What is it about wingnuts and flags?

[rumguy]

Their reverence for it veers towards the infantile. It's like they can't even stand to see another flag in the United States. They seem to put the flag even above the Bill of Rights. It's sick.

Here's two examples I found on FR:

"Along the same lines I get irritated with some flag flying displays.

I don't know if it happens other close to the border areas, but an annoying number of places out here in the SEattle area fly the US flag, the WA state flag, and the Canadian flag. It has to be some stupid symbol of multinational solidarity or something. This is NOT Canada dammit."

"Yep. Ditto me and foreign flags, etc., on bumpers. You prob think what I think: 'Then GO BACK there.'

Dang... turns out I'm a jingoist! Who knew?"

I've seen some psychological analysis of this trait on DU. It has something to do with aligning with authority or something. It's like a personality trait, totally ingrained.

[Snoggera]

1. Crap

And I thought I never mixed well with authority figures. Must be something subliminal!

:P :bounce:

[SOS]

2. In the words of George Carlin

"I'll leave symbols to the symbol-minded".

[rumguy]

3. they put symbols over substance

[lumberingbear]

17. Just like....

Those wingnuts and that stone with the Ten Comandments on it. What's with that.

[MidwestTransplant]

4. When I finally get my Kerry Edwards sticker,

it's going on my car along with an American flag. I encourage everybody to do the same.

1. It will piss off freepers since they think they own the flag
2. It will have a positive impact on normal swing voter types.

[IronLionZion]

5. They like the Chinese-made flags best

[HawkerHurricane]

6. Flags of my forefathers...

And since my lovely wife asked for equal time...




which makes us both...


nation of immigrants. Deal with it.

Oh, and I might as well show local flags too...




And since I can see the border...


If freeps object to showing Canadian colors near the border, and Mexican colors on Cinco de Mayo, how do they feel about showing Irish colors on St. Patricks day? German ones for Oktoberfest? Italian colors in a pizza place? Eh?

edited to get the San Diego flag to show.

[rumguy]

8. I hope you pissed of some lurking freepscum

We are a nation of immigrants and we should celebrate that fact.

[Cat Atomic]

7. The same thing they do with Jesus, oddly enough.

They like to beat everyone over the head with Jesus, and yet- they don't actually follow anything he said. It's only the symbol that's important.

I have to think that they're not really interested in what these symbols stand for. They have their own set of political and moral beliefs, and symbols like the flag and the cross are only badges of authority.

[booley]

9. Simple, look at the flag''s dimensions

A flag is very wide, it's very long (allowing it to cover a large area)..and it has almost no depth at all.

A perfect metaphor for the patriotism of the wing-nuts..who think helping the country slide in Fascism shows what good Americans they are.

As for thier disdain for other flags, i really can't say. But perhaps it's similar to the way some "Straight" people get uncomfortable with anything too "Gay", a subconsciouse worry that maybe the other side knows something they don't.

[rumguy]

10. spot on analysis

[olddem43]

11. Yes, we had a Mexican Restaurant that was forced to

stop displaying the Mexican Flag by the same kind of idiots. Also, there is a large Mosque near here that used to fly about 30 various flags and now they have taken them all down except the U.S. Flag. This isn't what this country is supposed to be like.

[rumguy]

12. You gotta be kidding

A mexican restaurant had to take down its Mexican flags?

That's just crazy...

[olddem43]

13. Absolutely true. -

although nothing politically was going on with Mexico at the time. It was just rednecks with nothing else to do making a stink. I think the restaurant went out of business later. I haven't heard of this with Italian restaurants, or any other ethnic eateries.

[JLuckey]

14. My Flag...

Oh Yeah, My Flags bigger than your Flag!!!!

[mellowinman]

15. At my work they call me "flag man."

I have a big flag on my overhead compartment. BIG FLAG.

I wear a flag lapel pin a lot.

I wear a flag TIE a lot.

I have flags everywhere. Flag flags flags flags flags.

This makes people assume I vote Republican, until I speak.

This makes people more likely to listen when I do.

My hair is about three feet long.

I work in a mortgage company.

I am the long-haired liberal flag man.

One time an idiot loan officer took a bunch of us to lunch, and actually said, "so what did YOU do during the seventies? Take acid and say bad things about your government?"

I glared at him and, in my mind, had already jumped over the table and killed him.

"Guess not," he said, reading my eyes, "you're wearing the US Flag as a necktie."

I did NOTHING to that Loan Officer, because my bosses were at the same table, and lunch was on him anyway, and he's stupid, and I know he cheats on his wife.

So why am I telling you all this?

No reason.

Oh yeah. I get a lot of "swing" voters drawn in by all my flag waving.

The Republican Fascist fucksticks don't own the flag.

It belongs to all of us.

[Straight Shooter]

16. If the freepers love the flag, why do they fly it ragged and tattered?

I see the crappiest looking flags. Faded. Torn. Flown in darkness at night, with no illumination. Left hanging in storms. Twisted around the pole. Holes in them. Touching the ground. Flapped onto roofs and stuck there.

They might as well take their wedding rings and dip it in sh*t, because that's the same level of respect they're showing the flag.

[mitchum]

18. They are all fetishists

sick sick sick

[IggleDoer]

19. "Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels"

- attributed to H.L.Menken