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PaperclipPerfector  19d ago (text post)   2324 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for April 11, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Policy proposal: anything with an American Flag on it must be manufactured in the USA. American flag T shirts? Must be MiUSA. Buckets? MiUSA. NFL making those weird camo sweatshirts with the patch on it? MiUSA. Your beer can better have American beer in it if it has a flag on it.

Why am I wrong about this one? Seems like a slam dunk.

I never wear anything with an American flag on it, actually, same reason I take my hat off indoors: Dad raised me to do these things. He said things like hats or shirts and beach towels (which you literally lay out on the ground, step on, etc.) are inappropriate for the flag. He spent years as a scoutmaster so maybe that's where he got such ideas. Anyway he passed them on. This is only tangentially related to your post.

It's in the Flag Code. You're not supposed to wear the flag, let it touch the ground, carry things in it or use it for advertising. Scoutmasters are probably some of the few who tend to follow it.

I think that only concerns the flag itself - i.e. a rectangular piece of cloth with specific pattern, used for a specific purpose - not a depiction of the same pattern in different places. I.e. if I have a cup with the Statue of Liberty and American flag depicted, I don't think Flag Code applies to the cup.

As far as I can tell, the Flag Code doesn't limit itself to just physical pieces of rectangular cloth, or even the entire pattern. It mentions embroidery and printing as things that shouldn't be done to the flag, and given it was mostly written in 1923, I don't think the spirit of the Code would make exceptions for more modern manufacturing methods.

(i)The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown. (j)No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations...

...Not that anyone really cares. And if we'd all strictly followed the Flag Code from the beginning, there would be way fewer US flags in everyone's lives and it wouldn't have the same cultural impact.

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