this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2024
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Unpopular Opinion

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I don't understand this weird American obsession with flag. I was looking at some photos of Trump's rallies. Flags everywhere - on shirts, hats, glasses etc. And this bizarre cult of the flag - "it cannot touch the ground" etc.

At the end of the day the flag is just a piece of cloth. If you worship any flag or take offense to any flag, you need to get a life.

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[–] Varyk 23 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (5 children)

The national flag. What a weird American obsession.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago (1 children)

In the UK we call them "flag shaggers" and they are laughing stock.

If you are not trolling and you genuinely don't see the difference between occasional flag use and everyday cult typical for the USA and for the far right in other countries, you may be even slower than you appear from your comments here.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago (1 children)

In Spain, unless it's for a sports event involving a national team, nobody except fascists show the kind of devotion the Americans show for the flag. Most of the time, people don't go wearing a flag or carrying one everywhere. Unless they are fascists.

[–] Varyk 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

These fascists are protesting against police brutality! Gross!

These disgusting fascists are having fun learning about history and being creative!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Oh look! You found one instance I'm which people were protesting and using the flag against police brutality. Have you ever been in Spain? If you find someone wearing a flag outside an event (ok, not only sports but sometimes also demonstrations) it's a fascist. In America, people wear them every day, have them in their house, even in their car. They worship the flag. People in Spain don't. Unless they are fascists.

I'm not going to comment about the second pic because there's not even a single Spain flag there.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago

In America, people […] worship the flag. People in Spain don't. Unless they are fascists.

No, no. You have it right. It’s the same in both places.

[–] Varyk -2 points 4 months ago

In one second I found a direct counterexample to your claim that all people enthusiastic about the Spanish flag are fascists.

"People in Spain don't. Unless they are fascists."

but

"people were protesting and using the flag against police brutality".

Yes, I have been to Spain.

Spain has legal protections for its flag like the US, some zealots worshiping their flag like US zealots do, and the same clothing decorations with their national flag that the US does.

You're talking about specific jingoistic fervor, not a nationwide obsession.

Some people take nationalism too far.

Zealotry is not country-specific.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I’m as far from a flag shagger as you’ll get; but slapping the union flag on the roof of a Mini isn’t about patriotism, it’s about the selling point of how the UK, and specifically London, was the epicentre of cool in the ‘60s. In this case, the flag is merely a design that represents something else.

This isn’t running it up a pole every morning to prove how much you love your country.

[–] Varyk 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Preaching to the choir.

Extremists are the problem, not cars.

One of their points is that only Americans have branded their clothing and accessories with the flag; those examples show that isn't true.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, true. But two of your examples appear to be sporting events, where it’s very, very common to find people waving their national flags. That’s not really product branding, that’s just how it is.

[–] Varyk 0 points 4 months ago

Preaching to the choir, that's just how it is.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 months ago

Gotta tell ya, dude- it's actually no different in the U.S. You'll see our flag on all of those products and more:

It's just that the people who throw big fits about the flag (who also use things like flag napkins) don't realize the hypocrisy. They will happily eat greasy fried chicken off of that plate and wipe the grease off of their mouths with that napkin and wad it up and throw both of them in the trash will then turn around and talk about someone disrespecting the flag.