all 15 comments

[–]MilkTea 13 insightful - 1 fun13 insightful - 0 fun14 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I never really felt connected to the flags, but that could be due to the fact that I'm in my early 20s and grew up mainly seeing corporations slapping rainbows on their merch, and taking it all down once pride month is over. So I only see dollar signs when I look at pride flags. But not only that, we now have the "queers" trying to claim the rainbow pride flag for themselves and change the original design and meaning of the flag.

I guess I would say that I'm more on board with flags when they're revolutionary?

I agree.

[–]OPPRESSED_REPTILIANIntersex male | GNC | Don't call me "a gay", "twink" or "queen" 8 insightful - 2 fun8 insightful - 1 fun9 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

I'm against them. In my eyes, they stand for narcissism and privilege. Only people who are bored & have nothing better to do than make an identity out of something trivial, or something that a lot of us struggle with, take "pride" in plastering their special "flag colors" everywhere. I don't believe they were ever "revolutionary," I thought that they were cheesy at best. But now? It's blatantly narcissistic. Pieces of colored cloth - most likely made by underpaid workers and/or children - do not help people who are truly suffering. They are nothing but accessories of people who are privileged & simply pretend to be "oppressed" because they want attention.

[–]PeakingPeachEaterfemale♀ | detrans🦎 | eater of peaches 🍑 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

My views on the flag...flip-flopped quite a bit. Went from hating it, to loving it, to being neutral.

I like that I can use those colours to subtly show I'm bi without having to say anything but....The LGBTQIA+™ are really just a company trying to sell out merch. In history, they added the "T" to LGB because the LGB started to gain rights, so they wanted to find another "oppressed"(buzzword, woops) group to make more money have another "cause" or reason to keep going. In other words, more made-up sexualities, is more "flags" which is more merch, which is more profit for them.

And... Personally, I wouldn't ever buy or own a "sexuality flag" it seems rather odd. That'd be like buying a flag that represents blue eyes or curly hair. It's just strange.

So really, I don't care or mind others using the flag, it's just design, but I don't find myself using that (anymore--as a flair) to represent myself.

[–]slushpilot 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

At some point, flags stop being a unifying symbol, and start becoming divisive and tribal.

If there is one rainbow flag to represent a spectrum of differences, then why go on to create different flags?

[–]WildwoodFlower 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

I like the rainbow flag. To me, it signals that I am in a safe place. But the rest of those flags are meaningless to me. I have trouble remembering which one is which.

[–]PeakingPeachEaterfemale♀ | detrans🦎 | eater of peaches 🍑 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

To me, it signals that I am in a safe place.

Huh, I hadn't thought about that. I noticed on google maps, for example, they use the rainbow flag and say "LGBTQ-Friendly 🏳️‍🌈". I guess the flag has a time and place. Plus, out of all the flags, Gilbert's flag makes the most sense.

Slightly off topic but I noticed on the emojis for both Android and Apple only have the rainbow flag and the trans flag. Interesting that they didn't add any of the other 100s of flags. They also seemed to have added a "gender-neutral" emoji icon as well.

[–]WildwoodFlower 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

I pay attention to flags when I drive through different areas, especially if it's a place where I am thinking about buying a home. Rainbow flags are a good sign. If I don't see any rainbow flags, I wonder if I could feel truly at home in that place. And if I see a lot of right wing flags (Trump, Don't Tread On Me, weird variations on the American flag), then I know I don't belong there.

[–]hetisachoice 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

At this point, I feel safer with Trump flags than rainbow ones.

[–]WildwoodFlower 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Not me. I didn't want to be around those people before January 6th. Then after they tried to violently overthrow the government, I really don't want to be around them.

[–]hetisachoice 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

After all the governments the US has violently tried to overthrow? After all the native tribes they displaced?

[–]WildwoodFlower 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

And those white nationalists who stormed the Capitol on January 6th would bring back the absolute worst of those atrocities and take them to the next level.

[–]hetisachoice 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

They are not "white nationalists." They are FREEDOM FIGHTERS. They are heroes. They are patriots. They are minutemen and minutewomen. And they will win.

[–]Destresse🇨🇵 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I agree with you. The rainbow flag has lost its meaning the moment it stopped being revolutionary. Everyone likes rainbow now, it feels like half of the Twitter population has a rainbow flag in their name. I'm conflicted. On the one hand, it's a useful symbol to communicate an information about myself I wouldn't otherwise say, and on the other, I don't want to associate myself with the "LGBT" community of today.

[–]deliciousdogfoodmy name isnt a puppyplay reference i swear 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I'd fly a flag if it meant something and there was a reason to fly it. Which disqualifies 95% of flags that have survived to the modern world. And that 5% is basically just country flags.

[–]MarkJeffersonTight defenses and we draw the line 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Size doesn't matter. I think flags are meant to be as big and as small as you want(providing you can still see the details). I think it's more important whether there is a consensus in the community of what flag should be used for what, otherwise you will have confusion and indecision.

I don't think a flag needs to be revolutionary or counter-culture, as long as it has a specific purpose to the user that is still relevant. Same with the symbols. They are less in your face, but they would be equally vestigial if there was no use for them. Which you pick comes down to personal aesthetic preference. Whether your flags and/or symbols get co-opted by another movement and used by trenders or corporations who change their underlying meaning and goals, is somewhat more important. In that sense, Gilbert Baker is right about flags being used as colourful, iconic propaganda to claim "territory". It applies to pride flags like National flags.

The original Gilbert Baker flag is nice. Beats the 6 stripe imo.

Personally, I wouldn't refrain from using a flag/symbol/etc. just because something like this happens. If it's as much of a fad as some say, then it will last like the dust in the air after a stampede. Just try not to get trampled in the meantime.