Flag Burning

[truthaddict11]

is burning a flag a good form of protest? I say no. I do believe someone has every right to burn a flag, but I don't think it is an affective way to express dissent of the government or country. I think it is just a bunch of noise and attention wanters. How can someone give a good protest against the war wth burning a flag? It gives the wrong message. Take this a person undecided on the war sees an anti-war protester burning a flag. they will think "geeze this person really hates this country. if thats how the anti-war protesters are. then I dont want to be part of that." please provide argruments to this

[Pete]

I believe that flag burning is a strong form of protesting. Just like walking on a flag. I don't know which is worse, but I sure do know that the American's where shamed after teh Canadian's beat them and retrievied their trampled flag.

Burning an effigy is even stronger. If some one feels so greatly that they do this, then I think it would make me look into their cause a bit deeper, to see why. I know most people (not at this site but in general) would take it as the media puts it. Which is a shame, media control limits free thought.

[Arkham]

A flag is the single most accessible symbol of a given society. Historically, burning the flag was a powerful repudiation of that society's policies, depending on the context. The reason the media has gone so overboard in making it out to be an act of evil was the backlash on a societal level against the newfound intellectual individualism of the 50's and 60's. If you look at all the major advances of that era, all of them are slowly being derided by the status quo as either stupid, or anti-American. Civil rights, women's reproductive rights, communal living (read : "hippies"), counter-culture drug use, and anti-corporatism. History makes a lot of sense if you view it as the clash between the safeguards built into society, and the pursuit of intellectual advancement. These two forces are often in conflict, and that is where the battle lines are currently drawn. The intellectual sphere made huge inroads against the strongest societal control, when it shrugged off victorian values in pursuit of intellectual advances, and now we're seeing that backlash.

[Xvall]

I say walking on the flag stands much more strongly. Burning a flag simply means that you dislike your regime; while walking over it is symbolic that you are 'smashing' it and that it means nothing to you.

[Arkham]

So walking on a flag is symbolic of destruction of a country, while burning it is merely saying you don't like it? Intruiging...

[Pete]

It is true as Drake says it. That is why when the our Women's team got a hold of the Flag it became a symbol of victory because regardless of the disrespect and arggonance (spelling) the Americans had we stilled kicked their asses!! HELP FROM THE CURSE OF HOCKEY NATIONALISM

[redstar2000]

I'm sure that burning a flag alienates some people.

Yet, it might also serve as a "wake-up call" to others...the very fact that some American "hates America" that much suggests something more than mere opposition to the next war.

And something more than mere opposition to the next war is required.

:cool:

[Arkham]

Well, thats why it is supposed to be such a powerful form of protest. Its not something the average person would do, it IS shocking to alot of people, and its not something you do just for no reason.

Destroying a flag for a soccer match sounds like it might dilute the message.

[Iepilei]

a combination of burning and stomping is more effective, as what remains is nothing more than a trampled mangled symbol of some empire.

personally I tend to be a more 'inverted-flag' person, inversion being a military (navy) signal of distress.

[Beccie]

Flag burning is an effective way of pissing people off. Melbourne Uni students successfully burned and Australian and US flags in an anti-war protest a while back. Those who were involved were forced out of the right-winged controlled student union. The average person was outraged at this unpatriotic act, there was a call for flag banning to be illegal.

The incident was a strong reminder that it is the Australian/US nationalists that support war. I would say it was a good demonstration!

[Rob]

I personally don't agree with flag burning and I also think that it will alienate a lot of good working class people.

[Blibblob]

If youre looking to get in a lot of trouble, burn a flag. Protests are ignored if there is flag burning, people see the flaming flag and go "holy shit", and dont bother to see what the hell you are doing, they go straight to the athorities.

[bombeverything]

Quote: from Commie01 on 11:11 pm on Feb. 27, 2003
The average person was outraged at this unpatriotic act, there was a call for flag banning to be illegal.

I thought it was awesome. It's funny how people get so angry. It's ironic that it's is wrong to burn a piece of material but yet it was OK, for example, to burn people with napalm during the Vietnam war ...

[Beccie]

I totally agree. What the flag represents is far more evil than the act of burning it.

[Palmares]

Quote: from Drake Dracoli on 4:52 am on Feb. 27, 2003
I say walking on the flag stands much more strongly. Burning a flag simply means that you dislike your regime; while walking over it is symbolic that you are 'smashing' it and that it means nothing to you.


I think that is really strong. But burning a flag is more dramatic. I'm glad Australia isn't patriotic about this, coz we are allowed to burn flags here.

[Arkham]

It is as well, in the States. At least for the nonce.

[Hegemonicretribution]

As much fun, and as cool as it looks there are better methods..."defacing" is slightly better however I like altering it better.....Did anyone see the American flag done by the Ruckus society? The one with sold across a corner and the stars replaced with some logos? That was immense...Aborigines tried the same in Australia, actually all over people have made demonstrations about things, but making another flag shows you are creative and not destructive.

[Selam]

Is flag burning a good form of protest? I would say yes. The american flag represents each and every state stolen from native people. It represents genocide, racism and world domination. So yes, a protest thing to do would be to burn the flag, yet if you are considering getting somewhere, you may want to take another route. Most view burning the flag as a "terrorsit act" which it is not. WE must first show people that this is not terrorism, and once peeple understand, then we can burn teh flag in ease.

[truthaddict11]

I think it is better to do what I believe Norman Thomas said "Dont Burn The Flag: Wash It."

I agree with Blibblob that flag burning will take away from the real focus of a protest.

[Blibblob]

Yes, upside down and stomping works just fine.