British Expatriate Network

I agree manc you have a point, it is wrong the national front misuse the flag,
but the complainants should stop using this as leverage to argue there petty
complaints, its a flag at the end of the day.

These people need to see the arguement as a whole instead of their one sided
pettiness.

If its racist to fly it outside your house, then thousands of football supporters flying
it at a football match when england are playing must be racists also.
I have a new england shirt with a george cross on the right arm and collar
i wear it proudly but i'm no racist, where do these people get off?.

These people should look at the last world cup when the whole of the uk was on a
serious high, every house, car, truck, pub flew the flag proudly without complaint
yet a few years later when the dust has settled they renew there malicious/childish
campaigns....

In my opinion the complainants/"pc" brigade are no better than the national front....

you know, all this flag stuff is kinda childish...

who cares? i'd never fly any flag nor aline myself with any of this stuff.

i'm not a fan of patriotism and couldn't care less about st georges day, the english winning the world cup (or ice hockey) whatever...

it's all so silly.

Just a chequered one eh!

Would you be sitting on the other side of the fence if they were called the Washington Niggers, or New York Chinkies? why should one group of oppressed people be any different from another?

It doesn't matter how many signed from the tribes. If you understood their history you shouldn't actually be surprised at why there weren't many that signed a piece of paper! To many, no matter what their color, redskins is a derogatory and racist term no different to a black person being called nigger, or a person from the Middle East being called Paki, or an Asian being called chinky.

After that little period of American history I like to call the Jacksonian Genocide, I'm suprised there were even 300 Indians left to sign it.

The alteration of an element of a Nation's identity, such as a Flag or Anthem, is always a very delicate sensative operation. Often it is not approached unless there is some major conflict beforehand. The symbolism of the crusade displayed on the Union Jack is barely recognized by the people that fly it, and so has lost its prior zealous idolism.
The matter of the fact is that people have an unalienable right to display on their own property whatever banner they desire. This extends from a peace emblem, to the infamous Nazi Swastica. No matter how offensive you may find it, the hard truth is you can't do anything about it. To be censored in democracy by our government is to recognize ourselves as seperate from the government, which is a step towards the same worlds you find in dystopian fiction, such as George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World.
However, the option of altering the flag arises. This would be a lengthy and expensive process, but may not be entirely negative. We'll have to see in what direction this issue goes.

Having spent all of my life up to december last year living in the UK, i found it hard to imagine the reasons for flying a flag outside of an NF rally, royal funeral or football match. But after nine months here I felt a little overwhelmed by all of the flags on display, so much so that I aquired a Union flag as some kind of defense (I'm certainly not the flag waving type, spend some time with me and you would see that) I don't know what provoked such a deviation from my normal behavior, but I guess its like carrying a jar of soil or sand from your birth place, or a lock of your lovers hair. Its strangely comforting to know its folded up at the back of the closet, you see its not on display, it doesn't need to be. its something strangely personal to me that I can't really explain. I prefer to remain faceless in a group, extrovert people worry me, flag wavers too. But its there and it's a piece of home and makes me feel better about being in this wackadoo country. roll

You're not the only one. :)

Closet union flag owners unite! :lol:

The flag stuff is stupied and is PC agone to far. One thing I love over here is that peoplel fly the flag loud and proud.
I guess its one of the things I really think is wrong back home. People not proud of where they come from.
I did not see the British flag being marched down Berlin with old adolf. Cuz you have a skin head hair cut, wear a green jacket and Doctor Martins, does not mean you are a paid up member of the National Front or the British National Party.
Funny how people will stereotype individuals to suit them, but turn that around and they don't like it.
To me a person is a person a country is a country. Treat them as you would expect to be treated yourself.

yes, but you live in Texas. Nuff said.

Monster I live in Texas, does not mean I want to be in TEXAS. Mrs Goose is from Texas and I gave up where I wanted to be, to be with her. Can Think of a hundred better places, but they are the dice we role and we make the best of the result.

Regardless, you have a very Texas outlook.

there you go stereotyping again define a * texas outlook * have you even been there ??

oops, forgot the ;)

...oh and there you go again assuming I haven't been there..... roll

But regards stereotyping........

it's a natural and very useful human tool. It forms the basis of learning through experience. Not all stereotyping is bad, and you're pretty much proving that point here.

In my experience on this and other boards, men living in Texas are more likely than your average poster to be republican flag-wavers with a limited ability for taking the mickey out of themselves and a propensity for dismissing stay-at-home mums as thick and lazy. Now, you may view this as unfair stereotyping, but for me it serves a purpose. 8)

I've never been to Tejas, have no intention of going, and firmly believe in giving Tejas back to the Meskins.

Tejas outlook = all mouth and trousers.

/flame on, yo.