More Examples:
I see this everywhere. Hidden or transparent monochrome American black flags on large trucks or 4-Runners. Usually speeding or driving aggressively on the highway.
I found this:
The black and white American flag originated during the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865. It was created as an opposing symbol to the white flag, which symbolizes surrender. Confederate army soldiers flew the black flag to demonstrate they would not give in or surrender to the enemy. It showed that they would rather be killed than taken in as prisoner.
And this:
Sometimes soldiers show respect for their country by using the black version on their vehicles
My question is for the people doing this. What message are you trying to send? Are you openly telling your coworkers and neighbors that you are still supporting the South in a war that ended long ago? Are you low key showing your support for Trump? Are you ex military showing support for your country? I ask because at least for me, the message is unclear.
I feel like there’s minimal overlap between the people who drive these trucks with these flags and the people on Lemmy…
Might not be askin in the right place. Or in the place where you’re gonna get a real answer.
When in doubt, I always assume people don’t really think that deeply about it. Their brain was probably like “Truck. Flag. Cool.”
Well, I’m on this platform. Posting on a community that specifically states there are no stupid questions. And it looks like I have been provided a lot of great answers. So I’ll take that as a win.
I don’t see any reason to think there’s a deeper meaning. There’s a lot of overlap between aggressive truck or muscle car drivers and people who like plastering the flag everywhere. Some of them have enough sense to go somewhat subtle with a monochrome version.
I’ve always assumed this was a variation of the pro police brutality flag that Republicans like. I don’t think I’ve met any non-Republicans with these flag designs.
They’re flags where you want to say you’re Republican but don’t want to be blue lives matter is how I know it colloquially in practice.
Not quite as bad as the ‘Stars and Bars’, but I’ve only seen one type of person wear it. And they’re usually diehard exmilitary Republicans that like to shit on Democrats but play plausible deniability when you call them out on it lol.
Edit: Most legit and cool military people I know just use their branch or company symbols. Army/Marine Globe/actual company patch etc.
The meaning depends on the intent of the person displaying that flag.
The innocent option is that it’s military cosplay. The US military uses black or gray monochrome flags since red/white/blue is bad for camouflage. Some people think it looks badass, so they mimic it.
The negative option is that it’s a “no quarter” flag.
To add to this, the flags OP displayed are all reversed (the stars are in the upper right instead of upper left). That’s common in the military as it represents how a soldier would view the flag as it’s being carried by a flag bearer. It’s military cosplay.
If a flag is on the right side of your body (or in this case car) then it’s reversed otherwise it’s normal.
The U.S. flag appears backward on military uniforms when worn on the right side, so the canton is assaulting forward. This reflects the image of the American flag flying in the wind, the blue union field always moving forward to symbolize the bravery and commitment of military service members.
That’s not why the starfield is on the other side. The starfield always belongs at the front. If that flag was flying from a pole and being carried by the person or vehicle that’s where the starfield would be and why that’s how it is applied. The flag should be moving forward, not retreating.
The negative option is that it’s a “no quarter” flag.
Oh, yikes. https://www.biscaynetimes.com/viewpoint/the-‘no-quarter’-flag-and-its-threat-to-america/
A page not found is the scariest thing
Try this one. Maybe your browser or app doesn’t deal with the quote characters.
Oh cool. Lets hope its just “murica” and not… That then. Christ.
Yep. You’ll also see a black-and-khaki version that matches the OCP camouflage pattern used on Army and Air Force combat uniforms; sometimes called the “Scorpion flag” because that was the code name for the new camouflage design.
Honestly it runs the gambit. I first was seeing them on cop-related stuff in the 90’s, when everyone wanted to wear black things and look “tacticool.” (go to the 5.11 website if you’re not familiar) I suppose there’s a segment of the population going for “patriotic, yet edgy,” that gets this stuff. As I get older I tend to view these people as looking for someone to fight, but only if they think they can win.
These people usually live in their own conservative bubble, and the behavior is accepted or rewarded. They usually leave the bubble in groups, so they can reinforce their views with each other when confronted or avoided. But when mixing with general society, they tend to mellow out. Leaving an echo chambers does that.
There are definitely people using it as a dog whistle. Those people will double down, not mellow out. These are your idiots attacking the capital. Fuck those guys.
looking for someone to fight, but only if they think they can win
Fucking nice, perfect capture
Fwiw the term is ‘runs the gamut’
Gamut - the complete range or scope of something. “the whole gamut of human emotion”
I agree with your perspective. FYI - something with many varieties “runs the gamut.” A gambit is a ploy or strategy, a gamut is a spectrum of values.
You’re way overthinking it, my friend. The meaning of it is “‘Murica, fuck yeah!” They want everyone to know what a tough, Trump-loving big boy they are.
Or they just like the fuckin country and don’t want to have a normal flag because it contrasts with the color scheme of their vehicle. Jesys fuckin Christ it’s not that complex.
Trump is entirely irrelevant to this, and I’m confused why you feel the need to throw it in. This trend has been around long before 2016.
Many people do this now, I find it super disappointing that an overt display of patriotism is now considered by many to be a sign of the maga crowd. Talk about cultural appropriation 😕
When you have that goofy mf hugging the flag on stage to applause and adoration, the association becomes stronger.
Many people do this now, I find it super disappointing that an overt display of patriotism is now considered by many to be a sign of the maga crowd.
I feel like there’s some kind of correlation between the two things. Obviously it’s not guaranteed that someone displaying patriotism is going to be a bigot but… It’s based on “my place is better”, “go my team” just because the person randomly got born in a specific geographical location. Most of the time, patriotism isn’t based on rationally assessing anything: you’re just born into it like religion and there’s really no critical thinking in the mix.
Because people just can’t seem to get the world doesn’t revolve around Trump
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Any version of the flag has basically become a racist, nationalist dog whistle. The thin blue line, black and white, upsidedown/backwards ones are the even more extreme folks typically. There’s a slim chance someone with a regular American flag isn’t a nationalist twat.
That’s what pisses me off about the Gadsden flag.
The flag has been described as the “most popular symbol of the American revolution”. Its design proclaims an assertive warning of vigilance and willingness to act in defense against coercion. This has led it to be associated with the ideas of individualism and liberty.
These are some of the ideals that I favor and stand behind. But now the right wing loonies have corrupted it and use it for their own purposes.
Ya, that one always cracks me up because it’s the folks bootlicking the police state and our corporate overlords having it displayed.
There’s a slim chance someone with a regular American flag isn’t a nationalist twat.
Y’all should really reclaim that. It’s a good flag, and it’s supposed to mean some things that are actually quite nice.
It’s already too late at this point. Can’t happen anytime soon. Hell, I’m a approaching middle age white guy living in the south, I cant do a buzzcut without getting assuming looks. Wearing or sporting an American flag gets all the wrong kind of attention. I really don’t want to deal with it. Frightening minorities and getting thumbs up/nods from racists isn’t really my thing.
Yall need to get a pride american flag. That would let you take it back.
That or fly both at once.
Definitely fly both at once, or overlay them tastefully or something, instead of going full pride-version.
Mutilating the country’s flag in order to show your “patriotism”, as certain groups do, is… Certainly an interesting symbolic choice.
Wearing or sporting an American flag gets all the wrong kind of attention. I really don’t want to deal with it. Frightening minorities and getting thumbs up/nods from racists isn’t really my thing.
Then stick it next to a rainbow flag, or a Statue of Liberty, or a peace sign, or the date of the Emancipation Proclamation, or any of the symbols that y’all actually do still have for actual freedom.
It’s all about the messaging. Make it clear: “This is the flag of the nation, for everybody in the nation, and anyone who flies a mutilated version of it is a coward.”
Upside down flag means distress, need to be saved or rescued. Co-opted by idiots saying the nation as a whole is in trouble.
Backwards is actually a normal, proper way to display it if it’s on someone’s right shoulder or the right side of a vehicle. It’s as it would be were it blowing in the wind as the car or person moves forward.
But of course, so few people that put the flag on anything know even the basics of the flag code. Any change to it is disrespectful, such as the blue line. Making clothes out of it is disrespectful. Hell, I had a neighbor who painted it on the bed of his vehicle trailer. He was literally driving and parking vehicles on top of the flag.
AFAIK, the monochrome flag comes from military uniforms, a lot of them have adopted flag patches in monochrome tans and greens to better match the camo of their uniforms. Police have been adopting more “tactical” military style uniforms in black, so black monochrome flags match that color scheme.
You may also notice that some of them have the flag backwards with the stars on the right, that’s another styling cue from the military. The flag patches on uniform shoulders are in that orientation, it’s mean to evoke the image of the flag streaming behind them as they walk.
As far as why civilians display these symbols, there’s probably a few reasons, but it’s probably pretty safe to say that most of them would identify themselves as being patriotic to some extent or another and want to show support for the police and/or military or at least think that the tactical look is cool.
The black version probably caught on mostly because it looks cool and kind of works with whatever color gear or vehicle you want to slap it on, tans and greens and such don’t necessarily go with everything quite so well.
You’ll often see these black flags with a single colored stripe, this originates from the nickname for the police “the thin blue line” (blue because police in the US traditionally usually had blue uniforms) though pretty much every vaguely public-safety/military/law enforcement has their own colored line these days- red for fire, green for military, forest green for park rangers, yellow for tow truck drivers etc.
You could probably write a book about what these lines are meant to represent, how they’re interpreted by different groups, etc. Often they’re meant to represent something like “the line between order and chaos”
Thanks to the blue lives matter response to the black lives matter movement, this sort of imagery has also become very associated with conservative politics
You may occasionally see the flag being flown upside-down. This originated as a distress signal, and is basically people saying that they think the nation is trouble.
I’ve tried to keep this mostly very matter-of-fact and not go off on my personal thought on these types of symbols and the people that display them, and kept it to just where these symbols come from. I’m going to leave my personal opinions with just a simple statement that these symbols tend to be used disproportionatly by the right wing, and I do not particularly like the symbols, what they represent, and how they are used.
A lot of the time it’s just an attempt to be patriotic and not fuck up the color scheme of the vehicle.
There it is, the occam’s razor explanation.
Not everything is political guys. Shitting on confederate battle flags, nazi flags etc? No problem fuck those guys. Flying thin line flags? Cringe, and objections are understandable.
But just an ordinary flag of the country they live in with no crazy message or change other than a neutral color scheme to keep some aesthetics? Leave em be.
It’s so tiresome how much people on Lemmy just want to shit on anyone and anything that vaguely seems like it’s pro-America stuff. It’s exhausting.
This is what annoys me, a lot of these replies act like there’s a hidden agenda to everything. Saying things like, “They must support white supremacy! It’s a racist dog whistle! They’re a Trump supporter”. Their assessments never have any nuance whatsoever: if you put that on your car, you’re all of the above.
They have such a condescending attitude and a superiority complex towards anyone who disagrees with them. They just can’t help but build this fictional stereotype about people they don’t like to vilify them.
It’s not wrong to like the American flag. While I’d never put it on my car, I know people who do, and they don’t have a single mean bone in their body.
This is what annoys me, a lot of these replies act like there’s a hidden agenda to everything. Saying things like, “They must support white supremacy! It’s a racist dog whistle! They’re a Trump supporter”. Their assessments never have any nuance whatsoever: if you put that on your car, you’re all of the above.
That’s the whole point of a dog whistle, to hide the true meaning behind innocuous symbols and phrases. And if you’re someone who would be targeted by the hate groups using these dog whistles, it pays to be aware of them.
You’re right, there should be nuance, because there are people who use these symbols without it being a dog whistle. But to dismiss any concerns is dangerous, and exactly what the hate groups want.
Maybe they just like the American flag. There doesn’t always have to be a hidden meaning behind it.
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Patriotic edge-lord. I’m not sure what they believe or stand for, but they are edgy about it.
In my experience, it’s mostly a vet/military thing. Rednecks fly the actual confederate battle flag. It could be cop, but they typically fly the thin blue line flag. Subdued/monochrome flags are pretty popular accesories in military and military adjacent communities. If you check out “Grunt Style” you’ll probably see dozens. And enlisted (grunts in particular) tend to skew less educated and are more entrenched in toxic ideals of masculinity, so it’s no surprise to see them acting like fools on the road.
They think having flag themed everything is patriotic while having never actually read the flag code to know that it isn’t.
weird trump shit brother. i’ve noticed much of those flags are also the back the blue shit flags too (blue lives matter tomfoolery)
It has to match their Punisher sticker duh
It means they’re a nationalist twat. Simple question, not worth this much thought.
