Is a St George cross an underlying sign of passive racism?

[ThatCyanJoker]

Walked past the house of a relatively new friend today and was surprised to see they’ve put up a huge flagpole, complete with St George cross flag flying high. I am generally patriotic , and put out the bunting for notable occasions without a second thought. I would probably be pleased had it been a Union Jack, but the St George has an undertone of racism to me, unless it’s flown for the football World Cup or something.
AIBU to reconsider friendship?

Could you explain some of those nuanced reasons that haven’t already been covered?

It's context. It's not the flag. If the racists were drawing anything else on roundabouts I'd be careful not to have any of that in my garden either.

WTaF a flag up of our country! They should be publicly stoned to death!

I'll be there alongside you and swallow the key! Several keys if needs be!

And they want to challenge it due to 'patriotism'... erm, do you even understand what you are saying? I guess the Blue Books never happened, nor the Welsh Not... Owain Glyndŵr didn't go into hiding, he just got a bit fed up when his wife, daughters and granddaughters were imprisoned in the Tower of London and all died in captivity... he caught an EasyJet to an all-inclusive in Spain... and don't get me started on Llewellyn The Last.

You are right - we will not be told who we are or how we should think about ourselves. It's the benefit of repression - you develop a really strong sense of cultural identity.

Context is everything. I'd make the presumption given that it is a large flagpole that it is not something temporary say to support the England men's football team, and so is meant to be in support of Reform or some of their supporters.

Unlike some of the posters here I wouldn’t presume to understand their motivations for being proud of their country.
I do know a neighbour of mine who has a flag in his garden. He’s an ex-paratrooper. Long retired but understandably proud of his service to this country. He chooses to show that pride by flying the flag and having stickers in his car window.

It is - but we would fight to get our flag back wouldn't we? There would be a national campaign. I would never fly the jack for many, many reasons, so to have it enforced on me would be entirely unacceptable. But I do find it very unfair that England are almost supposed to do an Elsa and 'let it go'.

Options:

• Fly the flag = racist
• Don't fly the flag = not racist

I think it's awful when I can freely celebrate who I am and no one would accuse me of ANYTHING (except supporting two fairly below average rugby teams these days!) close to being racist. I have a lot of sympathy.

The women's national rugby team are number one in the world and are playing in the Six Nations as we speak... is that a good enough reason for you? But also it's not down to you to determine the context in other people's lives. Assuming it's racist is, well, we know the famous saying about assumptions.

But I wish that it would be used as a symbol of England and nothing more and would welcome nonracists to take it back for that purpose.

So if I were to display a St George's flag, how would I prove to your satisfaction, and the satisfaction of others on this thread, that I am 'taking it back' and not doing it because I am 'Racist, chavvy and tacky. Grim', to quote another delightful poster.

Not jack, union. Impassioned typing!

Yeah I would assume racist. Reform supporters.

I guess I could be wrong though...but I can't see anyone not nationalist or right wing having it.

When we had a boat, permanently based in France, we flew the Red Ensign from our stern post if we moved. It wasn't racist, or superior. French registered boats had a tricolore. It indicated nothing more sinister than your nationality,

People supporting rugby
People supporting football
People enjoying their national saint's day

They're all racists? Everyone who goes to Twickenham with a flag is racist? Or is it only racist if it's hanging out the window of your own home?

The prejudice on this thread is mind-blowing.

Edited to add: And I'm not even bloody English!! Although I did live there for just shy of half of my life and I'm 47, so I'm not ignorant to the hijacking of the flag. But this nastiness of 'well you MUST be racist to fly the flag" is vile.

On national days, le quatorze juillet, for example, we would fly the tricolour from our quarter mast as a mark of respect. There are flags for most of the member countries of the EU stored in most boat's flag lockers.

I knew that would be the case when I read the OP. Just like the lovely Raise The Colours campaign. All about community and unity. Unless you’re an asylum seeker, of course.

Id love to know where the donations for this campaign is actually going.

https://raisethecolours.org.uk/fundraising-campaign/

Women’s rugby is on - we are big fans! 2 flags up in our house as DH is welsh!! 😊

In technical terms of flagging boats, I think the custom is to display your nationality at the stern, and the flag of the country you are in/visiting on your highest safe point, usually at the highest possible point below the mast head. Someone will tell me I am getting my knickers twisted if I'm wrong. Your club pennant is flown at mast head.

It should not be the case that St George's Cross = Racist.

But unfortunately people are very quick to jump to conclusions and lazily group people together without any critical thinking.

The result is that England has lost her flag. Many are afraid to have anything to do with it in case people mustakenly think they are racists.

We are flagless... unfortunately.

I remember when the Union Jack was seen to be just as bad. Are we allowed to fly that now?

Was it St George's day ? I fly my flag with pride on many occasions. Why on earth would anyone think this is racist.

Sadly, people do think that @DJKATIE .

I don’t understand why you keep saying “we should fight to get our flag back/ we are in control of reclaiming it. What does that mean, in practical terms? Who organises this, galvanise supporters and what do they actually do? In practical terms?

it jus sounds like a sound bite. I can tell you there is nothing I can do to “reclaim our flag”

Rubbish! It was St George's day recently and no seeker of excuses for racism is telling me when I can and cannot fly the flag. One assumes you don't consider all the other flags being flown as racist.

Context is key. My DM lives in a ln area that’s very Brexit-y and leaning towards Reform (ironically it’s almost exclusively white). The lamp posts and A road bridges are covered in a combination of George crosses and Union flags. I quite like a Union flag, normally. I don’t like those.

Is it any wonder why some of them are racist, when they can't fly their own flag in their own country 😪

Edited to say that I know this was sarcasm, as I know some bright individual will no doubt point it out.

I'm not one for flag flying myself but I wouldn't be too troubled by it. It isn't as if it is a swastika. A flag of your own country can be flown for all sorts of reasons. One of our neighbours has an England flag, a pride flag and a picture of Che Guevara in his window. They suggest conflicting messages and I have no idea what they all mean to him but we smile and say hello when I go past.