The idea of the “Great American State Fair” and the fact we were hitting 250, sounded like it’d be a great way to celebrate. I read about some of the original plans and what the Smithsonian was working on and it really felt like a tribute to us, the people.

But now, I’ve had zero desire to celebrate anything that’s been going on, and it’s just felt like a damper on everything. What about the US is there to celebrate? I know people can say “well, acktually, compared to Burma….”, but that’s not the point. I also know we weren’t at the top, but we’ve fallen so far, so quickly.

When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross

Very accurate. These people have coopted the American flag like the Nazis coopted the swastika. It had an original purpose and meaning, but when you see only Nazis waving it around it becomes a Nazi flag.

RIP United States of America. 1776 - 2016

The more USA flags I see someone has on their house or car, the more likely I want to avoid them.

Similar to how Germans (used to) view private German flag display. Nationalism is a poison. PS: Well nothing wrong with being proud in your country's achievements, but that blind pride and flag waving is a mindset based on confrontation, not solidarity with other countries.

Seeing an American flag, I just roll my eyes and move on (for a while now I've felt that our overuse of the flag--especially for home decor--is tacky, but as the article demonstrates, everyone has their own motivations for flying it). But "250 celebration" decor? Major stinkeye. I've actively avoided businesses and neighbors that post this nonsense.

I always low-key know that the US is really young, but I always forget exactly how young it is. Like my town is 3-4 times older at least and there are nearby ruins which are in excess of 20 times older

Dear Leader's first term saw a lot of new flagpoles installed in the suburbs. Spindly, short, ultra-cheap poles, placed way too close to the street or sidewalk. With flags so large that they nearly touch the ground. Flag in your face, flag as a confrontation, as a challenge. Those flags are red flags for sure.

Also a bad sign: households who feel that one flag is good, but a dozen miniature flags are better, and both is best of all.

Houses, businesses and vehicles with American flags on them or part of their decor, people with American flag clothes/hats will get the side eye from me forevermore. It's pretty much become a shithead MAGA dogwhistle.

I’d actually describe it is a yellow flag. The Yellow Jack flag sometimes known as a Quebec signal is for ships with a deadly disease or plague.

The US has always fallen well short of its stated ideals. Many people who have national pride don't know shit about fuck. Don't want to talk about racism. Don't want to talk about the problems of capitalism.

When I see an American Flag, I immediately think "This fucking redneck is going to shoot my trans ass and claim I was trying to indoctrinate his kids."

I had this conversation with an American recently. They said their country had become an embarrassment and source of anger for all of his people. They were absolutely against almost everything the government had been doing for years. They still loved what it was supposed to stand for, but had no idea how to show it or even if to show it.

It's not a good design, anyway, according to the principles of vexillology. We should replace it after the civil war.

If someone has just one flag, that's ok. It's when they have dozens of the things that I find them suspicious.

The only time you'll see me flying the flag is at full staff a couple days after his obituary. A couple of days because I'll have to buy a pole and a flag, but it will be very proudly at the top.

After the COVID trucker protests, the Canadian flag became a red flag.

After the ongoing Albertan separation scandal, the Canadian flag has been redeemed and the Albertan flag is a red flag.

What sickens me so much is that these sister-fuckers think that patriotism only belongs to them.

Also annoying: the overly online types that act like the United States can never be redeemed and never did anything worthwhile.

Fuck that noise. We have to reclaim that flag and the American experiment to try to actually strive to be better.

The right has owned patriotism. Every American flag I see is no different from a maga flag

It always was cringe AF.

It's always been a red flag.

No, but we want to fly a red flag.

Now the US sees the flag in the same way the rest of the world has always seen it.

A commie flag? If only.

The red in the flag represents blood. Should the nation have a civil war, there will only be red.

It will be the choice of good people whether the stars and blue returns, or is replaced by something else entirely.

"And the flags are all dead at the top of their poles."

It is a red flag.

And a white flag, and a blue flag.

It's always been the flag of a terrorist state

This includes both before and after (and during) the term of the current fascist

In an era of increased right-wing nationalism, putting up a pride flag is a far better indicator of values than an American flag.