Australian Flag "Banned" ?

[Dutchy]

you got cornish background Punk?...any family up Moonta way?

[topsywaldron]

The flag is a piece of cloth, nothing more, nothing less. Piss on it, wipe your a**e on it or burn it, those things change nothing about the things that make Australia great.

Some of these things include being able to deface the flag without being labelled traitorous. Sounds to me like a few people want to live in the good ol' US of A where their chest beating 'patriotism' will be right at home.

[Dutchy]

Some of these things include being able to deface the flag without being labelled traitorous. Sounds to me like a few people want to live in the good ol' US of A where their chest beating 'patriotism' will be right at home.

Very easy to knock the yanks but we could and should learn a few things from them...their kids grow up respecting their flag and country not like the rubbish you just put to print...

[heater31]

Some of these things include being able to deface the flag without being labelled traitorous. Sounds to me like a few people want to live in the good ol' US of A where their chest beating 'patriotism' will be right at home.

Very easy to knock the yanks but we could and should learn a few things from them...their kids grow up respecting their flag and country not like the rubbish you just put to print...

that went out the window when kids stopped singing the national anthem and raise the flag at schools when ever that was (Way before my time)

[therisingblues]

Strewth, for a story that may or may not have been taken out of context, it has certainly generated a lot of abuse for people who may or may not be patriotic Australians who could be simply requesting that you don't use our flag to divide our nation.
That is the bottom line right, don't use the Aussie flag to divide Aussies?
I reckon Wedgie's spot on about the social climate in Sydney, I dread to think of what happened at last year's BDO. I just about cried when I saw those people getting beaten by a drunken mob on the beaches of Cronulla last year; I just about cried because they were all garnered out in symbols of the land I love, and claimed to be doing it in that same land's name.
If people come to Australia with a dispostion towards racial division, then the repeated use of the word f****t towards them isn't going to make that disposition go away. If anything it will make them more unified as you build something for them to fight.
Oh and Snaggletooth, Born to Lose, Live to Win, Dancing on your Grave, I am proud to be concerned about the environment, and I am also proud of those that fought at the Eureka stockade. The two tendencies aren't exclusive to each other, and I don't really liked being marginilized because you had a bad experience in Nimbin or whatever, I can't dream of why you'd want to throw everybody who's Green in the same boat there Snaggletooth.

[RustyCage]

The flag is a piece of cloth, nothing more, nothing less. Piss on it, wipe your a**e on it or burn it

I seriously hope you are joking there

[Snaggletooth Tiger]

It's not the Australian Flag what I find offensive at the Big Day Out...
What pisses me off is poser f'wits wearing 'Misfits' & 'Ramones' T-shirts
yet know next to nothing about said bands!

[Magpiespower]

Now I have a problem with our flag more specifically the top left corner of it which isn't "our" flag at all.

The official term is 'defacement,' I believe.

In other words, you take an existing flag and add bits and pieces to it.

Our national flag is a shocker.

[Punk Rooster]

you got cornish background Punk?...any family up Moonta way?

Yes, they settled in Moonta.

[Punk Rooster]

I just about cried when I saw those people getting beaten by a drunken mob on the beaches of Cronulla last year

Perhaps you would then find time to also shed a tear for our own victims, for those either gang-raped, shot or stabbed by elements of certain ethnic groups...
The Cronulla Riots , quite possibly, was a modern day Euraka Stockade- a time where Australians stood up & said "enough".
Why should be forced out of our happy-go-lucky lifestyle by a bunch of spoilt mummy-boys?

[redandblack]

I just about cried when I saw those people getting beaten by a drunken mob on the beaches of Cronulla last year

Perhaps you would then find time to also shed a tear for our own victims, for those either gang-raped, shot or stabbed by elements of certain ethnic groups...
The Cronulla Riots , quite possibly, was a modern day Euraka Stockade- a time where Australians stood up & said "enough".
Why should be forced out of our happy-go-lucky lifestyle by a bunch of spoilt mummy-boys?

That's a worryingly warped viewpoint, even for a redneck.

[Punk Rooster]

That's a worryingly warped viewpoint, even for a redneck.

& how was Eureka Stockade viewed at the time?
Not the way we romantically view it now, I bet.
Apologies if you don't understand my point, & wish to take it out of context & twist it.

[topsywaldron]

Very easy to knock the yanks but we could and should learn a few things from them...their kids grow up respecting their flag and country not like the rubbish you just put to print...

Are you that insecure about Australia and its place in the world to worry about what happens to a piece of fabric printed a certain way?

I miss the days when being Australian meant you could be proud of our country without reflexively shouting 'oi oi oi' at any given opportunity.

[Dutchy]

Very easy to knock the yanks but we could and should learn a few things from them...their kids grow up respecting their flag and country not like the rubbish you just put to print...

Are you that insecure about Australia and its place in the world to worry about what happens to a piece of fabric printed a certain way?

I miss the days when being Australian meant you could be proud of our country without reflexively shouting 'oi oi oi' at any given opportunity.

Excuse me but if you feel that way so strongly go wipe your asre with the Aussie flag at teh dawn service on Anzac Day as see how far you get...tool

[JK]

in my eyes anywhere on Australia day is an appropriate place for our flag.

Or any day for that matter.

Sorry (actually no Im not), but I agree with Punk ... Regardless of the design of the flag, it represents this nation and is sacrosanct in my eyes also!

[topsywaldron]

Excuse me but if you feel that way so strongly go wipe your asre with the Aussie flag at teh dawn service on Anzac Day as see how far you get...tool

Personal invective?

Nice one Aussie.

[Dutchy]

in my eyes anywhere on Australia day is an appropriate place for our flag.

Or any day for that matter.

Sorry (actually no Im not), but I agree with Punk ... Regardless of the design of the flag, it represents this nation and is sacrosanct in my eyes also!

Agree - whether you like the flag design or not (another day another thread) you have to respect it

and for Topsy - if we had more Australian history in our schools and maybe singing the National Anthem every day like in the states the youngsters from BOTH sides that caused Cronulla would be more tolerant of each other and understand our multicultural roots...

[Punk Rooster]

no matter what our political/religious/sexual/sporting/racial views are, surely we should be united about the flag?
Topsy, is it considered "cool, alternative & extremely punk" in your circles to disrespect the flag?

[Pseudo]

LL- you have a problem with the Union Jack, yet you mention your heritage is Welsh, Scottish & English.
Those 3 country's flag form the Union Jack, one would've thought that it would kill 3 birds with 1 stone...

The 3 flags are those of St. George, St. Andrew and St. Patrick. I hate to break the news to you Punky, but St. Paddy wasn't a taffy...

[Dogwatcher]

Any of you guys go to the BDO? There you might see the context in which a number of people are using the flag. I think the organisers were damned if they did and damned if they didn't. Incidents last year forced their hand and resulted in this shit storm of publicity. If they'd ignored that and a brawl started at this year's event and got out of hand, resulting in serious injuries or even a Cronulla like situation, then they would have been castigated for a lack of preparation, and it would've been talkback fodder all over the country with everyone condemning the organisers of a great event (you know how Lawsy and co would love it - it's not an event for conservatives, so would be targeted with glee)

I like how J Ho's been dragged into this argument about the flag, but he's never been asked to comment on the singlets and t-shirts being sold which say "my country, my flag" and "if you don't like it, **** off" which are divisive comments being worn by our young people. Now how about HE comments on that...and comments about their misuse of OUR icon...he won't cos the BDO's an easy target.

While I don't necessarily think banning the flag at the event's a great idea, I think if nothing else, it's opened up a debate about how our flag is being misused. And it's being misused by a growing number of teenagers and people in their early 20s who have known nothing other than a Howard government and its politics of division. I've see many young people wearing the flag (whether as a cape or on t-shirts) and representing it in the wrong way.

This is the sort of thing that the politics of fear creates. Take a close look, because if people are allowed to continue using the flag in this way - you're going to be seeing more Cronulla like incidents. If that's what you want, you're welcome to it, but I don't.

I've held off commenting on this for a while so I could get my thoughts straight. Hopefully it was worth it.