Would you accept other flags than your nation's on your National Day?

[Compaq]

Each year, around this time, the same debate rises: Is it O.K. to let immigrants wave their own flags on our National Day at May 17.? The Norwegian national day celebrates the agreement of the Norwegian Constitution, which took place in 1814. The Kingdom of Norway wasn't independent until 1905, due to a union with Sweden.

Some people just don't care which flags they see in the parades, "a more colorful celebration" they call it. Some people think we need to include everyone in the celebrations, regardless of nationality, because this day is a festive day. And then you have those who believe that any flag other than the Norwegian flag is inappropriate and wrong. The latter don't think that we should bend the knee to every "integrating policy" that is proposed, and let the Norwegian national day be just that - the Norwegian national day. This does not exclude immigrants from celebrating, of course, they just need to celebrate the the nation with the nation's flag.

Is this a question that you see in your own nation?

 

[runnah]

Having lived in small towns all my life and being small towns it's always been american flags.

 

[sm4him]

Yeah, I'd say "National Day" is about celebrating THAT specific nation, in this case Norway. If you wanna fly the flags of your homeland, maybe having a National Heritage Day would be more appropriate.

Only thing I can really compare it to here is our Independence Day, and I know that I would find it extremely weird to see anything besides American flags flying in the parades.
(Well, except for the fact that I live in the southern US and so the occasional Confederate flag gets thrown in there too, because some people just Cannot. LET. IT. GO. :lmao: )

 

[Derrel]

There's no need to be jingoistic and ethnocentric. A nation is made up of many people, and many are from "foreign" nations. Celebrate some diversity.

 

[pgriz]

Hmmm... I live in a city that shares the island with one that calls itself the world's second largest French-speaking city, within a province that considers itself a nation, within a federation... and there are significant number of recent (as in the past 150-years or so) immigrants, with the result that you can find almost every language in the world being spoken on our streets. On Canada Day, we see mostly Canadian flags (with a smattering of Quebec fleur-de-lys), on St-Jean-Baptiste Day, we see mostly Quebec fleur-de-lys, with a smattering of Canadian flags, on St-Paddy's day we see lots of orange and green, and depending on which "national day" it is, it's Greek flags, or Italian flags, or Jewish flags, or Jamaican flags, or Brazilian flags.... Flag symbols tend to get attached to the backs of cars, so you see someone with the Swiss emblem or the Russian, or Polish, or German, or Haitian, or Belgian... Eh. In one way, it's a false separation. We are all members of the same family, and maybe someday we will act as such.

 

[Benco]

Down here anyone can fly whatever flag they choose, we are free to do so so why not? Mind you anyone choosing to fly the Argentine flag here would be being very unwise.

 

[The_Traveler]

In Washington, DC, the 4th of July Parade is huge and a large part of it are floats from all the immigrant communities in the US.
I don't get any kind of bad feeling from seeing their flag sharing the spotlight; they are here voluntarily and have adopted this country.

A link to gallery

 

[KenC]

If someone is carrying a flag or has the design on their car or clothing, they are just celebrating their heritage and I can't find fault with that. Raising one on a flagpole would be something else. I worked for a UK-based company at one point and they had the US and UK flags in front of the building. The rule, I believe, is that this is legal providing the US flag is higher. These looked the same height to me, although they were probably 80-100 feet up, so I suppose they may have complied technically by having the US flag an unnoticeable couple of inches higher, but it made me uncomfortable.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

new world order is coming anyway

 

[jwbryson1]

new world order is coming anyway

Yep...

 

[Compaq]

I'm one of those who think that 17. May should be restricted to Norwegian flags. This is not meant for celebrating diversity, but celebrating the Constitution, our Nation, and, later one, our Kingdom. Our flag is the symbol of the independent Norway. It would be weird for me if I saw people waving their own flags in the parade. I don't mean they can't show their heritage and be proud of it, there are clothes, pins, or other props that easily do that. The waving of the flag is a salute, a celebration of what the flag represents.

 

[MK3Brent]

I think it's silly anyone would even bother themselves asking the question.
Someone wants to fly a flag with cupcakes on it... let them, it shouldn't concern you. Mind your own business.

 

[jake337]

What if someone was waving both flags together. Showing pride of their nationality alongside their pride for where they live now?

I think of this

http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/Z.../en/blogs/sptusolyexperts/manzano_flags1.jpeg




This one is just for fun:

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/E3m5Cyvg8Ng/0.jpg

 

[jwbryson1]

In the United States we don't have a "National Day," but we have 2 separate similar days known as (1) Flag Day and (2) Independence Day. Flag Day is celebrated on June 14th and Independence Day is celebrated on July 4.

Flag Day commemorates the date of adoption of the flag of the United States. Independence Day commemorates the date of our adoption of the Declaration of Independence which gave us independence from Great Britain.

In terms of Flag Day, I'd say that should be reserved to the American Flag.

In terms of Independence Day, I'd say that's open to about any flag of the home country of a US citizen.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

I think it's silly anyone would even bother themselves asking the question.
Someone wants to fly a flag with cupcakes on it... let them, it shouldn't concern you. Mind your own business.

If its flown during the National day for America, in America, it is his business to comment

Not only that, we still have free speech here