The flag fetishists in the US is damn weird.
this post was submitted on 16 Apr 2024
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The US is damn weird
At that age, being a country is still new and exciting. I mean, look at Belgium, they're also fucking weird.
excuseer?
Nee ik ben het met ze eens. Jullie zijn vreemd.
Ik vrees dat ik het niet eens kan ontkennen...
Belgian = 👎
Funny German = 👍
No, both are great people, like that cousin who licks rocks and eats bugs at family gatherings.
Hey! Don't you diss on the rocks! They taste fantastic and leach many essentially minerals, also the bugs are wonderfully slimy yet satisfying.
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This is a myth perpetuated by the flag manufacturers to sell more flags. Why would you need to burn your flag because it got dirt on it? That's what washing machines are for.
It’s also what the US flag code says. The only time it recommends burning is when it’s so tattered it’s not fit for use anymore.
And this is while most people who say the flag can't touch the ground ignore the other rules in the flag code (that doesn't apply to civilians) that state that the flag should not be flown on the same pole as another flag, and in the event that it is flown alongside another flag on a separate pole, both flags should be flown at the same height.
Only same height if it's another national flag pretty sure
That's what anti patriotic, washing machine detergent manufacturers want you to think!!
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Big Flag is fooling everybody!
Also, how much dirt touches the flag while it's up?
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I'm curious if anyone else has the same kind of flag etiquette that the US does
Like if there's any other countries where burning is the only acceptable method of disposal?
I’m pretty sure there are plenty countries where burning is a huge offense.
Burning the US flag except to dispose of it is considered offensive in the US as well.
I mean, the "burn the flag" people do want to dispose of it
I thought flags were made of non-flammable materials to prevent people from burning them.
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But it's not illegal.
You only burn to dispose of a tattered flag, burning an intact flag is offensive just like everywhere else
I don't know if it's in the law, but it's common knowledge in Italy that you shouldn't throw the national flag in the trash.
US flag code isn’t law either, you won’t go to jail for mistreating the flag, you just won’t be liked.
Yeah I'm sure there are some obscure guidelines like this in most countries it's just we don't give a fuck.
I’d wager the majority of Americans don’t really care, we’re not all flag waving, gun toting, psychos
FYI It's one of two appropriate ways of disposing the Quran.
I have strong feelings on religious text disposal given that many extend this practice to floating quotes as well. Torn shirt with “allahu akbar” on it? Not in the trash. Water damaged painting with a prayer in the background? Can’t go in the trash, dummy. Bin you scribbled a verse on when you were a kid? Better keep your foot off the pedal but sure, trash is fine. By all means, dispose of religious texts as dictated by your sect of choice but anything further feels like fear-borne neuroticism.
What's the other one?
Bury
Flags have been venerated for long long before America. It's a war thing, but think about it, in the medieval days they would have a whole guy in an army unit dedicated to be a "flag bearer". It was an important role and important to keep the flag held aloft. Not to mention the symbol on the flag was often linked to the divinity of the king or the pope. America just continued with that tradition, we didn't start it.
In medieval and early modern times, the flag bearer was basically your radio guy. He was supposed to keep the flag held up high at all times, as if the entire fighting group's life depended on it, cause very often it did.
And if it's that important to hold a flag up, over hundreds of years, weird traditions develop around the practice.
Sure, but the question was whether there is any other nation which is so stuck in this medieval tradition.
Not to get political.. buy why wouldn't just washing it and generally treating it respectfully be good enough (Like, why waste a perfectly nice looking flag?)
Intentionally throwing one's national flag on the ground and stomping on it... that's one thing. But just dropping it by mistake? People make mistakes, it shouldn't be considered bloody treason :p
Then again, I'm one of those people who avoids ever addressing 'someone of station' as 'Your Grace', 'Your Honour', 'Your Highness', etc. If I were ever in the situation of being expected to do so, I'd be very uncomfortable and would try to get away with "Sir" or "Madam". I don't believe anyone deserves such obsequious subservience. Guess I'd be dead if I'd been born a few hundred years ago.
Yup, I'm the same way. A flag is a piece of cloth, and it only has relevance due to the symbolism on it. Sure, be respectful of the freedoms it represents, but at the end of the day, it's a piece of cloth.
And yeah, I would totally not be comfortable living somewhere like the UK, if only because of the traditions around the crown, royalty, and court and legislative procedure. I'd be civil for sure, but I'm only using reasonable titles. That said, I'm okay with "the honorable" or "your honor," if it's referring to someone respected in the community that represents justice under the law. But "your grace" and whatnot are right out, I save that for actual deity.
Do you think people in the UK have to greet royalty every other week or something? I've lived here for 34 years and it's never come up.
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Nowhere in the US Flag Code does it say to burn the flag if it touches the ground. The code says separately that you shouldn't let it touch the ground, and that if it is too damaged for display it is to be disposed of by burning. Not that accidentally touching the ground automatically necessitates burning.
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The United Kingdom does. Although you can also cut the flag up so it doesn't resemble a flag anymore and throw it out.
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Osama Anon Laden
Imagine having such a braindead devotion to a piece of fabric that you must burn it if it touches the floor.
Even better; that’s not a rule, the US flag code just says you should avoid having it on the ground so it doesn’t get damaged/dirty
There are some wild things in the flag code. Like you technically aren’t allowed to have your flag up between sunset and sunrise unless it is "purposefully lit, meaning a light installed for the specific purpose of lighting the flag and not, say, a porch light that illuminates it.
I don't remember the part of having to burn the flag if it touches the ground, but that must have been traumatizing for multiple reasons.
It's a formal ceremony where you retire the flag, which involves burning it at the end. You don't just set it on fire and call it good lol
So what do you call it then?
an OMEN
He did cause it
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