2y ago

Colorado governor defends 'Don't Tread on Me' flag after student told to remove patch

www.usatoday.com

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/4249593

Democratic Gov. Jared Polis called the Gadsden flag 'a proud symbol of the American revolution' after a a Colorado student was told to remove a patch of the "Don't Tread on Me" flag from his backpack.

135 comments

It sucks that the symbol is associated with assholes. I'm pretty left, but I've always liked the Don't Tread on Me flag.. The average person displaying this flag treads all over people's rights constantly, though.
- The emphasis is on "Me"
  
  Yeah. It's not an expression of mutual defense, it's an expression of self defense only.
  It doesn't say "Don't tread on my neighbor."
  It doesn't say "I won't tread on you." Snakes conveniently don't wear boots.
  Hell, it doesn't even say "I'll stick up for my neighbor after they defend themselves from you."
  
  One must still not forget that their liberties do not trump the liberties of others. Freedom is something we enjoy as a collective. If there is inequality in this then the collective is no longer free, but is, instead, oppressive.
  In short, the Gadsden flag is not about one being free to trample on the rights of others, but, instead, upholding the freedoms of the collective by respecting the liberties of each unique individual. Inequality in freedom is oppression.
- I really wish there was a campaign to take back the flag before it goes the way of the swastika. Although, Gadsen himself was a terrible racist and heavily involved in the slave trade, so might be tough to claim the flag with his name attached to it.
  
  The fact that you have stated this shows that there is a grassroots desire for this movement. If you truly wish to restore the flag -- as I do -- then you mustn't wait for someone else to do it for you, but, instead, you should take action yourself; stand up for what you believe in.
- The American flag is also at risk of being overtaken by insurrectionists and other morons. Time to take the American flag back from these fools.
  
  Same in Canada. Traditionally we aren't as flag waving as our southern cousins unless its Canada day or international sporting events but the anti-jab and the Convoy types took over the Canadian flag to be displayed with F*ck Trudeau and Trump flags to make displaying the Canada flag mean you're with them.
  Canada does have a tradition of voting governments out, not in, so some of it is understandable when many blame their personal woes on the current government of the day but this was beyond the usual BS.
- I totally feel this way too. Because of the dukes of hazard even the confederate flag did not seem to bad back when the kkk seemed dead and you would think no one would be actually proud of what the flag represented but then the world turned upsidedown.
  
  Yeah I get it. Seemed like the “confederate flag“ was just a southern pride post civil war thing. Hell the damn flag wasn’t even really part of the confederacy and was just a battle flag. The stars and bars, which was more of a flag of the confederacy, like like a cross between and early Tennessean flag and the original flag of the US.
  But somewhere along the way it came to symbolize racist pieces of shit that wanted slavery to return.
- Well at least you're in good company. The swastika/whirling log is noted as one of the oldest complex symbols in use by human cultures. 10s of thousands of years as a symbol of good tidings in the Americas/Europe/Asia. And 20 to 30 years in the hands of fascist bigots tainted it globally for at least the next hundred years.
  
  It's not uncommonly used in Buddhism. I don't see it all over the place, but seeing it is completely unremarkable. Just from anecdotal experience I can still say pretty confidently that nobody gives a fuck.
- It sucks that the symbol is associated with assholes.
  I would suggest rewriting this statement as follows:
  "It sucks that the symbol gets associated with assholes."
  This does, of course, depend on which "assholes" that you are referring to; however, the bottom line is that the Gadsden flag is a symbol that represents ideas of individual liberty, and resistance to authoritarianism. If it gets mistakenly co-opted by individuals that do not share these values, that does not change what the flag fundamentally represents, but, instead, that which it gets associated with.
  I'm pretty left, but I've always liked the Don't Tread on Me flag..
  It depends on how you are defining "left-wing" but I would that the Gadsden flag's symbolism is not mutually exclusive with being "left-wing". At a fundamental level, the Gadsden flag represents ideas of rejecting authoritarianism and supporting individual liberty. So long as one's beliefs align with this, then they can fly the flag without compunction.
  The average person displaying this flag treads all over people's rights constantly, though.
  This statement is pure conjecture.
- Cry cry cry
- I need this sticker on my shitty pickup.
Seems like whatever admin did this just mistook the permission they were given. Kid had a bunch of patches on his bag, some had firearms, school got direction from the district that they could have those removed, told the family, family removed offending patches, and that should've been that. But kid went to school and some busy body saw a patch on his bag and decided that any patch must be offending, so took it too far.
Also, the flag patch was approved, so he can wear it going forward. Unless there some clear pattern with the admin who drove this, seems like whoever manages them just needs to give them a don't be an ass talk and we can move on.
- We really need more of this flag on a rainbow background.
  
  It exists.
- Agreed. The collective can only be so long as each individual contained within it is equally free. Inequalities of individual liberty within the collective begets a fundamentally oppressive structure.
  The Gadsden flag is not opposed to the freedom of the collective; liberty for the individual does not necessitate an oppressive structure, but, instead, the collective can only be free if each individual is equally free.
its so strange how obsessed americans are with flags
- Symbols, Americans are obsessed with symbols and what they represent.
  
  But those symbols are usually empty. Why do you think countries with more heritage don't fervently defend their symbols so much?
- I noticed this in my travels through the Southwestern US. I've never seen so many flags on RVs, offroad vehicles, trailers, homes, trucks, etc.
  The Trump ones must have been a big uptick in new business. I suspect it's displaced sports teams which perhaps the flag companies prefer as there are no trademark royalties?
I've always thought the Gadsden Flag was for the more Libertarian types, the types that aren't fundamentalists pushing anti-LGBTQ+ stuff (but also aren't allies, and are more on the side of letting anti-LGBTQ people deny services and mistreat them as long as the government isn't doing it), but tend to vote Republican because... I guess because Democrats seem to be more controlling in government (or at least don't constantly yell about being small government while infringing on freedoms). I live in Alaska, and I see a lot of that here, the fuck off and let me do my own thing, I don't care what you label yourself as type.
I wouldn't call them hateful by any stretch. If anything, just apathetic about other people's health and safety in favor of their own freedoms. Funny enough, I think they're closest to original Colonists that lived during the revolution, and soon after those governing them saw how untenable that was as a governmental system.
- Wasnt it a regimental flag from more than 200 years ago?
  Anyone who had any real connection to the meaning of that flag has been dead for more than a century.
  Anyone waving that thing around now is either a reenactor, or a poser cosplaying as a tough guy. At this point, much like the Confederate Navy Jack, it has been co-opted to stand for racism and hatred. Either that or J6 was a big Civil war reenactment with terrible planning. "Guys, guys!!! We're supposed to be in MANASSAS! No! Stop seiging the Capitol!"
  
  The Gadsden flag is primarily used as a symbol of Libertarianism -- it encompasses ideas of personal liberty, and individualism. But you are right -- the Gadsden flag made its first appearance in the American Revolutionary War.
  Anyone waving that thing around now is either a reenactor, or a poser cosplaying as a tough guy.
  A "reenactor"? While, yes, the flag was first used in the continental army, nowadyas, it has moved quite far from simply being used as a historical prop.
  At this point, much like the Confederate Navy Jack, it has been co-opted to stand for racism and hatred.
  In my opinion, most people that say that the Gadsden flag represents "racism and hatred" most likely take all their information on the symbol from the fearmongering media.
- and soon after those governing them saw how untenable that was as a governmental system
  Would you mind clarifying what you mean?
Weird crossover
- Colorado Progressives want to ban all right-wing imagery but Liberals are defending it because it has historic roots in the founding of the nation. I thought it was an interesting political story.
  
  Progressives want to ban all right-wing imagery
  Nonsense.
  Have all the right wing imagery you want. It's a free country. Just don't expect to be free from criticism and don't get violent.
  
  No we don't lol. The DToM flag is fine, altho admittedly right wingers and libertarians fly it without understanding it at all.
  The only flags that should be banned are those of enemy powers and traitors that the right wing loves to fly, such as the Nazi flag and the Confederate flag. Those two literally serve no purpose being flown in modern America because 1 was the flag of genocide and the other the flag of traitors and slavery.
  
  You keep saying “progressive” like overzealous school administrators are progressive. How do you know their politics? Maybe they’re undecided voters who are sick of this one kid’s shit.
  
  Liberals are defending it because it has historic roots in the founding of the nation
  The Gadsden Flag is a much more powerful symbol than simply a historic prop. It encompasses ideas of personal liberty, and individualism. It is essentially a symbol of Libertarianism.

135 comments