How would you react if your next door neighbors flew a large flag from a foreign nation?

About in the same manner that I would react if he watched a different TV channel to me. It would have about as much impact or interest. I have had neighbours flying various flags – one who would go through the whole dawn and dusk raising, or lowering and folding ceremony every day.

I wouldn’t feel anything. I don’t mind that people are from other countries in my neighbourhood.

I probably wouldn’t care too much. I’m not sure why I should.

Live and let live…it’s only a problem if you make it a problem.

Some folks are very passionate about their patriotism to the point of denying other people their own.

I would think it odd. I have often said on fluther I cannot imagine my husband flying the Mexican flag on our house (we have a big one in the garage) except if Mexico won the world cup LOL.

I’d figure that was the country that just won the World Cup

I don’t care what my neighbors do.Except for the one’s with binoculars

@lucillelucillelucille Seriously? That’s not right…

It’s their house. They can put whatever flag they want.

It would sort of irk me on a philosophical level, I suppose, but in the end it doesn’t really affect me and I’m not going to be a dick about what someone displays on their house.

Edit to add:

The reason it would irk me is out of respect I suppose. I would not display a large American flag on my house if I lived in the UK or Sweden or wherever. I do recognize though, that the display of flags is more or less a uniquely American cultural thing, so it probably wouldn’t matter… but still.

How large is said flag? I wouldn’t mind unless it blew in front of my front door or window or something.

@cockswain That deserves a jinx I think.

Well seeing as I am a “Nazi, hate-filled, racist conservative” I go and burn their flag and brake the windows on their house. Nahh, I don’t care, but if you’re saying that your country is better than America… then go back to your country. :/

I wouldn’t care one bit. :)

I wouldn’t mind at all. If the patriotism got to the extent of the Portokalos house from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I’d probably chuckle.

If the person was from that country, I wouldn’t have a problem with it. If I lived somewhere else, you can damn well bet I’d have Old Glory up somewhere. If it’s their flag, leave them alone. They’re not necessarily saying that their country is better than the USA. They’re just showing their loyalty to their homeland.

@JLeslie why, were you about to say the same thing? Do you owe me a soda?

Flag shmag

@cockswain I said it right before you. It was not exactly the same, but close, that my husband might fly the Mexican flag if they won mundial, check above your answer. I think you owe me the coke. I think we jinx a lot right? I have to pay more attention if it is you that gives similar answers to me all of the time., typically sarcastic ones. lol.

I’m flying an Iron Maiden flag at the moment, much to my HOA’s annoyance. So long as it’s not interfering with my property, who am I to tell them they can’t fly what they want.

How would you all feel if I flew my Canadian flag on American soil?

It wouldn’t bother me if you flew your American flag here.

I would fly a larger flag with a picture of a turtle with a pug’s head. Show them.

I’m a blonde, pigtailed, bohemian california gal and I LOVE the Asian cultures, China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam. My house is a diverse and eclectic mix of Asian, African, Indian,and modern decor. I have a Himalayan cat and Chinese geese, lol

I have often thought of flying a Chinese, Vietnamese or Thai flag just for fun!

AND…to top it all off I live in redneck land!

Hows that!

Foreign like Notre Dame? Ewwwww!

@Coloma ~Why tempt fate?~

who cares?

i’d be glad that i don’t live in some WASP-y neighborhood. besides, there’d probably be some good restaurants in the area…finally.

I would care at all. Diversity is cool.

Depending on the flag I would ask for recipes or gardening tips on my tropical houseplants (thank you, Cuba!)

@JLeslie

It all blends, my neighbors delight in my wackiness! lol

Offhand I can only think of one flag that would anger me.

Other than that, I cannot think of anything that would annoy me.

I wouldn’t be upset, let them do what they want.
It’s a free country, and a way for them to express themselves.

@gemiwing I would prefer the Cubans fly both the US and their flag, if they are going to put theirs up (although I am happy to find a house that has ropa vieja and tostones) because it would be nice to know they appreciate their new country that took them in.

I see it all the time. I have no issue with it.

@JLeslie A wonderful woman taught me how to raise my plants right and she told me to call her Grandma Cuba. I don’t care what flag she flies- I love her.

@JLeslie why is a flag necessary to express gratitude? how about being a good citizen, paying your taxes and obeying the law? why is some image needed?

@JLeslie

So are you one of those Gladys Kravitz type neighbors, constantly on the lookout to stir the pot? Bummer.

Anyone who would actually care needs to find something else to worry about.

I still have a Kerry sticker on my car – Kerry/whoever the guy was that he ran with. Nostalgia. I’m not trying to bring him back.

Same thing. Let people have feelings.

@eponymoushipster Oh, I agree. I have many Cubans friends, I lived in SE Florida for years, and I think overall the Cubans are wonderful. But, take the Elian Gonzalez thing. Cubans were in the streets screaming for the US government to keep him here, and waving the Cuban flag. That just seems like a contradiction to me. The Cubans, the older generation, are pissed at America, feel like we made a deal with the devil (Castro) and that is why they don’t have their country back, and that is also part of the reason they are Republicans, they hate Kennedy. It does not feel like those Cubans are grateful. Of course this is not all Cubans.

Really, I am fine with someone flying their flag, I would not assume anything from it, except that they are proud of their heritage.

Whats so amusing to me on a phliospohical level is the entire IDEA ( operative word ) that we actually have ‘ownership’ of anything. lol

A bunch of egos pow wow, sign papers and determine the status of ;ownership’, but, in reality, we are human animals and like any creature we have the right to migrate whereever the hell we want!

Just because the state of California says that I ‘own’ my land, hah!

The land was here thousands of years before me and will be here thousands of years after me…a few pieces of paper and the exchange of paper currency does not change this fact.

For a very short time a few say I ‘own’ my land…just makes me smile. ;-)

I would celebrate the diversity.
If it was a flag from a country I find interesting, I may be tempted to go over and ask them about it. Though I don’t expect I’d go much further than just being tempted.

@Coloma Not at all. LOL. My family is a big hodge podge of nationalities, it’s all good. I love diversity, it is what I miss living here in the mid-south. I miss hearing the different languages, the food, the open minds, and different cultures. No pot stirring here.

@JLeslie I see you did post a similar thing immediately before me. I do owe you a coke. In my glee at thinking of that, I blocked out everything else in front of me.

As long as he leaves my flag alone, I don’t care what he does with his.

@JLeslie

and others…allow me to raise my glass…;-)

I wouldn’t think twice about it. In fact I’d probably be happy there was some culture in my neighborhood.

I usually figure they’re showing their support for their favorite soccer teams.

Another jinx. Well, another world cup. LOL

I would mind my own business. However, I would think “Gee, they should know that they’re damn lucky to be able to do that in this free country of ours! And I hope they appreciate that fact! In some other countries, they’d be arrested, beaten, and jailed for life!”

Why should it matter at all? I don’t get it.

If you want to be proud of living in a free country, you need to celebrate the freedom to fly any flag you want and even talk about how much you hate the country. Freedom is meaningless unless its complete freedom.

I have no problem with anyone flying a flag of their heritage except it should always be alongside an American flag on American soil or embassy and slightly lower. It’s simply protocol. Like MRSHINYSHOES states, the country’s soil it’s flown on takes precedence. I think it’s only respectful in any country to give deference to the nation’s colors as being prominent.

I am an American living in Australia, I have dual citizenship. I would not fly an American flag on my house. It just doesn’t seem like an appropriate thing to do. It no doubt would alienate some aussies and I can’t see any benefit from it. I choose to live in Australia not the USA so I would fly an aussie flag or the boxing kangaroo flag, that is my favorite.

When I lived in the USA though, I did fly an American flag out front and usually a seasonal or silly flag as well.

@SeventhSense I agree with you. Immigrants should always allow the country they are living in and enjoying the freedoms in, take precedent over their own. That doesn’t mean they should forget or get rid of their own cultural practices and ideals. On the contrary. They should celebrate and preserve their old world traditions. But they should always be mindful and respectful of America. I think sometimes people forget to appreciate the freedoms in this country, and they take it for granted, so they lose perspective and think they can act any way they want, even disrespecting the country’s democratic ideals. That is a shame.

On another note. Not far from where I live there is a section of town that has many foreign immigrants. In one section of town there are sometimes exclusively these foreign language signs which are not even bilingual. If you enter the store there is not even an English speaking person. I found this out by accident and was quite miffed when I wanted to order some food. I found it very disrespectful and not to mention bad for business.
I mean what’s the point of the native culture at all if one has just planted their own culture on foreign soil. In fact if I lived in a foreign country I wouldn’t even expect them to speak English but bilingual is just the least of respects when doing business in a country.

That’s a really funny question because my next door neighbor DOES have a large foreign flag prominently displayed right over his door, and I’ve never cared one way or the other in the 10+ years we’ve lived next door to each other. What I do care about is when it starts looking ratty and wind-beaten, because that’s just tacky, man. But otherwise, who the hell cares?

I mean what’s the point of the native culture at all if one has just planted their own culture on foreign soil?

I think you’ve answered your own questions. It’s about freedoms. In this country they have the Freedom to fly their own flag, have signs in their own language, and live life without persecution etc… That is what makes it a great country. So complaining about how they do it only squashes that freedom and thus makes the country less great.

Fact from fiction, truth from diction. I would be pissed they beat me to the punch.

I wouldn’t care one iota.

I dont like flag waving at all, frankly, I cringe when I see people flying my nations flag…. I suspect I’d feel the same if it were another nations flag…. unless it were for some sort of event.

i cant see a situation in which this would offend me, ever. they can fly the israel flag, the afghanistan flag, the canada flag….doesn’t affect me any more than if they’re flying the american flag. plus, flags are cool, maybe they just like the way they look.

I wouldn’t care. The most interest I would show would be wanting to know what country the flag was from if I didn’t recognise it.

@SeventhSense – you may be misinterpreting these restaurant owners’ purpose in coming here. They’ll speak and write English as soon as they can – as you point out, it will be better for their businesses. But meanwhile, they really didn’t come here for your personal convenience, you see? They aren’t bad English speakers from disrespect; they’re bad English speakers because learning languages in adulthood is incredibly hard. They’ll get there. The rest of us did. Look at what wonderful English we write here on fluther. And if we don’t, someone helps us with it (whether we want them to or not).

@SeventhSense You seem to imply that being an English speaking person and US citizen gives you the right to have everyone else in the nation to speak English. You were disrespected and miffed that they guy in his own store in his own community didn’t speak English?

I’ve been to Chinatown in San Francisco and Chicago. There were stores where the clerk didn’t speak English, and most of the products had no English words. Should these neighborhoods be forced to show you more respect?

personally. i would be excited :)

i am a big fan of meeting people from other countries (it definitely comes in handy if i want to go there or happen to be going there etc)

i think it would be a good ice breaker/conversation starter

I find most flags to be obnoxious..even the US flag. But, it’s just a flag and it’s their house. I wouldn’t care.

Just because one can do something does not mean that it’s always seemly to do so or in the collective interest or national morale. Individuality is wonderful but that does not mean that community should take a back seat to private interests. It’s hypocritical to take a stance that the private interests of business should not take precedence over national interests but then at the same time that personal freedoms of expression should.
@RedPowerLady
No country that has rose to prominence has ever done so with the compromising of a national language.
@susanc
No I don’t misunderstand. Freedom to do whatever one wants is not guaranteed by the Constitution nor the Bill of Rights. When one becomes a citizen they swear to support and defend the country. Failure to assimilate is not good for national unity. Any group that has immigrated here in the past whether it was the Italians, Irish, Germans or Eastern European did not fail to adopt the language. In fact in the past they felt in an honor to adopt the language. Again I would have the same respect in any country I emigrated to. To not do so is simply disrespectful.
@cockswain
Unfortunately manners can not be regulated but places of public business should be forced by law to be at least bilingual such as in Canada. It’s an abuse of our freedom.
@deni
Umm….uhhh….nevermind…

If you are able to fly another country’s flag, do so but at least give honor to the nation that makes that possible.

Abuse of your freedom that the shopkeeper doesn’t speak your language? I’m not sure if that is more intolerant or dumb.

No not that he doesn’t speak my language but that the shopkeeper has decided to do business in my country. It is MY COUNTRY as much as it is HIS. How would you feel if the street signs were suddenly in Swahili? There is no one ethnic group in this country that supersedes the national identity.

@SeventhSense you got a bone to pick?

@deni
Mustachioed hippy..

you love me, simmer down. now!

Probably wearing Red China skivvies..:o)

@SeventhSense Again, I agree with you——I think it’s paramount that all immigrants learn English and learn to speak it well enough to communicate in this country. It is extremely frustrating when one has to deal with people who don’t speak a word of English, yet they are living and doing business here. When my great-grandparents came to Canada from Japan and China back in the 1880s, one of the things that was highest on their priority list was to learn English. They new it was the “ticket” to success in their new country. And I thank them for that. Their hard efforts paid off. When immigrants learn and master the English language, they equip themselves with the tools to achieve financial success, and pave the road for their grandchildren.

@SeventhSense There is no one ethnic group in this country that supersedes the national identity.

You said it. And our national identity is based on freedom including freedom of language. We do not have a national language. So the shopkeeper has the right to post a sign in English or in French. That is the very thing that you hold great about this nation. We are already in prominence so are not jeopardizing a thing by allowing such freedom to continue.

@SeventhSense: Let me repeat that people learn English in America as fast as they can. Your ancestors did, and so will these people.

If it were the policy of our nation to exclude non-English speakers, there’d be an English requirement for residency prior to applying for citizenship. But there isn’t. If you’re the patriot you say you are, you need to respect this policy, I believe.

New immigrants kind of get a pass from me for learning English, especially if they come over as older adults, and I am not including school age children at all, they must go to English speaking school, and I am not for coddeling them because of their language transition. I agree that English is part of the ticket to success in America, but for new immigrants who are older, who work in their Hispanic community and are not going to avail themselves to the vast opportunities the country can provide it is less important to them, less necessary.

I personally do not know one person who was born in America who does not speak English, although on another thread someone did say they do know someone, but I think that is very rare. I don;t see how someone can go to school and not speak English, unless this person actually did not go to school?? I have many many friends, and family members who’s first language is a foriegn language, but then they hit pre-school or kindergarten and they are like every other American kid, except they speak two languages.

Even way back in the day, 100 years ago, many new immigrants did not learn English, but their children were raised American, and their parents reinforced learning English. I don’t see why people expect it to be different today.

In areas that are heavily Hispanic there has been a constant influx of new immigrants in large numbers for many many years, and so there is always a new generation that just came over and does not speak English well or at all.

(Is this about Spanish speakers?)

I’ve been going to the same burrito shack for several years and half the people there still can’t speak English. It doesn’t bother me at all, but I feel a little pity for them for not giving themselves the advantage of learning English yet.

@susanc I did not mean to single out Spanish Speakers, if you were asking me, but there are many places in the US where there are large communities of Spanish Speakers, whole cities sometimes, where Spanish is predominant. In large cities like NY we might see a Spanish Speaking neighborhood, and a Chinese Neighborhood, and an Italian neighborhood, etc, but it does not seem to be to the extent of Hispanic neigborhoods in places like Miami from what I have observed current day in the US. Coral Gables, FL pretty much any restaurant I walk into asks me in Spanish “how many” when I walk in. In NY the only way the Indian guy can communicate with the Lebonese guy is in English; English as the common language is more necessary. The billboards and other signs many times are in Spanish, and say we speak English in small print in a corner. Since there are so many Spanish speaking people in places like Coral Gables it is less necessary to learn English when you first come here from a Spanish speaking country,

I have no problem with anyone’s lack of speaking English or their learning curve but it is our national language and our national flag was earned by blood. I still remember 9/11 when that flag was flown from every street corner and home and unified us in our grief. Not as a symbol of vengeance but one of solidarity. The sadness was palbable and everyone knew someone who died there. Never have I been so proud to be a New Yorker or an American. And again most New Yorkers were very circumspect in their response of vengeance. It was only political expedience which would usurp this sentiment and galvanize popular support(most far removed from Ground Zero) towards a baseless war in Iraq. The flag itself is more than sentiment and more than the collective opinions of those who wave it though. It is a material expression of the highest ideals of mankind. Freedom is the highest ideal in my opinion and the one on which all others hinge. But that includes of course those who choose to ignore this amazing gift but I would hope that they would love her like I do. She’s my girl.
NY is my mistress :)~

Back to the OP…Does it matter at all what flag it is? Do people feel any different if it is an Italian flag or an Iranian Flag? No one really touched on that, so I am assuming no, but just curious if it was overlooked?

Flags of nationality don’t bother me but racist flags do.

@JLeslie – I would be curious and intrigued to see an Iranian flag at this point in history, because it would mean something – it’s a big gesture – but
I wouldn’t know WHAT. I would want to casually hang around that house until someone came out and gave me a chance to pass the time of day. It’s an odd idea. I kind of like it.

@SeventhSense Freedom is the highest ideal in my opinion and the one on which all others hinge. But that includes of course those who choose to ignore this amazing gift but I would hope that they would love her like I do

Now, to me, this makes more sense and is a lot more clear :)

I keep thinking about this one in relation to my own experience. I want to be like an Australian so while I still am proud to be an American I don’t try to turn Oz into a USA so I feel at home. This is my new home and I am proud to have dual citizenship.

I do however wear a US Open baseball cap and a NY Yankees hoodie. But I also wear an Australian Open cap and a Townsville Crocs jersey. I like to keep it equal, heheh.

@rooeytoo I’m like you. I would wear t-shirts and maybe have a US flag in my house (although I doubt it), keep my American background more close to the chest so to speak, but I would not fly it in front of my house in a different country. Basically, the same as my husband with his Mexicanness.

I mean really, there is a little bit of what the heck are you doing here if you think the old country is so much better type of feeling when you only have the flag of your old country. I mean that can be the perceptions of the onlooker, even when the intention of the person displaying the flag is just that they are proud of their heritage, but embrace the new country.

@all I think it would be strange to see an Iranian flag or a Saudi flag, especially since there seems to be quite a bit of anti-arab (I know Iran is not Arab, but I think most Americans lump that country in) sentiment in the US right now. I would think why are they doing that? Not that I care at all if someone is from the middle east, so its not that I don’t want them living here, it’s just that it would show some guts to fly that flag I think.

@Rachienz I agree. There have been many fluther threads about the confederate flag and even nazi symbols, and it still amazes me that people want to insist the confederate flag is nothing more than honoring southern ancestors.

@rooeytoo Hey; how you doin’ Aussie girl?

Mine do, they are proud Canadians and it’s fine by me.

@Rachienz ya, i would be more offended if my neighbor was flying a confederate flag than a flag from their home country.

i also find confederate flags offensive on cars, on shirts, on belts, on handkerchiefs, pretty much all types garb, as any sort of decor, and so on and so forth

A lot of you seem to be confusing freedom (what one is technically ABLE to do) and politeness (what one SHOULD do). Saying you should fly a foreign flag lower or you should show that you respect the country that took you in isn’t a call to infringe freedom of speech.

@Storms
Bunch a commie pinko hippies.