Flag waving

It seems that the English flag is being used again as a symbol of nationalism, being paraded around the streets by those wanting rid of asylum seekers and placed in gardens.

Do you feel comfortable with it? I don't, for me it's tainted by Neo Nazi's and other fascists, or for football.

In Britain we've never had a habit of flag use and worship like some other countries, mostly seen in America and I wouldn't like us to acquire the habit. 

Am I the only one to find it ironic that St George was a Turk? He supplanted St Edmund as Englands national saint on a whim of Richard the Lionheart, we have lots of native saints to choose from, St Alban, St Edward, St Thomas A'Becket, St Hilda, and so many more often more obscure ones like St Petroc or St Willibrord.

I also feel uncomfortable that as a non Christian the flag is a blatently Christian religious symbol, at least in Wales we have Ye Ddraig Goch, The Red Dragon, nice and mythological and non religious.

Parents
  • I don't feel comfortable with it either.

    I find it ironic too.

    I have never invested the flag with Christian symbolism myself, seeing it instead the flag of England.  What is gone is gone and good riddance where appropriate.  I like dragons too - much misunderstood in my opinion!  :-) 

    Ideas for an alternative anyone?

    I'll set the ball rolling by suggesting (in Latin for heraldic purposes)  duo clunes flatum emitterent to convey the idea.

Reply
  • I don't feel comfortable with it either.

    I find it ironic too.

    I have never invested the flag with Christian symbolism myself, seeing it instead the flag of England.  What is gone is gone and good riddance where appropriate.  I like dragons too - much misunderstood in my opinion!  :-) 

    Ideas for an alternative anyone?

    I'll set the ball rolling by suggesting (in Latin for heraldic purposes)  duo clunes flatum emitterent to convey the idea.

Children