When the U.S. flag is at half-staff, all others should be, too!

[Hal_Briston]

@tumbleddown

Honestly, the owner is such a “patriot” that the restaurant has four flagpoles in the front of the parking lot, one for the U.S. flag, one for the PA flag, one for the Pittsburgh flag, and one for the McDonald’s flag.

I like how each one gets more and more localized. If a fifth pole were erected, it’d have to fly the official flag of that flagpole.

[Scuba_Ben]

@Hal_Briston

I like how each one gets more and more localized. If a fifth pole were erected, it’d have to fly the official flag of that flagpole.

I suppose the restaurant could put the county flag on pole 3, and move the city and corporate flags to the left (poles 4 and 5).

[Rodd_Hill]

Well, Maryland does spurn the Northern scum…

[Yllaria]

@Hal_Briston

I like how each one gets more and more localized. If a fifth pole were erected, it’d have to fly the official flag of that flagpole.

How wonderfully recursive. I think I want one, now.

[Harriet_the_Spry]

When I read the OP, I thought you had taken patriotism waaaay too far, implying that all other countries should lower their flags at something like Ted Kennedy’s passing, or were making fun of such an extreme patriot. Anyway, I don’t think that would get much traction. But no, it seems pretty uncool to fly the McDonald’s flag above the US flag.

[commasense]

@Harriet_the_Spry

When I read the OP, I thought you had taken patriotism waaaay too far, implying that all other countries should lower their flags at something like Ted Kennedy’s passing, or were making fun of such an extreme patriot. Anyway, I don’t think that would get much traction. But no, it seems pretty uncool to fly the McDonald’s flag above the US flag.

It’s not my own personal attitude, but it is the position of the official flag code of the U.S. that if you lower the U.S. flag, all others displayed with it – national, state, local, or multinational corporational – have to be lowered, too.

WRT other countries, it says we don’t allow any other flag to appear above ours (except the U.N. flag at U.N headquarters), but since every other country could (and perhaps does, AFAIK) take the same position, it allows for all national flags to be treated equally. Seen that way, it’s not too jingoistic.

However, our flag protocol also prohibits dipping a carried U.S. flag (as in a parade) for any person or thing. Apparently other countries allow their flags to be dipped for visiting heads of state or other major dignitaries. I’ve heard it argued (by someone well known, but I forget who now) that this is a nice mark of respect and that the U.S. could do it without sacrificing its national prestige. Kinda makes sense.

[Revtim]

@Martini_Enfield

I have to say that the US obsession with the Flag display and etiquette is quite… unusual to the Foreign observer.

Not necessarily a criticism, just an observation.

I was born and bred in the USA, and I find it bizarre. I guess because my Dad never cared about stuff like that and never taught me to feel it was important.

[Scarlett67]

There’s a house near me that has three flagpoles: U.S. flag in the middle flanked by a Packer flag and a Badger flag (for the University of WI teams).

They lowered the U.S. flag after 9/11, but – you guessed it – the team flags remained at full staff. Idjits.

[Mister_Rik]

At the city convention center where I work, we have three flagpoles out front. The US flag is on the center pole, which is both taller and of larger diameter than the other two. It’s flanked by the Washington state flag on one side and our city flag on the other. Currently all three are flying at half-mast.

[Gary_Robson]

@commasense

(I also learned from that site another practice I hadn’t known before, which the office I passed also violated: No flag should appear to the right of the U.S. flag. You learn something new every day!)

I’ve never heard that one before. It must be the most violated piece of flag code ever. I can’t even count the number of three-flag displays with the U.S. flag in the center–higher than the other two.

I was recently at a multicultural festival where the U.S. flag was displayed in the center with a bunch of other countries’ flags arranged to both sides.

[Baron_Greenback]

@Zsofia

Are scouting organizations not as prominent in other places? I know they have them other places, as international scouting is always a big part of the Girl Scout books.

Have you any sort of clue where Scouting began?

[muldoonthief]

@InvisibleWombat

I’ve never heard that one before. It must be the most violated piece of flag code ever. I can’t even count the number of three-flag displays with the U.S. flag in the center–higher than the other two.

That’s correct - see below:

@JRDelirious

And BTW that applies if the case is that all the flags are displayed in a linear or close to linear arrangement at equal or near-equal height. If the nature of the display is that there is one flag that stands out or is more prominent (front and center apart from all others; greater height; etc.) that’s where you put the US flag.