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What is going on with people painting the red cross on the roundabouts to make the flag of england?
(lemmy.ml)
And why is this being related to rascism? It's not like people are burning the flag of other countries in videos.
I once tried to explain to an American about how English/British flags are seen over here, and they really couldn't understand what I was talking about.
There's nothing inherently racist about flying a flag and showing a bit of pride, but for as long as I've been alive, I only ever see racists flying flags (outside of World Cup/Coronation etc). After decades of racists flying flags, I can't help but think that you're a racist if you're flying an England flag. Everybody in England kinda knows this, and the ones who disagree are suspect. It's a shame I suppose. I think if we really wanted to reverse this, IMO, you'd have to do something like fly an England flag but also fly a pride flag on the same pole. It's definitely NOT going to be reversed by a guy who calls himself "Andy Saxon" who used to be part of the English Defence League. That's gonna make it worse.
As an American I can assure you that the vast majority of people flying American flags here are bigots. American leftists would easily understand your point about English/British flags.
I would say anyone not explicitly right wing in America would understand the point
Andy Saxon?
Bloody Normans coming over here, establishing our parliament and codifying the rule of common law that our modern judicial system is based upon!
#stopthelongships
You see flags everywhere in other countries when you travel. You see Indian flags, New Zealand flags, Canadian flags, Mexican flags, EU flags, Spanish flags, French flags, Croatian flags, South African flags, Irish flags, Scottish flags, Welsh flags. All showing pride in their country or themselves and nobody bats an eyelid.
Yet somehow the English and UK flag has to be put up by a racist. 🤷
I get that it has been unfortunately coopted by the far right and I'm not excusing that. But people also get gleeful when they have an opportunity, any opportunity, to brand someone a flag shagger or white van man. It's just where we are as a country right now.
On the internet, I agree with you, everybody jumps on one another at the slightest chance. It sucks. In the real world, people have a lot more nuance. I'm not gonna immediately throw a milkshake at somebody for having an England flag up, and most people probably wouldn't bat an eye.
I'm not gleeful about the flag thing at all. I like it when we win the Euros and I can fly a flag and be proud for a short while. I once went on holiday in Portugal during the World Cup and had little England flags on my car and a few people shouted "Inglaterra!" at us and it was great.
This rule absolutely works in Germany. In the US i would argue it also applies to an extent. Anywhere else it just means "nationalist" instead of "racist" which is only slightly better. States arent something to be proud of. Your state apparatus doesnt care about you and never will. Lots of people see their country's flag as a cultural symbol, but thats just misguided imo. Legally speaking the flag is a state symbol, not a cultural symbol. Flying a state flag means endorsing that state. This becomes apparent when a state turns bad like Israel. If you fly an Israeli flag people will assume that you endorse Israels genocide. Doesnt matter if there are a bunch of people living in Israel that dont endorse the genocide, the flag is the state and the state is the flag.
That sounds exactly like what it is like in the states with the US flag as well. Kinda surprised they didn’t get it.
To be fair it was years ago, I guess the whole MAGA thing has changed the landscape
Yeah, nationalism is on the rise everywhere unfortunately.