Every country is represented by a flag, and that flag has different meanings. Those flags are symbols of that country and those symbols have different meanings to different people.
All around us we see the same symbols used throughout history differently. The Nazi swastika is also a symbol in Hinduism.
Poseidon’s trident is also a symbol of the devil’s pitchfork.
Jack o Lanterns which many countries associate as a staple for Halloween have a more dark and creepy origin. The Celtic people and other northern European countries carved faces of their enemies in vegetables or round fruit.
Just to name a few.
But what about the flag of a country? Can a country’s flag have different meanings for its people?
Some, for instance, may see a flag and think and feel a surge of patriotism, while others may feel betrayed and discriminated against. Those that feel patriotism may be blind to the injustices that that country has enacted upon certain people of race and gender, while those that feel that discrimination may only look at the bad things in the country’s history instead of the good in the country as well.
*cough, cough*
Neither is right nor wrong.
Every person has his or her own reasons to love or hate their country. But, does that mean that they should leave their home and find another country? NO! Every country has its problems and the people must find a way to change the things that do not work but keep the things that do.
When someone looks at symbols, different emotions can be brought up.
Once used as a battle flag for a regiment, the Confederate flag is now notorious for slavery and white supremacy. Those that use this flag, claim that it is for southern pride but that pride is enthralled by racism, white supremacy, and persecution.
Personally, disappointment comes to mind when looking at my country’s flag. Throughout the history of this country, discrimination, theft, and violence have raged on with little disregard for the people that live in this country. Even to this day, many people believe that they understand what the founders wanted and what they intended. For f**k’s sake, not a single person is going to know what the founders wanted, intended, or would do in today’s society.
Even a symbol, such as this cross, that is a symbol of goodness, hopefulness, and love can be a symbol of evil, despair, and death. There are those that believe that a country should be governed by a single Religion such as Christianity because they believe that their faith will be the best for the country.
But to some, this religion, this belief is full of hatred and discrimination. Many have died in times past in the name of this religion and its beliefs, and many continue to die for the sake of their religion.
Symbols are powerful tools that can be used and displayed to represent pride, become an icon for a cause, or become a powerful and/or fearful image.
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Thanks for reading.
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