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?

If England win a couple of proppa matches, I'll be happy to see England's economy get a boost (all those flags to buy, beer to drink, bbq's to host, pub tills ringing, policing to fund ) but I still won't put bunting on my ho
use

One thing I really do hate is that American presidents seem to feel that they have to wear an American flag lapel pin all the time. I don't think Obama really likes to do it, but he gets accused of being anti-American all the time by the tea partiers and their ilk, so I think he must feel it's one less bit of ammunition to give them. But it looks so stupid at the G-8, G-20 or whatever and all the other leaders are there and only the US president wears a flagas AnyFucker suggestsit's not as though you would not know which one of them is the US prez.

'but I still won't put bunting on my ho'

I thought you were channelling a bit of Snoop Dog there!

I have no problem with people identifying with their home country. I do object to people objecting to English people identifying with theirs.

I'm not hand wringing. Neither is the OP.

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.

Nothing wrong with hanging up a flag, but it is generally done when there is some kind of celebration eg sporting event or jubilee. No one is saying that this is wrong, or that displaying patriotism is wrong.

I think anyone, anywhere should be able to put up an England flag/Union flag if they want to. It's national pride for your team or whatever. Bloody racist bastards have tried to take it over but we mustn't let them. Nothing wrong with rooting for your team I say.

Cunting bunting

Some flags are indeed offensive. i would not buy a house on a street where someone displays the Confederate flag. I live in the Southern US; thankfully you don't see that much any more.

I think it depends, really. I'm no fan people hanging flags all over their houses because to me, it does look aggressive, a bit in-your-face.

I've always lived in Glasgow and, if I see Union flags hanging from windows, I want out of there. Or Scottish, English, Irish flags for that matter. Because it's a very clear indication of your 'loyalties.' And by default of my upbringing, probably, if I'm in England and see lots of St George's flags everywhere, I'll generally feel it's better to keep my mouth closed.

I do just feel that we have a quite in your face flag culture in the UK and I'm not keen on it. In the US you see flags on every street corner but here they are most often brought out for football, which has lots of iffy connotations.

Someone hanging a Pakistani flag doesn't have the same connotations to me as their flag hasn't garnered those associations in this country.

For crying out bloody loud!!

Yeah. Pakistan. Home of liberalism.

Watching the football now. Am very worried about those 10 men on the pitch wearing a uniform of white shirts and shorts. I think they must be racists because they haven't let the other side score yet.

YABU!

Why would you assume your multi-cultured neighbours need "welcoming" (many are probably 2nd or more generation and as English as you are!) or that they would be offended by the national flag of the country they live in? Get real!

Not saying Pakistan is any model to live by, Exit, just that their flag doesn't really have a long established cultural currency and list of connotations in this country like the British flags do.

I've always lived in Glasgow and, if I see Union flags hanging from windows, I want out of there. Or Scottish, English, Irish flags for that matter. Because it's a very clear indication of your 'loyalties.'

Oh dear god. So someone display a flag of the country they live in during a big sporting event is wrong to you because they are openly being 'loyal'?

How dare they!

Flags in Glasgow are usually used as a hamfisted political statement. I too would avoid.

lol @ squoosh

I was hoping nobody noticed that

MyUserName
I take it you don't live in Glasgow? I don't either, and didn't realise that there is still a fair amount of religious intolerance on the west coast. A friend of mine was left cowering in a corner of a bus stop with her little girl when the Orange March went through her town. It can be very intimidating.

Try 'Loyalist', MyUsername, as opposed to 'loyal.' Or try Unionist.

Nice to see people having a good old sneer. I wouldn't wander around an area with union jacks openly displayed because, as a Catholic, I'd be fucking scared in case anyone started asking me questions about my 'loyalties' and I didn't have the right answers. Must be nice to be so blind to the connotations that flag waving has for some of us.

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...

if an Englishman cant support his team something is wrong why don't you join him instead of being a misery

I'm not Home Counties. No Waitrose here. Irish Catholic. Maybe I live in a parallel universe.

I do think y'all are pretty obsessed with bunting in the UK. We have the odd bit here and there in the US, but mostly only a bit of red, white, and blue draped over a few porches on the Fourth of July. When there was a thread on here about someone needing ideas for making her wedding bunting I had to google because I truly did not know that was a thing. And then, of course, that lead to pictures of many other types of themed bunting. Fascinating.

Why does supporting your team involve bunting and flags

I can cheer the useless fuckers players on without those things

Scones
Maybe, one day, we'll all have your sense