[Suinia]

  
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To be honest I've never really understood that obsession America seems to have with it's flag o_o

I mean burning a flag to dispose of it? o_0
-garbage receptical please thanks-

o_o I mean it's just a flag..... o_O

I think I'd burn one if I was in the US in pure spite e_e

[Moshineko]

Originally Posted by Suinia

To be honest I've never really understood that obsession America seems to have with it's flag o_o

I mean burning a flag to dispose of it? o_0
-garbage receptical please thanks-

o_o I mean it's just a flag..... o_O

I think I'd burn one if I was in the US in pure spite e_e

Well, most countries have the same feelings, just not as strongly expressed. Probably the same customs, as well.

The US is still a relatively young country, so it's not unusual that we're still taking ourselves seriously, especially since the US has been a major power for most of its existence.

The rest is just a way of showing respect for the symbol of a country. Just as in England, it used to be illegal to deface pictures of the Queen or King, even on postage stamps, in America we have no monarchy, so the flag stands in as symbol for that personage.

[xKyle]

Originally Posted by Moshineko

The rest is just a way of showing respect for the symbol of a country. Just as in England, it used to be illegal to deface pictures of the Queen or King, even on postage stamps, in America we have no monarchy, so the flag stands in as symbol for that personage.

I still think it is illegal, although I'm not too sure. Although I know defacing the pictures on bank notes is illegal still.

[Moshineko]

Probably still is, but rather on the same level as laws against sodomy in the U.S.; used only by very backwater law enforcements officers, or as a way to punish an enemy. I doubt very much that you could get a lot of people to get behind a conviction for defacing bank notes or stamps.

[Yoruichi]

Originally Posted by Moshineko

The US is still a relatively young country, so it's not unusual that we're still taking ourselves seriously, especially since the US has been a major power for most of its existence.
.

You mean since the end of World War II, right?

Or was it World War I (The war to end all wars)? I'm not sure since they weren't that far apart.

The current state of politics (and life in the United States in general) has warped the meaning of Patriotic to blindly supporting the (conservative) government. If you aren't wearing a flag pin, driving a SUV, going to church, and fucking your wife then you aren't a patriot. Furthermore, if you aren't supporting the war on drugs, terrorism, poverty, and titties then you aren't a patriot. You also aren't a patriot if you don't vote republican.

Believing in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution has nothing to do with being a patriot.

[SoraMio]

The Bill of Rights and the Constitution are considered patriotic by most Americans. And voting is considered a major display of patriotism.

Which is why what Keith is saying in the video is patriotic because it is an expression of Freedom of Speech. Most ppl who hate the way America is run are Americans who freely express their opinions. There are other countries where expressing opposing ideas would get you prosecuted or even dragged from your home and beaten.

America isn't the only country that has a strong sense of patriotism. And America may overdo some things b/c unlike other countries we are a melting pot w/o a homogeneous ethnic identity. So we may feel that we must cling to whatever will make us feel as one.

All I know is that I like Keith Olbermann and he brings up some valid points about the Bush Administration's stupidity and quest of vengeance.

[Moshineko]

Originally Posted by Yoruichi

You mean since the end of World War II, right?

Or was it World War I (The war to end all wars)? I'm not sure since they weren't that far apart.

The current state of politics (and life in the United States in general) has warped the meaning of Patriotic to blindly supporting the (conservative) government. If you aren't wearing a flag pin, driving a SUV, going to church, and fucking your wife then you aren't a patriot. Furthermore, if you aren't supporting the war on drugs, terrorism, poverty, and titties then you aren't a patriot. You also aren't a patriot if you don't vote republican.

Believing in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution has nothing to do with being a patriot.

A while before that actually, when we started being able to hold our own against Spain and the French, but bleah, bleah. We started doing well keeping the British off our back, and have pretty much rolled from there. It's mostly got to do with being the power on our side of the pond, you know, no competition and you can get real fat and happy.

Anyway, yeah, believing in the Bill of Rights and Constitution has just about everything to do with being a real patriot. I know, I know, sarcasm font was on, but still, I think you're right when you say that too many Americans take the flag ideal too far, at least with public figures.

Americans tend to dislike politics, so we find any reason at all to rag on politicians. The flag pin thing is just one in a long line of tiny faults we blow out of proportion. I think you'll find that a majority of Americans could give a shit less whether you've got a flag out in front of your house or not, being more concerned with your attitude towards American values of independence and freedoms.

It can seem ironic, but freedoms are like that. Freedom of speech means the freedom to criticize others' speech. Freedom of religion means the freedom to belong to an intolerant religion. Freedom is basically the freedom to fail as well as the freedom to win. Overall, Americans are rather more tolerant than many countries, and less tolerant than others, but I think we tend more towards the former than the latter, those more tolerant than us being a few European countries, and even then, there isn't all that much difference anymore, except that Americans talk a much bigger game than Europe.

And that's the important thing to remember. We talk. A lot. Don't ever take what an American says as what they believe, we have just as much invested in disagreeing as in what we're actually saying. Put two Americans in a room, and we'll spend most of our time disagreeing about what color the walls are. And the rest trying to cheat one another out of our money.