mindset **still** exists in rural America, sad to say. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/6 "2005-10-21T20:57:11Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The “Easy Rider” mindset **still** exists in rural America, sad to say. So if I were to walk into a rural town with long hair and a US flag on my jacket, I might still today get into trouble because of it? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/7 "2005-10-21T21:09:33Z")
I remember from my youth that there was a lot of question as to whether or not it was respectful to wear a flag as part of your clothing. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/8 "2005-10-21T21:10:14Z")
Depends on your attitude. I’m not saying it is likely to happen (officially). But it just might happen (unofficially). ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/9 "2005-10-21T21:13:13Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > I remember from my youth that there was a lot of question as to whether or not it was respectful to wear a flag as part of your clothing. Interesting question. Worthy of its own thread, I think. IMHO, here I come. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/10 "2005-10-21T23:46:41Z")
> [@awldune](#): > > It is Oregon in the movie. What you call hell, he calls home. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/11 "2005-10-22T00:24:14Z")
Maybe it had fifty stars and they’ll be in the cold, cold ground before they recognize Missourah… mm ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/12 "2005-10-22T00:46:18Z")
In the book, which I can just barely remember, it made a bit more sense because that came out in the late 60’s or early 70’s when there was still an us/them thing going on between short haired and long haired people. When the movie came out a few years later, that attitude seemed like an anachronism even then. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/13 "2005-10-22T01:03:34Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > I remember from my youth that there was a lot of question as to whether or not it was respectful to wear a flag as part of your clothing. Been years and years since I’ve seen the movie, so my recollection is shaky at best, but wasn’t it sewn on to his old military jacket, as part of his former uniform? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-blood-what-was-wrong-with-rambos-flag/327320/14 "2005-10-22T01:17:32Z")
> [@awldune](#): > > It is Oregon in the movie. Supposedly-- but it was _really_ Pitt Meadows and out beyond Hope, here in B.C., where our rednecks are unreasonably jingoistic about back-bacon and beer, and flags are mainly used as classy window coverings. 😉