# Liverpool Fans Burning An American Flag **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 4, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950 "2010-06-04T16:53:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/21 "2010-06-08T06:11:37Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I was trying to think of something that I could care less about than someone burning an American flag. The only thing I could come up with is, “The political opinions of soccer thugs.” Just below this is “the political opinions of those who are concerned about the political opinions of soccer thugs.” And below that: “the political opinions of those who are concerned about the political opinions of those who are concerned about the political opinions of soccer thugs.” You’re a very clever young man, but it’s political opinions all the way down. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/22 "2010-06-08T13:42:02Z")
Liverpool fans aren’t thugs. They’re _hooligans._ ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/23 "2010-06-08T13:58:49Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Liverpool fans aren’t thugs. They’re _hooligans._ I thought they were louts. I never get these memos. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/24 "2010-06-08T14:07:56Z")
Louts have cars. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/25 "2010-06-08T15:36:38Z")
This isn’t even political if you ask me. USA plays England in opening games this coming Saturday in the World Cup. It’s not like Liverpool fans have been roaming around northern England torching Ol’ Glories for the last several years. It’s a petulant “your team sucks” taunt. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/26 "2010-06-08T15:50:14Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > This isn’t even political if you ask me. USA plays England in opening games this coming Saturday in the World Cup. It’s not like Liverpool fans have been roaming around northern England torching Ol’ Glories for the last several years. > > It’s a petulant “your team sucks” taunt. Actually it has pretty much nothing to do with the World Cup game coming up. It was about an American owner fucking up their team. And since I posted the OP I have regained my perspective. What just annoys me is how in England when it comes to football there is a subset that lump all of America together and blame the whole country for every ill that befalls their sport. So I get annoyed because I really enjoy the Premkiership and International football and just hate being even indirectly linked to the Hicks of the world. So that was why I was annoyed, I guess. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2010, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/27 "2010-06-08T15:55:52Z")
What subset is that? There are fans of a couple of clubs who blame American owners for effing up their teams. I’ve never heard anyone complain that America is ruining football. It’s laughable; Americans don’t care about football, and everyone knows that. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/28 "2010-06-08T16:02:33Z")
Americans don’t care about SOCCER! We LOVE football. 😛 And it’s kind of quaint and cute – English fans burning our flag when we piss you off. Americans invade when you piss us off. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/29 "2010-06-08T16:04:21Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Actually it has pretty much nothing to do with the World Cup game coming up. It was about an American owner fucking up their team. I guess I didn’t pay decent attention to the links, but I’d bet bucks to bangers and mash that the World Cup match up is feuling a few anti-America fires in jolly old England. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/30 "2010-06-08T16:15:02Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Americans don’t care about SOCCER! We LOVE football. 😛 > > And it’s kind of quaint and cute – English fans burning our flag when we piss you off. Americans invade when you piss us off. No, we rename their foodstuffs. [QUOTE=Jack Batty] I guess I didn’t pay decent attention to the links, but I’d bet bucks to bangers and mash that the World Cup match up is feuling a few anti-America fires in jolly old England. [/QUOTE] Why on earth would you think that? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/31 "2010-06-08T16:27:36Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > No, we rename their foodstuffs… That’s only because we already invaded France, decided it wasn’t worth keeping, and gave it back. If it were up to me, we’d still have it just for their women with the sexy accents. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/32 "2010-06-08T16:49:00Z")
Not [just](http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2007/01/victory-sausages.html) [France](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauerkraut#Cultural_references). ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/33 "2010-06-08T16:55:28Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Why on earth would you think that? Not sure if that was rhetorical or not, but I’m just riffing on your general run-of-the-mill World Cup fan-wankishness. For example, I have nothing at all against the German people, but I hated those Teutonic fuckers when we played them in the Quarters in 2002. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/34 "2010-06-08T17:05:14Z")
Oh, I see. Only American fans hate opponents _before_ actually playing them. Other fans reserve their ire for opponents who beat them, generally. Of course, English fans hate the Germans, but that’s because they’ve got something of a tradition of beating us. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/35 "2010-06-08T17:09:48Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Of course, English fans hate the Germans, but that’s because they’ve got something of a tradition of beating us. Except for the three important times. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/36 "2010-06-08T17:11:07Z")
I’m not sure why you’re taking a piss on me here. Am I not stating anything that isn’t fucking obvious? World Cup confrontations always raise the ire among the ardent. ---
**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:** [June 8, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/37 "2010-06-08T17:11:29Z")
[QUOTE=villa] Except for the three important times. [/QUOTE] Well, yes, but if either World War had been decided on penalties we’d all be speaking German. [QUOTE=Jack Batty] I’m not sure why you’re taking a piss on me here. Am I not stating anything that isn’t fucking obvious? World Cup confrontations always raise the ire among the ardent. [/QUOTE] I’m hardly taking a piss on you, so put away the umbrella. I’m just taking issue with your contention that there are people in England right now bitching about Americans because of the match. There aren’t, and it’s silly to think there are. Now, if the US _wins_, heaven forfend… ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/38 "2010-06-08T17:21:27Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m just taking issue with your contention that there are people in England right now bitching about Americans because of the match. There aren’t, and it’s silly to think there are. It’s not like I have a roster of malcontents, but I hightly doubt that. For one thing, I know that Brits don’t offer very much respect to the Yanks when it comes to football, so it’s probably more of a chuckling at the upstarts rather than a screaming at the usurpers … or whatever. On the other hand, there are probably a half-a-dozen or so rednecks in Pigs Scrotum, Arkansas who couldn’t even spell soccer who will hate England for two hours this weekend because of a World Cup match up. I’m not trying to get into an argument. And I know it’s my own fault for not paying the OP links very much heed, but I don’t think it’s outrageous to say that one country’s fans (well, some of them anyway) will always show contempt toward another country’s fans (well, some of them anyway) when it comes to this particular tournament. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/39 "2010-06-08T17:23:18Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Well, yes, but if either World War had been decided on penalties we’d all be speaking German. Not if we’d had a Russian/Azerbaijani linesman in World War One or Two. ---
**Author:** ![BunnyTVS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BunnyTVS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyTVS)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950/40 "2010-06-08T17:32:56Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Well, yes, but if either World War had been decided on penalties we’d all be speaking German. [JimmyCarr]Have you forgotten about our language skills? There’s no way we could just ‘pick it up’ in 65 years[/Jimmy Carr] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liverpool-fans-burning-an-american-flag/541950.md?page=3)