Poll: Do you care about "flag burning"?
- Thread starter idarkphoenixi
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While non-violent protest is fine and all (and necessary at times), when someone burns a flag it honestly looks like they are sending the message: I want to burn your/our country.
I guess if I saw it happening I would be bothered by it but then I would realize that they have probably been wronged in some way by this country or its leaders.
I guess if I saw it happening I would be bothered by it but then I would realize that they have probably been wronged in some way by this country or its leaders.
Burning the British flag is particularly confusing, since we don't salute it. If you want to offend the British, burn the Queen.
To me, that sounds like a list of reasons to not care about them or what happens to them. I think a strong sense of national identity can cause more problems than it solves, and if the only practical use for something is in warfare, well, then it would be best if we didn't need them at all.Craorach said:
OK, honestly? Flag-burning in itself doesn't really bother me. If they want to set a piece of cloth on fire, go for it.
The problem is what's behind it - burning flags is an act of war. The people you're seeing there, burning your flag? They're will to kill you. Not because of who you are, not because of what you've done, but simply because of where you come from.
Absolutist, racist warmongering.
I might have burned flags for a joke as a kid (I didn't, but I could have if I'd felt like it) but it wouldn't have meant anything. Kids will do stupid shit, and I've done stuff I personally consider to be worse than setting a flag on fire.
What bothers me is the declaration of war. That you're going down. Because someone really hates you that much, through no fault of your own. I haven't lived a pristine existence, but if anyone wants to get mad at me for my involvement in their suffering, it should be 10-year-old Asian sweat-factory workers, not some zealot with a chip on their shoulder.
The problem is what's behind it - burning flags is an act of war. The people you're seeing there, burning your flag? They're will to kill you. Not because of who you are, not because of what you've done, but simply because of where you come from.
Absolutist, racist warmongering.
I might have burned flags for a joke as a kid (I didn't, but I could have if I'd felt like it) but it wouldn't have meant anything. Kids will do stupid shit, and I've done stuff I personally consider to be worse than setting a flag on fire.
What bothers me is the declaration of war. That you're going down. Because someone really hates you that much, through no fault of your own. I haven't lived a pristine existence, but if anyone wants to get mad at me for my involvement in their suffering, it should be 10-year-old Asian sweat-factory workers, not some zealot with a chip on their shoulder.
I don't feel that flags are the best symbol of America I always felt that to truly express your ire at a country you burn there currency, so i would go up to those burning flags and offer them 100$ and tell them to truly protest America burn a stack of those, I'm pretty certain they wont.
They might just mug me for the money and run but that's beside the point.
They might just mug me for the money and run but that's beside the point.
The symbol is not the thing.
I think we often attach far more importance to symbolism than reality.
Burn as many flags as you want.
Before getting outraged about burning flags, maybe pay a bit more attention to actual laws and policies of your country and maybe get outraged about them instead.
But mostly, I just find it absurd. "Oh... I'm mad at you , so I'm going to burn your flag" Stand there, watch flag burn. "Oh yeah, take that!" I've never felt like that would mean a thing to me.
Nor have I ever felt the opposite. "Oh noes! There's someone burning the flag of my country! I am now outraged at them!" I more see flag burnings as an opportunity for China (or whoever mass produces flags and sells them to countries that like to burn them) to make a few bucks.
Then again, I also don't get the fervor of sporting events, which I find very similar. Hey, it would be cool if the Lakers got another Championship. But I've never cared enough to say, yell at a television. Much less to go burn some Mavericks merchandise.
TL;DR Flag burning stirs zero emotions in me besides a mild curiosity about what the people burning the flags are getting out of doing so.
I think we often attach far more importance to symbolism than reality.
Burn as many flags as you want.
Before getting outraged about burning flags, maybe pay a bit more attention to actual laws and policies of your country and maybe get outraged about them instead.
But mostly, I just find it absurd. "Oh... I'm mad at you , so I'm going to burn your flag" Stand there, watch flag burn. "Oh yeah, take that!" I've never felt like that would mean a thing to me.
Nor have I ever felt the opposite. "Oh noes! There's someone burning the flag of my country! I am now outraged at them!" I more see flag burnings as an opportunity for China (or whoever mass produces flags and sells them to countries that like to burn them) to make a few bucks.
Then again, I also don't get the fervor of sporting events, which I find very similar. Hey, it would be cool if the Lakers got another Championship. But I've never cared enough to say, yell at a television. Much less to go burn some Mavericks merchandise.
TL;DR Flag burning stirs zero emotions in me besides a mild curiosity about what the people burning the flags are getting out of doing so.
Burn it along with all the other symbols of division. Countries aren't special, they're nothing more than the evolution of our tribal nature, imaginary lines in the sand drawn so we can say "keep out this is ours" like a child hoarding sweeties.
The way I see it we can come together as a race and surpass our ancestors in every way, or we can learn nothing from their mistakes and stagnate.
The way I see it we can come together as a race and surpass our ancestors in every way, or we can learn nothing from their mistakes and stagnate.
You can't just trivialize the destruction of symbols that represent things that people believe in, even if you don't agree with or understand that belief. Surely you can understand the importance of symbols. Think of any of the symbols used in your favorite franchise of choice, be it game, movie, book, or whatever. Wouldn't you be rather upset if someone started burning or otherwise destroying them?dyre said:
There's a pretty large leap from burning a flag in protest and blowing yourself up in a suicide bombing. Yes, I'm sure a few would be willing to make the leap, but it's not a case of 'with us or against us'. The difference in the methods is so extreme that to suggest flag burners 'undoubtedly' support mass murderers (or attempted mass murderers) is ridiculous.KingGolem said:
I'm sure there are Norwegians who don't like multiculturalism, doesn't mean they sympathise with Anders Breivik.