I would be baffled by Americans' love of their flag (and the US generally)
were it not so fucking sinister.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Tue 16 Nov 2010, 13:14, 2 replies)

I suppose in a country
Which in effect is 50 completely different countries all stuck together, populated by immigrants (for the most part) from all over the world, they hold dear the only thing that they truly have in common, as a collective form of national identity.

(Goddamn!)
(Sir Tainley Barking Ezekiel 23:20, Tue 16 Nov 2010, 17:10, closed)

hmmm....
there are several other multicultural countries in the world, that don't seem to be so... jingoistic. The merkins are a puzzling breed. That level of patriotic fervour is usually seen only in much smaller countries who need something to be proud about. It's like merka has a small cock or something.
( Sextant goes to him is emotionally erect, on this day, Wed 17 Nov 2010, 15:17, closed)

Not just the flag,..
When I was a wee nipper I was forced to endure three years at the hands of the American "education" system, before my parents saw sense and beat a hasty retreat back to a civilised country.

Every morning, without fail, we had to recite both the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem, like so many lobotomised sheep. Even me, despite the fact that I wasn't an American citizen. When my parents found out they went barmy and protested to the Principal (less-civilised version of a Headmaster) that this was simply not on. Faced with the ire of two parents who were In The Right, the Principal backed down on the Pledge of Allegiance. From that day forth, I stood with the rest of the class, as a mark of respect for the idiotic beliefs on display, but didn't have to robotically recite "Ipledgeallegiancetotheflagoftheunitedstatesofamericaandtotherepublicforwhichitstandsonenationundergodindivisiblewithlibertyandjusticeforthosewhocanaffordthelawyersfees".

Good grief, even thirty years later I can still remember the words. I guess brainwashing really does work.
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Tue 16 Nov 2010, 18:13, closed)