Mexican flag burned at a High School...

[Duke Malcolm]

I am currently endeavouring to have my school's Rector fly the Union Flag on those days that Her Brittanic Majesty requests and requires that the said flag must be flown from all public buildings. And that other flags be flown on their respective days such as Her Majesty requires i.e. the Red Ensign on Merchant Navy Day (3/9)...

[Scurvy]

a flag is a flag, i cant really see the significance of flag waving, display and burning (although it probably saves on the electrics bill)

[Justiciar]

Aumen. I don't get flagfetish tbh. It's just a piece of cloth with a few colours on it.. then again I don't understand American "patriotism" in the slightest, and they both seem pretty much intertwined.

[Vladimir]

I am currently endeavouring to have my school's Rector fly the Union Flag on those days that Her Brittanic Majesty requests and requires that the said flag must be flown from all public buildings. And that other flags be flown on their respective days such as Her Majesty requires i.e. the Red Ensign on Merchant Navy Day (3/9)...

At first I thought this was a bit .

Aumen. I don't get flagfetish tbh. It's just a piece of cloth with a few colours on it.. then again I don't understand American "patriotism" in the slightest, and they both seem pretty much intertwined.

But this gets . If no one told you what your flag represents and you don't understand patristism; I'm sorry friend, there's no hope.

[AntiochusIII]

But this gets . If no one told you what your flag represents and you don't understand patristism; I'm sorry friend, there's no hope.

Hope for what?

And no, I didn't walk out today, even though, as the Don pointed out, many students agree that walkout protest is an excellent rise in political awareness--another excuse out of the damn classes.

In other news, I love flag-burning. It's just so fun, and offensive, which is why it's fun.

[Justiciar]

But this gets . If no one told you what your flag represents and you don't understand patristism; I'm sorry friend, there's no hope.

What does my flag represent? If I did know, would I like what it represents? Do I feel that my nation can be summed up by a piece of cloth? I can only answer the last one. No.

As to patriotism.. I don't get it because it's a foreign concept to me. Yeah, I understand the meaning of the word, and I understand that it afflicts other people, but I've never been a flag-waving "God bless you ma'am", type of person. Patriotism in the US gets me even more confused because of how strict it seems to be.

[Marcellus]

I can understand taking the Mexican flag down, but burning it is rather over the top, and is hardly going to calm the tensions that seem to exist in the school.

[Byzantine Prince]

Flags in general are unpatriotic in my opinion. They are just designs made by a person a long time ago, and usually randomly at that. There is nothing there to be proud of.

[Watchman]

I seem to recall seeing it mentioned somewhere national flags ultimately developed from battlefield standards and banners, a means of telling "us" from "them".

With such esteemed lineage, I don't hold them in terribly high regard.

And jingoist American nationalism, particularly when it has anti-Mexican undertones, is certainly a most unbecoming thing in grown people. Not that other national variants were particularly more palatable.

But then again, I consider all the smear-throwing and wrangling over this-and-that Congressman's or President's or P. Candidate's military awards Americans seem to delight in a symptom of unhealthy fixation with and glorification of military symbolism, and by extension a lot of things I prefer not to go into because they make me feel icky. After all, they wouldn't bother if it wasn't considered important. I'd guess the flag issue really goes under the same category.

[Kaiser of Arabia]

The kid who raised the flag should be arrested.

The kids who burned it should be given Presidential Citizens Medals.

This is America. Not Mexico. And the kids who beseiged our school under a flag of a foreign power should be treated as what they are; traitors.

[GoreBag]

Anyone who cares is a douche.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Anyone who cares is a douche.

This made me titter.

All the same, it is concerning that the students felt such an overtly provocative response was a good idea. I couldn't good two hoots about the actual flag issue.

[Zalmoxis]

Anyone who cares is a douche.

Yes, this whole thing Americans have with flags is too bizarre to bother.

[Strike For The South]

Mexican flag burned at a High School...

Good

[Ianofsmeg16]

I am currently endeavouring to have my school's Rector fly the Union Flag on those days that Her Brittanic Majesty requests and requires that the said flag must be flown from all public buildings. And that other flags be flown on their respective days such as Her Majesty requires i.e. the Red Ensign on Merchant Navy Day (3/9)...

We always have The Three Legs flying at our school, three of them in fact

Quocunque Jeceris Stabit
Whithersoever you throw it, it will stand

As for this burning thing, I'm in two minds, For one thing they shouldnt have been burning the flag of a country where there is a large population of immigrants from said country, thats just stupidity

But yeah, they really shouldve been flying the stars and bars

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

The Hispanics were also responding to what I presume were racial insults (read the article). I think both should be punished equally.


It's not like you're supposed to have a lighter at school either...

[Tribesman]

A foreign flag should NEVER be flown in the United States at a public school over the US flag or instead of the Stars and Stripes. What's you opinion?

Your article has a 16 year old saying that he heard that the flag was higher , is there any comfirmation on that actually happening ?

Capo , you talk of treason and such . There was this fire truck in a Columbus day parade , it had a pair of those flags that you fix on vehicles on its roof , stars and stripes flavour of course , and on the side that I was on it had a huge stars and stripes covering a good part of the side (I guess it had a matching one the other side ) , on a big staff flying above them all was the Italian flag , isn't that treasonous ?

Flags , patriotism , what a load of crap

Flag burning patriotism , small minded feckwits , you see extremist idiots doing it all the time

[Don Corleone]

I wish people didn't burn flags: USA's or anyone elses. That being said, people will do it no matter what you do. Ask them not to nicely, but there's not much else to do...

[SwordsMaster]

It's one thing to fly it for a holiday. It's another thing to claim a public building as a little piece of Mexico because a bunch of immigrants don't want to assimilate.

Yeah. I mean. Americans should go there and assimilate them all. Mexico has some oil, surely.

As of being a "little piece of Mexico"... a third of the US population speaks spanish. A flag or the absence of one doesn't change anything. A third of the country is a little bit more than a little piece.

[SwordsMaster]

Where the hell do you get a third? It's not even a fourth. And a large quantity of that is illegals, who should be booted out anyway. When you come to America, you're agreeing to be an American. Spanish is fine, but they should be learning english as well, and certainly ensuring that their children learn english. Flying the Mexican flag in schools is not fine.

Well, noone can force them to learn english more than force them to learn corean, so that is up to them.

How is it possible that a country formed with emigrants from the whole world is so closed to other emigrants?

Fine, a school is government property and all, I see your point.

Is it fine to fly a mexican flag above your house?

[solypsist]

public schools still fly confederate flags - and yet i see no outrage over that. i imagine if someone took one of those down and burned it there'd be many irateusers here wanting the burner jailed. this sort of thread is rife with potential double standards.

[Watchman]

This thread stinks of pungent jingoism and barely concealed racism, IMO. Which doesn't surprise me one bit given the topic, and duly does nothing to improve my abysmally low opinion of nationalism and the associated paraphenelia which people insist on taking altogether too seriously.

I'm really starting to see where that Sleuthing the Alamo book got its part about the developement of anti-Mexican sentiments from...

[Tribesman]

Flying the CSA is harmless. It doesn't exist any more.
Damn , I could have sworn that you had confederate political parties over there , you know the ones that want southern independance , use the stars and bars instead of the stars and stripes .
Better tell them that they lost their war just like the mexicans and they had better get rid of them flags eh

[Soulforged]

Flying the CSA is harmless. It doesn't exist any more. Mexico, however, is very real and very nearby.

How is that flying a flag, carrying a certain sign, or shouting certain things, will change your country from USA to Mexico? Really the strange connections that can be done when one is willing to look for them. And advice on further discussions, culture is not something stagnant and something that you can ancor forever, as a tradition, traditions are part of culture, however that doesn't mean that certain traditions cannot live together with others. Your culture will change, probably assimilating mexican and canadian culture, mexican culture will (and is in fact already merged in plains like music) assimilite yours, my culture will take a portion of every culture around the world. Today we live on that world, we've to accept that times of isolation and rigid traditions are over, probably forever. Is this really something to worry about? No, your economy will still be the same, and you and other "natives" would still believe in your ideals and practice your traditions, there's nothing on multiculturalism that obstaculizes that.

[Divinus Arma]

public schools still fly confederate flags - and yet i see no outrage over that. i imagine if someone took one of those down and burned it there'd be many irateusers here wanting the burner jailed. this sort of thread is rife with potential double standards.

True. However, and you may correct me if I am wrong, I believe this flag is flown below the U.S. flag.

[Alexanderofmacedon]

Don't know why he'd put the flag up in the US. I don't think it's wrong, but I don't see any point. It's just stupid.

I don't know if you should go as far as burning it though. Maybe taking it down, don't know. I wasn't in the situation.

[Major Robert Dump]

Mexico has a flag?

I'm going to start a rumor that there are a lot of free flags and tanktops being given away in Mexico, and when the foreign occupiers all run across the border to get some free flags we can, like, shut the door real quick and lock it.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Flying the CSA is harmless. It doesn't exist any more. Mexico, however, is very real and very nearby.

This perspective interests me. The topic at hand, I would argue, is about the symbolism that flags embody. They derived from heraldic emblems, and continue to be invested with that 'us' as opposed to 'them' significance. Regiments in the British Army, for example, still use colours (battle standards) to represent the soul of both current members and their illustrious forebears, and battle honours are proudly sewn into them. Like all symbols, they are invested with as much significance as the group whch adopts them wishes. I would have died for my colour (were they still taken on the field - I'm not that old ) more so than for my 'country' as the regiment was my family, but most people would not invest such signficance into an ancient piece of cloth.

However, I don't think anyone can deny that they are very powerful symbols, even if you personally do not accept them. Just think about one's emotional reaction to the flag of Nazi Germany - an extreme example perhaps, but illustrative. In the north of my country, flags as symbols of identity for republicans or unionists are widely used, widely abused, and are incredibly provocative to even peaceable communities. Even for me, happy in my free republic, the sight of the Union Flag flying in Ireland gives me a brief twinge of patriotic angst, and I'm several generations away from when it mattered. My grandfather killed and died to get rid of that piece of cloth, but his grandson shouldn't really care, should he? But that old grainy film of the Union Jack being replaced by the tricolour at Dublin Castle still means a lot, to me at least - and this is a very weird state of affairs, for I have served the British flag as well as the tricolour. Ah well, no-one said patriotism was a rational thing

So I can well understand the emotions provoked by seeing the flag of a nation which is causing some contentious issues being flown over a building like a school, and why it is right to remove it forthwith, though without the provocation of burning it. (I like Lemur's perspective of it being respectful though )

So, taking this viewpoint further, I have always been intrigued by the apparently acceptable use of the Confederate flag. As an outsider, remember, it strikes me that it is the symbol of a movement that sought to destroy the USA, caused a war that killed many thousands and represents a racist doctrine that must be deeply offensive to many citizens of the US, black and white. To me, an Irishman interested in the US, it is deeply offensive whenever I see it, and is still used in many parts of Europe as a neo-nazi emblem. In the US, which actually suffered the effects of what it represents, it should be reviled as much as the Nazi flag is reviled in Germany, surely?

If we accept the symbolism of flags in terms of representing our countries and values (and therefore defendable, and to some extent sacred) then the Confederate flag should be anathema to all US citizens, and because of its racist symbolism to many fellow citizens (one side of whom may use it as a rallying call for their evil, the other side who are reminded of cruel times) certainly not harmless in any way.

[Devastatin Dave]

public schools still fly confederate flags -

I'd looooove to see your proof on this statement...

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Flying one over your house is just as disrespectful, in my opinion

Is it just the Mexican flag you feel this way about, or does that include others too?

If I moved to the US, for example, but flew the Union flag over my property, would you consider that disrespectful?

they deserve whatever happens to them. Be it a race riot or a flag burning.

How on earth can you deserve a race riot?