To ask my neighbour about England flag bunting?

[nuffinthemule]

My neighbour is outside on a ladder attaching England-flag bunting to the lampost outside his house (on the pavement). Is there a sport-related reason for hanging bunting this weekend that I have forgotten about or am I right to be slightly wtf? We live in a very multicultural area and I think it looks a bit aggressive and unwelcoming, although I accept it might not have been his intention. I know the neighbour to say hello to only and although he's always been reasonably friendly I have tbh been keeping a bit of distance as I know other neighbours have fallen out with him. Would you ask him why he is hanging it, do you think? Or am I being paranoid? And if you agree it is a bit dodgy how do I get him to take it down?

Exactly, RiverTam.

Are you asking me peacock?

Yes

Who has said that Rivertam?

Bloody hell, I had no idea bunting could be aggressive. You should see my area! We've just had the country's biggest youth culture festival in our area this past week, and the red white and green bunting has been absolutely everywhere, as well as flowerbeds in the colours, schools decorating with dragons and flags and bunting as far as the eye can see. A bit of England bunting for the World Cup pales in comparison

YABU and incredibly condescending to your neighbours, assuming that they won't be interested in supporting England (with their multi-ethnic, racially diverse football team ) football team. Danny Webeck was born in Ghana, Raheem Stirling in Jamaica and Phil Jagielka has Polish and Scottish parentage.

I was lucky enough to be living in Leeds during a world cup and saw people of backgrounds ( Asians, Somalians, African-Caribbeans) get behind England. The fact you seem to see non-whites as not English or not engaged with national culture, says more about you than it does about your neighbours.

I don't fly an England flag.

So perhaps not the best person to answer your question.

who has said what, Exit? I was kind of replying to this from cricketpitch who said 'PS - does that make us all racists, thugs and twats - or only the ones who put up English flags?'

but really it's to anyone who seems to have missed the OP's point.

My local Waitrose had Union bunting up throughout the bloody Olympics and Jubilee. Obviously nobody did their market research with that one. But hey, as long as the home counties are happy...

Fairly certain my local Waitrose in Edinburgh did too and I didn't notice any disgruntled customers. I had cup-cake cases in Union Jack patterns, Union Jack cake decorations and little Union Jack flags on cocktail sticks to stick into cakes.

If I'm going to be bothered about flags (which I'm not) as a (Labour voting) Unionist I'm more likely to dislike Saltire waving- for example Salmond's disgraceful display at Wimbledon when Andy Murray won.

Good post (not for the first time)Composhat

"I am planning on digging out our flags - Scottish and German - for the World Cup. I think I have some Bavarian and Swiss bunting too."

Scotland didn't qualify for the world cup

Wouldn't that be rubbing it in a bit?

biscuitcrumb I found out today that it's the World Cup sometime soon. I also found out , by flicking through a magazine , that it is in Brazil. I also never know when it's the FA cup or indeed the Winter Olympics, think that was recently ? The British Olynpics were less of a surprise but I did not watch them or pay them any attention whatsoever and I have no idea of who won what. I am so lucky that I can just zone out sport! Massively interested though in Politics and pay a great deal of attention to the EDL/ BNP using the Union Flag as a symbol for their racism.

Why wouldn't a home country and it's inhabitants be happy about the national flag waving?

My mum isn't from here but doesn't complain about the england flag.

It's people getting offended on her behalf that pisses her off.

Well, in fairness to the OP, she did ask about whether a sporting event was upcoming, which suggests that she (or he) would not view that circumstance as objectionable to the neighbors. I don't think she (or he) made any assumptions about whether the neighbors would support an event she was merely asking about.

I do think she made assumptions. I don't understand why flying a country's colours or flag is seen as bad in a 'multicutural' area.

Is now not a good time then to request from MNHQ an England flag emoticon ready for the World Cup then? ;)
Perhaps a football then... No one can be offended by a football emoticon .

Just testing to see if it was here already. But no we are still on .

They need a little penalty shoot out icon.

OP made assumptions about what neighbors might think if there were not a sporting event, or at least that's the way I read it. I think that might even suggest that she would think they would not have a problem with it in that instance. I think it was unfair to accuse her of assuming that her neighbors would not support the England team. Where did she say that?

how can England bunting look aggressive , hoping this thread is a wind up.

scone she suggested people flying their country flag is offensive to other people, people like me. It isn't. Nor should it be. It's bullshit like this that creates hatred in communities and headlines like 'local council bans england flag!!!' because some white english person has decided it's wrong to support their own country.

But she did not make assumptions about supporting the team. I was responding to Composhat's post.

Quoting the OP: "Is there a sport-related reason for hanging bunting this weekend that I have forgotten about or am I right to be slightly wtf?" (Emphasis added)

Why does there have to be a sporting reason?

Ok, all you wide eyed innocents- just asking. If your new neighbour put up a flag with a cross of St George- it wouldn't cross your minds that be might be a bit EDLy? Not even a little bit?