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The Forum > Article Comments > Flames of protest should be seen from more than one viewpoint > Comments

Flames of protest should be seen from more than one viewpoint : Comments

By Helen Irving, published 4/9/2006

To make flag-burning against the law would be to dilute the freedoms it represents.

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Scout...

"The reason I ask is that in many of your posts you talk about fighting and not in that christian soldiers sort of way - you seem to want to provoke and I don't see where this fits in with your christianity."

Probably explained by moments of temporary insanity :) or.. a combination of high testosterone from a heavy workout the day before plus an eye-popping news article about radical muslims calling out for the death of those who insult their prophet....

hey.. a bit of trivia.. I've got a black eye and a briused chest at the moment. I caught a whack on the face and a good front kick to the body at the gym during free sparring the other night.

We have these 'free sparring' times at the end of the hour, and by this time, me being 58 almost and them being like 20... err.. I've run out of steam after the first round of sparring. Thereafter I become the human punching bag for the next 2 rounds and I strongly suspect that some of my sparring partners were abused by their fathers based on how hard they hit me during 'light' sparring. Now I have the bruises to prove it.:)

Drunken men wrapped in the flag and hunting down anyone of 'wog/leb' appearance was appalling. Fortunately the flag does not stand for that behavior, but being an inaminate object, it is capable of misuse also.
cheers
Posted by BOAZ_David, Friday, 8 September 2006 9:03:33 PM
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If you believe in the freedom of burning the flag, go stand in the centre of Beruit and set fire to the Hezbollah flag and while you have any life left in you, burn the Lebanese flag also.
After all, it is just a bit of fun. Isn't it?
Posted by mickijo, Saturday, 9 September 2006 3:45:08 PM
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David B., may I ask again how you decide what the flag does and does not stand for? If all it does is signify one country rather than another (as an alternative, say, to a sign saying 'Australia'), then it does not stand for very much, and equally, burning it is not saying anything significant either.

You are properly repelled by the symbolism adopted by the Cronulla first mob, that the flag symbolises white supremacy. If a heavy majority of Australians agreed with the mob view, would you not reject the flag? Or do you think that its symbolism is independent of what people think it symbolises?

More importantly, perhaps, what is it that you care so much about, that you would not allow a person to dramatically declare their contempt for it?
Posted by ozbib, Saturday, 9 September 2006 11:14:52 PM
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Dear Ozbib

The flag has a number of elements.

The Union Jack, which comprises elements of the Irish,Scottish and English flags. (Not Welsh, as it had been annexed by England)

These countries/Races made up the vast majority of early Australians, and Australia was formed by an Act of the British (UK) parliament if I'm not mistaken.

Then there is the Southern Cross. This alludes to our geographical context, and the 2 together link inextricably the History of the races/countries signified by the Union Jack with the Location.

To burn the flag, is to spit on/burn all the above. It is symbolically 'killing' the country. This is a far more serious thing than protesting an act by a member of parliament.

Flags by nature, represent the distillation of what a country is. (or try to) To have contempt for the flag, is to have contempt for the country and its history.

Contempt is a serious thing. Contempt of court will land you behind bars. How much more the flag ?

Having contempt for Government, Ministers, The Church, The Prime Minister is all acceptable. The chance are, they might have done 'contemptable' things.

Your point about the flag symbolizing 'White Supremacy' is well taken. But there is a positive and a negative side to that question.
The positive side would view 'supremacy' more in terms of 'pre-eminence by numbers' rather than a qualitative/superiority thing.
Supremacy and Superiority are not the same.

The negative side would sadly seek to proclaim a 'qualitative' superiority which is racist in the worst meaning of the term.

Many of the more rowdy and violent protesters were fuelled by Alchohol, and hence their 'underlying philosophy' of the protest would have been stumbling and blurry at best.

I think that the mis-use of the flag to promote racial superiority themes should also be illegal, but to display, wrap ones-self in it, with a reasoned and non racist defense for this act, is not just ok, it is helpful and educational.
Posted by BOAZ_David, Monday, 11 September 2006 9:58:16 AM
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I suggest we have a new "the government party in power flag ", maybe an Aussi flag of a different colour .We could burn away to our heart's desire then without a conscience.
It is probably time we had a new distinctive national flag anyway.
Posted by kartiya, Tuesday, 12 September 2006 11:54:32 PM
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