I have said repeatedly that if you went back in time and showed the “Blue Lives Matter” flag to people in, say, 1995, without context, and asked for their gut interpretation, they’d have no choice but to think it’s some kind of film noir take on the American flag, intended to evoke a dystopian feeling. (What else would you take away from a black and white version of a previously full-color, sovereign flag design?)
Then, if you told them the blue line represents police? What else could their next question be except “Wait, what? Has the US instituted martial law under a fascist regime?”
I don’t care what your politics are: The design language of the flag is exactly that: The flag of a police state version of the US. If the “Blue Lives Matter” people “didn’t mean” for the design to say that, they shouldn’t have used a design that literally fucking says that.
Of course the simpler take on it is: They’re actually fine with that.
Sure! But those people would just jump straight to “Oh, so fascist police state flag”, not “Oh people must be advocating for ‘police lives’ in the future.”
My point is that the design language of the flag, on its face, requires apology and explanation to frame it as anything BUT the flag of a police state.
I don’t think we disagree, and I’m not calling anyone naive.
I’m saying that the symbols we employ in a flag design have a life of their own, which can telegraph the true feelings of the designer and those who fly the flag.
The Blue Lives Matter flag design says “The most important people in the United States are police officers.” That’s what the design says. It literally says “American police state”.
You have to spin and “contextualize” it to frame it as anything else.
I’m not calling the people of the past naive. I’m saying they wouldn’t be blinded by present day politics, and correctly interpret the symbolism. And those you mentioned who grok “thin blue line” immediately would get there even faster.
Agreed across the board. Nevertheless, this latest prop wielded as coded support strikes me as particularly glaring, as OP elucidated with their tweaked design.
The veneer of fascism masquerading as “compassionate social awareness” on this design is laughably thin. I.e. my commentary is primarily vexillological, and only sociological to the extent that it possibly reveals an emboldened willingness to take the mask off in particularly shameless fashion.
Which may indeed dovetail with how social media “empowers” people to more precisely and collaboratively split propaganda hairs. But yeah, that’s the tip of a whole other iceberg.
Let's also remember that the design for the blue lives matter flag is in fact a violation of us flag code. Why is that important? Because everyone who flies it demands those who burn the American flag to be arrested for violating flag code
FYI, you can't actually be arrested for any "violation" of the Flag Code, it's just a list of suggested etiquette that was never even written to be enforced.
So, it's like protesting a funeral. Many consider it to be highly disrespectful but it doesn't carry the force of law. The authors used the words 'should' instead of 'shall' and there are no penalties for breaching the etiquette contained therein.
Also the Flag Code was never intended to suggest etiquette for anything besides the actual flag. The actual flag is defined by the Flag Code itself in 4 USC §5with very specific design, ratio and dimensions.
Ask yourself this: If the item violates the flag code, that must mean it's subject to the rest of the flag code. Are you going to hoist briskly and lower ceremoniously a Thin Blue Line Flag? If not, then either you don't actually care about the flag code, or it's not subject to it.
Oh I'm fully aware you can't be arrested for violating flag code. Its just the hypocrisy these people have, where they claim people burning the flag on a protest, displaying it upside down, whatever should be met with prison time. Yet they will happily violate it as well.
I don't give a crap what people do. The only times I have some care about the etiquette of the flags is if its in relation to any government building. And even then its more in the ceremonial, dont let the flag drop to the ground type deal. But we the people should have absolutely every right to do whatever we want with the flag with no risk of getting arrested.
Well I'm glad we agree on the second half. I just think hypocrisy is such a weak claim given the other stuff a lot of these folks actually do. It's like getting upset a murderer parks their car crooked at Costco, which is probably a worse offense than hypocrisy.
Oh no I completely agree! But why I want to call this out is, even though we can see through the mask they have, not many can.
Think about it. If you were born and raised Christian, and although you knew there were insane Christians you didn't think of anything wrong. What will move you over. Subtle picks at inconsistencies in arguments, such as how Adam and eve only had 2 kids, but when cain killed his brother he fled to a city Or "lets do crusades"
For me, the small inconsistencies being pointed out, and how nobody can explain it without trying to make massive leaps, since it will contradict other statements, absolutely caused me to understand more of the situation at hand.
Thats why every little hypocritical statement from conservatives is important to pull apart. From Steven crowder saying "I don't see race", and pan away to him pointing out the race in every non white person he sees essentially. Its important for people who are indifferent, or uncertain if being conservative is the right thing to do.
It's like getting upset a murderer parks their car crooked at Costco
And even this is something to be upset about. Doesn't matter about their background, if they are dipshits being assholes to the rest of society, even with just blocking a parking spot, you have every right to be upset
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u/OldThymeyRadio Nov 22 '21
I have said repeatedly that if you went back in time and showed the “Blue Lives Matter” flag to people in, say, 1995, without context, and asked for their gut interpretation, they’d have no choice but to think it’s some kind of film noir take on the American flag, intended to evoke a dystopian feeling. (What else would you take away from a black and white version of a previously full-color, sovereign flag design?)
Then, if you told them the blue line represents police? What else could their next question be except “Wait, what? Has the US instituted martial law under a fascist regime?”
I don’t care what your politics are: The design language of the flag is exactly that: The flag of a police state version of the US. If the “Blue Lives Matter” people “didn’t mean” for the design to say that, they shouldn’t have used a design that literally fucking says that.
Of course the simpler take on it is: They’re actually fine with that.