My ex from Norway mentioned how unusual it was that so many places and people here fly our flag (USA), so I was curious to hear what it’s like for others here on the fediverse.
I’m from Spain, it’s not uncommon unfortunately, but that’s because the flag is appropriated by the right and far right and if you see someone with one you can be 90% sure of the type (homophobe, anti abortion, bullfighting supporter, climate change denier, etc etc)
It has become that way in the US.
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Flying your country’s flag soft implies that you like your country, liking your country soft implies that you support and enjoy the status quo of your country. Conservatives seek to preserve the status quo. Therefore, conservatives and supporters of the status quo will always have a greater connection to the flag than those who are marginalized in the same country.
Patriotism and nationalism have a strong association, independent of how people opposed to nationalism feel about it. Why would we want to adopt a symbol that is even loosely associated with nationalism or suggests contentness with the status quo if we want to significantly change the status quo?
I disagree progressives flying the flag enables the hate of the right. In fact, I feel the opposite; flying the flag normalizes nationalistic tendencies instead of making you look like an obsessed weirdo.
Wanted to add to this, a couple other reasons why progressive-minded people wouldn’t want to fly the flag:
There’s inherent colonial symbolism in the 13 stripes on the flag, and flying it also can be seen as a celebration of colonial conquest over native lands.
If liberals regularly fly the flag, leaving only left-wing people who dislike the US as the only people not flying the flag, not flying the flag will actively become a political statement, placing a target on their backs, and becoming a reason to antagonize people just living their lives.
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To change what it implies, to change what it’s associated with, to change what it symbolizes.
The phenomena I describe is much broader than the US and the current time period. It has existed across time and cultures, implying that there are broader factors at play than the opinions and behaviors of contemporary US culture. Flag waving nationalism is damn near universal. Americans only differ by how universally people feel the need to wave the flag.
My greater point is that you can’t change what the flag symbolizes by having different opinions and flying the flag. Symbols are just that: symbols. To change what the flag means you must either change what the US does or change the flag. Embracing national symbols only emboldens nationalism if your nation isn’t diametrically opposed to nationalism.
“That’s ours, we own it and it represents our values. See it flying everywhere? That’s because we own this nation, we’re the one’s in charge here, not you”
This is quite literally true and always has been. You don’t see flags representing the Lakota or Seneca nations anywhere, and the 13 stripes are a direct hat nod to the European colonization wiped them out. The state will not stop systematically repressing indigenous, black, or other marginalized peoples if progressives suddenly start identifying with the flag. It will just make progressives look supporters or useful idiots to that state oppression.
Why would I want to prevent right-wingers from taking sole ownership of something intended to represent a state with long history of right-wing violence, slavery, and military interventionism? They can have it. It’s as perfect of a symbol for right-wingers as any other. Should we fly the swastika to reclaim it too?
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Could say the same about Germany
The problem that the origin of our flag is dated in 1785 but because we were under the Dictatorship of Franco for 40 years, young people identifies the flag with that regimen (extreme right). But not everydody things that way 😏 🙄
I am from Germany and no one is raising a flag. Except he is a Nazi. Or it is soccer World Championship.
That’s kind of sad. It’s getting that way in Canada. Trudeau has called people every ism and ist when they are carrying a Canadian flag that people don’t fly it very much.
It’s not perceived as sad because it’s just something most people have no desire to do. Flags just aren’t a super common decoration you see outside of store advertisements and official government buildings. “I should install a flag pole on my property” is already a rare thought in most places and a lot of people then rather put a flag about something that is special to them on there. In line with that thought, being German in Germany obviously isn’t that special, so it’s usually not your choice of “displaying something that is special to me” unless you have a right-wing mindset. You’ll more often see football teams, maybe music bands and the more rare political issue here and there, like “stop nuclear power plants”.
It’s weirdly common in Denmark. People fly the national flag for birthdays, and some people even decorate the Christmas tree with flag guirlandes. It’s seen as an act of celebration rather than patriotism.
OP sounds strange to me I feel like all Scandinavians have their flag a lot, on birthday cakes and for graduations and such. I definitely experienced this in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
Yeah I see it all the time in Sweden. Not on cars so much but flagpoles and such especially when it is a nice day out
Unless it’s the world cup you’re assumed to be a shithead
can confirm
Australian here. Outside of official government uses, it’s generally a sign that someone is a racist fuckwit.
we should replace the union jack with the first nations flag
Kangaroo with lasers coming out of its eyes
Canada here, not very common until you get close to Canada day or Armistice day. Recently though; there have been people flying it a lot and they mostly seem to be the conspiracy/queen of Canada types.
So yes, it is unusual. Perhaps it can be seen as a symptom of American nationalism, and all the pitfalls it represents.
Canada here, not very common until you get close to Canada day or Armistice day.
It’s very common if you’re travelling Europe and are American.
My Grandpa almost got mugged in …Spain I think, but the guys seen that he had a tim hortons mug and a Canadian flag sowed onto his bag, so they left him alone lol.
Nothing brings a family together like waving your country’s flag from an overpass while yelling at traffic
In the UK it’s very unusual unless it’s football or royal related. The union flag, the Welsh flag and the Scottish flag are ok most of the time but the England flag is seen as being a bit racist.
Would be nice if it was reclaimed from the football hooligan/EDL types, but the union flag serves well enough
I see people with their county flag outside quite a bit out in the sticks
Yeah, thinking about it I reckon I see county flag about the same as national flag in England.
From the US, I see American flags everywhere.
Some small towns have a flag on every electrical pole on their main street. It used to just be around Memorial Day and the 4th of July, but a lot of towns seem to be leaving them up year round.
A huge proportion of houses in US suburbs and rural areas have flags flying. If you have wealth or a big chunk of land, it’s pretty certain you also have a flag flying or prominently displayed on your property. Less frequent on the porches of more modest homes.
Pickup trucks fly flags (sometimes multiple) attached to their beds. These trucks often also have punisher stickers, human skulls, or “thin blue line” flag stickers on them.
Most medium to large businesses have a flag pole on their campus.
I definitely see fewer flags in cities, but still see a lot of flag stickers on storefront windows, and flags in apartment bedroom windows.
A lot of people in our small (US) town seem to not like our flag. We happily fly it and a pride flag.
Australia: Very unusual. I’ll see someone doing it maybe once a month and always think “fucking weirdos”. It’s more common to see Aboriginal flags, but still uncommon
It’s more common to see bogans using it as part or their beach or BBQ attire (eg, maybe an Australian flag stubby cooler)
Here in the Philippines, it’s generally around only on government buildings and schools. Some establishments and residences may opt to fly the flag as well, but most of us just don’t bother at all.
Generally the flag doesn’t have any negative (or positive) connotations. Both the leftists and rightists see the flag equally.
Austria: not often and I like that. Not a fan of nationalism, so the less visible this is in my life the better. I see flags IRL mainly on government functions and when right wingers parade around, maybe also near football matches, that‘s about it.
I‘d like to think the history with Nazis made it less popular, but the actual amount of far-right voters makes me think I might just live in a happy little bubble and I’d be shocked if I looked into people‘s cellars.
I am from Philadelphia, PA, USA. Nobody in my neighborhood have a flag on their yard. I tend to see lots of flags when I travel through rural areas. People with pickup trucks seems obsessed with flags on their car.
When I went to Norway I counted the flags I saw. I forget the exact number but I saw maybe 6 in the week I was there. Come back to the US I saw at least 20 coming back from the airport.
In Brazil it’s more common now mainly because of the far right who appropriated it for themselves. Most will identify a person flying our flag as a Bolsonaro supporter, me personally like to stay clear of them.
Pretty funny that coming from a Norwegian because they still have the flag out many places in my opinion :)
It’s actually one of the things that stuck out the most after I had moved there.
Especially at “hytter” (vacation cabins) I think the majority has a flag out.
Same for national day, you’ll see a bunch of flags.Compare that to Belgium, where I’m from. Even on national day it’s a rare sight to see a flag.
And it’s only very fanatic people that will actually wave it around on the street.The moment you’ll see most flags out is probably during the world cup.
Not really. Vacation cabins are for vacation with Norwegians not acting like Norwegians, i.e. socializing with neighbors and having the flag up indicating their precense. More often than not, the flag is used as a celebration of either a national holiday or the birthday of someone in the household. Cabin, hiking and boat culture are weird albeit common outliers of Norwegian culture.
