Flag flap may make us ugly americans

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United States Flag Code

The United States Flag Code outlines certain guidelines for the use, display, and disposal of the flag. For example, the flag should never be dipped to any person or thing, unless it is the ensign responding to a salute from a ship of a foreign nation. This tradition may come from the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, where countries were asked to dip their flag to King Edward VII: the American flag bearer did not. Team captain Martin Sheridan is famously quoted as saying “this flag dips to no earthly king”, though the true provenance of this quotation is unclear.
 
Then I guess we are going to have to be ugly Americans. This raised a big flap at the 1936 Berlin Olympics when the American team refused to dip the flag to Hitler.

To wit:
Federal law stipulates many aspects of flag etiquette. The section of law dealing with American Flag etiquette is generally referred to as the Flag Code. Some general guidelines from the Flag Code answer many of the most common questions:
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  • The flag should be lighted at all times, either by sunlight or by an appropriate light source.
  • Code: 
    The flag should be flown in fair weather, unless the flag is designed for inclement weather use.
  • Code: 
    ***The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing.*** It is flown upside down only as a distress signal.
  • Code: 
    The flag should not be used for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.
  • Code: 
    The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard.
  • Code: 
    The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organizations.
  • Code: 
    The flag should never have any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure, or drawing of any kind placed on it, or attached to it.
  • Code: 
    The flag should never be used for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
  • Code: 
    When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.
  • Code: 
    The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.
  • Code: 
    When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner.
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Reference: American Flag Etiquette usa-flag-site.org/etiquette.shtml
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Capisce?
 
sedonaman said:
Then I guess we are going to have to be ugly Americans. This raised a big flap at the 1936 Berlin Olympics when the American team refused to dip the flag to Hitler.
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Let’s not even come close to equating Her Majesty with Der Fuehrer and the respect owed each. :eek:
 
Rich_Olszewski said:
Your presumption is that those countries that dip their flags don’t respect their flags? I doubt it.
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Of course not, they have their rules we have ours. It would be disrespectful for them to violate theirs, just as it would for us to violate ours. I reference my first post again.
 
The Brits and the Commonwealth were fighting Hitler for years before the Americans entered the war.
 
triumphguy said:
The Brits and the Commonwealth were fighting Hitler for years before the Americans entered the war.
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Do Americans know that? More importantly, do Americans know that ANYONE but Americans fought against Germany and Japan in WWII? 🤷
 
I served in the US Navy on a DLG and I worked on the bridge as a signalman, and one of our duties was when you passesd another ship at sea (military or merchant) you dipped the ensign (flag). I don’t know where this tradition started, but we dipped the flag to passing ships at sea.

crwflags.com/fotw/flags/xf-nvtd.html Go to heading “Dipping flags in salute”
 
triumphguy said:
The Brits and the Commonwealth were fighting Hitler for years before the Americans entered the war.
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Is it relevant?
Rich Olszewski:
Do Americans know that? More importantly, do Americans know that ANYONE but Americans fought against Germany and Japan in WWII?
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Of course. Despite popular belief, patriotism does not make one stupid and arrogant. And it’s still irrelevant to flag etiquette.
 
Rich_Olszewski said:
Do Americans know that? More importantly, do Americans know that ANYONE but Americans fought against Germany and Japan in WWII? 🤷
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In general, I would hope so. But knowledge on world subjects is surprisingly limited.

Heck, my wife is not what you would call uneducated: she is going to be a doctor within the year. Yet she suggested that we take a trip to Europe one day and noted, “we could fly to Ireland first, then take the train to Germany.” I had to inform her that Ireland is a %&&*% ISLAND! :eek:

By the by, I’m a social studies teacher and it always stuns me how ill-prepared students are when they enter my classroom. It gets worse: my county is rated top 20 in the country for educational standards. LOL.
 
Rich_Olszewski said:
Let’s not even come close to equating Her Majesty with Der Fuehrer and the respect owed each. :eek:
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Look. The Flag code says no person or thing. What part of "no" don’t you understand?

Besides, I object to the whole idea of the “ugly American”. Did you ever hear of the “ugly Mexican”? Or the “ugly Canadian”? How about the “ugly Soviet” or the “ugly Japanese”? Maybe the “ugly Iranian”? Huh?
 
triumphguy said:
The Brits and the Commonwealth were fighting Hitler for years before the Americans entered the war.
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True. And but for American material support, they probably would have succumbed. Even Churchill, in his “Blood, sweat and tears” speech essentially acknowledged that Britain would have to be saved by the U.S.
 
Ridgerunner said:
True. And but for American material support, they probably would have succumbed. Even Churchill, in his “Blood, sweat and tears” speech essentially acknowledged that Britain would have to be saved by the U.S.
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And every item was charged for by the USA and every cent was paid by the Brits.
 
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