AIBU to think our neighbour is an arse?

[GreatGretzky]

We put a union flag up in the window yesterday to celebrate the Jubilee. Today I bumped into our neighbour where we had the following conversation...

Him: I don't like your flag.
Me: Oh. Sorry. It's just up for the Jubilee so it'll come down in a few days.
Him: People will think this is a BNP street.
Me: I'm sure they won't, everyone knows it's Jubilee weekend...
Him: Well I think it makes you look like BNP supporters. It's disgraceful. I don't want to look at it.

He's made me a little bit worried now that people will think that! AIBU to leave the flag up and think he's being a bit of an arse?

The guy's an arse, yup. I dread to think what he'd say about my house - a large Stars and Stripes flag on a pole is propped up alongside my house 24/7.

Ambrosius if that's the way you think do you also assume BA is run by a bunch of racists?

I think it would be quite nice if everyone had a flag pole in their front garden. although I am 100% certain that if we had a flag pole my DH would insist on a Jolly Roger

Hmmmm well he was unreasonable, but that said my neighbours erected a full flag pole and have prominently displayed a HUGE union jack ever since the royal wedding. I lost all respect for them tbh.

In any other country you fly your flag and it's patriotic. In Britain you fly the flag and you're branded a racist.

No, but my experience of people who display union flags and st. georges are nasty racist knuckle draggers.

Why Loopy? Would you have an issue if they flew the flag of another nation? Say, if your neighbours were French and they flew the French flag?

Yes I would. Why the bleeding hell would you want a massive flag fluttering away night and day? It's odd. If it were a Rastamouse flag or a Brothers cider flag I'd feel the same. I don't want brightly coloured tat tainting my lovely view.

He's being an idiot and if he finds our flag so offensive he'd better lock himself in his house and not switch his telly on for the next few days (or months when they all come back out again for the Olympics).

Your personal experience? Or what you've seen in the papers?

Why on earth would you lose respect for someone flying their National flag?

And yes, in this country it often does stand for more than innocent patriotism.

isn't sad tho, that it is now an indicator of being racist to display the flag. That the BNP have claimed it.

your neighbour is an arse.

"No, but my experience of people who display union flags and st. georges are nasty racist knuckle draggers."

What a dumbass, offensive thing to say. Like Fun said, in any other country it would be patriotic. One thing that saddens me is the lack of that over here. Looking back at time spent in the US and Canada I really notice the difference - there they're proud to fly their flag and stand with hand on heart in the baseball ground, singing their national anthem.

Well that's fair enough Loopy!

I'm not a mad patriot by the way (Irish Catholic in fact). I just think it's sad for people who are to not be able to be proud to show it in their own way.

^ Why is that a good thing?

He's been a right killjoy. Round here my neighbour has had bunting up with alternating union jacks and the queen's face (really! ) for months. And you can always tell when there's an England game on because people hang them out of kids' windows.

Of course, perhaps he thinks it's much classier to hang your washing out overnight like I do, instead?

Argh! I wasn't agreeing with your last post Loopy - totally disagree with that!

Personal experience Panda.
It often does Loopy.

I mean the US flag baseball chanting thing

Loopy, if you aren't being disingenuous and you really can't see why it's a good thing to be proud of your country there's no point in me explaining it.

Actually I think the union Jack, like the Welsh flag, is rather beautiful, and my distaste for the neighbour's flag is more about my view than patriotism (I do have a good view and it does get in the way).
In other countries, the display of flags is normal. It isn't here, it has been claimed by the knuckle draggers. Perhaps this royal nonsense and olympic shit will remedy that? I'd quite like the flag to be reclaimed (but the fact is, it does (and especially the England flag) symbolise racism as well as patriotism)

But you can be proud of your country (or anything else) without chanting to it daily and 'pledging allegiance'. That's just OTT.

I don't see why its a good thing either...