My ex from Norway mentioned how unusual it was that so many places and people here fly our flag (USA), so I was curious to hear what it’s like for others here on the fediverse.

  • TXinTXe@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    I’m from Spain, it’s not uncommon unfortunately, but that’s because the flag is appropriated by the right and far right and if you see someone with one you can be 90% sure of the type (homophobe, anti abortion, bullfighting supporter, climate change denier, etc etc)

  • Balthasar~@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    I am from Germany and no one is raising a flag. Except he is a Nazi. Or it is soccer World Championship.

    • Zednix@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      That’s kind of sad. It’s getting that way in Canada. Trudeau has called people every ism and ist when they are carrying a Canadian flag that people don’t fly it very much.

      • LittlePrimate@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        It’s not perceived as sad because it’s just something most people have no desire to do. Flags just aren’t a super common decoration you see outside of store advertisements and official government buildings. “I should install a flag pole on my property” is already a rare thought in most places and a lot of people then rather put a flag about something that is special to them on there. In line with that thought, being German in Germany obviously isn’t that special, so it’s usually not your choice of “displaying something that is special to me” unless you have a right-wing mindset. You’ll more often see football teams, maybe music bands and the more rare political issue here and there, like “stop nuclear power plants”.

  • bstix@feddit.dk
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    1 year ago

    It’s weirdly common in Denmark. People fly the national flag for birthdays, and some people even decorate the Christmas tree with flag guirlandes. It’s seen as an act of celebration rather than patriotism.

    https://tenor.com/bRmME.gif

    • v_krishna@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      OP sounds strange to me I feel like all Scandinavians have their flag a lot, on birthday cakes and for graduations and such. I definitely experienced this in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

      • Stovetop@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Iceland, too. The flag is in a lot of places. On clothing/apparel, flying outside buildings, on signs, etc.

      • Countsheep@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Yeah I see it all the time in Sweden. Not on cars so much but flagpoles and such especially when it is a nice day out

  • snota@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    In the UK it’s very unusual unless it’s football or royal related. The union flag, the Welsh flag and the Scottish flag are ok most of the time but the England flag is seen as being a bit racist.

    • kya@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Indeed. Both the England flag and the Union flag are pretty much non-existent in London outside of official buildings, unless there is an event or holiday (including sports). It’s more common to see other nation’s flags in windows, which is fair enough.

  • loops@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    Canada here, not very common until you get close to Canada day or Armistice day. Recently though; there have been people flying it a lot and they mostly seem to be the conspiracy/queen of Canada types.

    So yes, it is unusual. Perhaps it can be seen as a symptom of American nationalism, and all the pitfalls it represents.

    • TWeaK@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Canada here, not very common until you get close to Canada day or Armistice day.

      It’s very common if you’re travelling Europe and are American.

      • loops@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        My Grandpa almost got mugged in …Spain I think, but the guys seen that he had a tim hortons mug and a Canadian flag sowed onto his bag, so they left him alone lol.

  • kaffiene@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’m a New Zealander. I don’t see anyone flying a NZ flag in Dunedin, where I live. I may have seen one or two in private residences in my life. Flying flags is weird. Nationalism sucks.

  • animist@lemmy.one
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    1 year ago

    My country is a former colony of an imperial power so it’s flown all the time to reinforce our feeling of sovereignty

  • eezeebee@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    I’m in Canada and would say it’s not extremely common, but enough so that I wouldn’t think twice if I saw the flag on a house. Maybe one in fifty houses has one.

    Sometimes it’s on clothing too, but nowhere close to the extent that I’ve seen the American flag on everything when I’ve visited. You guys seem to really really like your flag!

    We also have provincial flags which people will put on their houses, but the one I see most is for Newfoundland and Labrador, which is a different province than mine. It’s arguably close to as common as the Canadian flag.

    • ImplyingImplications@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      Yup. I’d say the Canadian flag isn’t super common but isn’t out of the ordinary. I also don’t see people waving the flag and think the person must be some extremist nut job. Those ones are waving around “F*ck Trudeau” flags.

      • The Gay Tramp@lemmy.ca
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        1 year ago

        You must not be from out west. People here have flags on their cars (trucks actually mostly) and those people are Convoy idiots exclusively. And there are a lot of them. I don’t go a day without seeing at least one

        • Zednix@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          I see confederate loser flags on trucks and shitty vehicles a fair bit in Alberta. Lots of fuck Trudeau flags, because western alienation is stronger than ever.

  • myslsl@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’m from the western US. It’s not unusual here but when I see it I usually assume the person doing it is a weirdo.

  • esm@lemmy.sdf.org
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    1 year ago

    In Scotland, it tends to indicate your political beliefs. People flying the Union Jack are normally unionists and supporters of the monarchy, whereas people flying the Saltire (Scottish) flag are normally nationalists (pro-independence). It’s therefore difficult to fly a flag ‘neutrally’ unless you were to fly both.

  • Jimi_Hotsauce@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    When I went to Norway I counted the flags I saw. I forget the exact number but I saw maybe 6 in the week I was there. Come back to the US I saw at least 20 coming back from the airport.

  • Oxossi@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    In Brazil it’s more common now mainly because of the far right who appropriated it for themselves. Most will identify a person flying our flag as a Bolsonaro supporter, me personally like to stay clear of them.

  • Johnnyline@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    In the UK, you generally don’t see people flying the Union Jack unless its a major sporting event, or its a major governmental sort of building.

    • bazpoint@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      If anything, you’re probaby more likely to see the English, Scottish or Welsh (or NIish I assume, but never been there) flags than the Union Jack. Because the different nations have their own football teams (and other sports too), so they come out for the big international tournaments and some stay flying in between.