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British vs American flag: which one is the bigger symbol?

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I noticed since the olympics a lot more non British people wearing the Union flag:

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There was a BBC news report a few months ago on how the Olympics in London made the flag really popular in Cuba
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21082793
 

RedShift

Member
That's because they only know who George Washington was i.e. first American president. Not what he stood for alongside his compatriots prior to it.
Huh? Nah we do.

But outside the US the flag is associated much more with the events of the 20th century when it was already a world power rather than the 18th/19th century.
 

iamblades

Member
St George's Cross > Union Flag >> Stars 'n' Stripes.

The St. Andrews Cross > St. Georges. I actually think the Scottish version of the union flag was better looking. That said the addition of the St Patrick's cross to it fucked the whole thing up, I can never not look at the uneven red lines, it drives my brain crazy.

The modern version of the stars and stripes is a bit too busy as a flag, but the traditional triangular folding for storage is really elegant and it is one of the only flags that would be perfectly recognizable as just that triangle..

The 13 star flag will always be the best looking iteration of the flag(though I kind of prefer the Cowpens flag to the Betsy Ross one), but there have been some really interesting patterns along the years as the stars have been added.

The 26 star version of the great star flag is really beautiful, and the 20, 35, and 48 star flags with the evenly spaced stars are kind of cool as well.
 
Canadian here. Growing up here you see the Union Jack flying everywhere, so it has more personal impact on me than the Stars and Stripes of the US.
 

Prine

Banned
I see British flag as a fashion symbol more frequently than the American flag. Also i think the British flag carries greater weight, a form of finess lacking from the American flag.
 
No, I know that. I also know that the Union Jack is a fusion of English, Scottish and Irish flags. But what are the origins of the colors?

Lost to the mists of time unfortunately. All three crosses (St George, St Andrew and St Patrick) all have religious origins that go all the way back to the classical era and through to the practice of heraldry.

The English flag probably has something to do with this though.

 

Log4Girlz

Member
Lost to the mists of time unfortunately. All three crosses (St George, St Andrew and St Patrick) all have religious origins that go all the way back to the classical era and through to the practice of heraldry.

The English flag probably has something to do with this though.

They don't even know where the hell it came from?
 
What does everything on the Union Jack stand for? Why that amount of stripes in that sequence?

Edit: It's a damn good thing I can read, already answered...
 

Kentpaul

When keepin it real goes wrong. Very, very wrong.
Britain. America is simply a gimmick that will pass soon enough.

The union jack is historic.
 
On a serious note, today is Flag Day in the United States. Our Flag is 236 years old today. The current 50 star variation has been in use since July 4th 1960.
 
D

Deleted member 231381

Unconfirmed Member
Gah, Burgundy! They are the worst in the Europa Universalis games!

Oh god this is so true. France never survives, they always get eaten by the Big Burgundish Blob. I swear to god 95% of my endgames involve a massive Burgundy and a massive Austria slugging it out over Europe's ruins. It instilled a deep hatred of the Austrian and Burgundish flags into me.
 

Miles X

Member
I'm British so naturally would feel a bit douchey wearing anything with a UK flag on. I have a nice top that has a US flag on that isn't outrageous though.
 

RedShift

Member
Why is St. Patrick's Cross crooked in the Union Flag
So you can see when it's upside down. There was some story about a fort that got captured and hung the union flag upside down to alert returning troops they were walking into a trap, and the foreign troops didn't notice.

I think that's the reason anyway.
 

Fritz

Member
So you can see when it's upside down. There was some story about a fort that got captured and hung the union flag upside down to alert returning troops they were walking into a trap, and the foreign troops didn't notice.

I think that's the reason anyway.

Nak, can't be it. The flag looks the same upside down. Would have been a neat reason though.
 

RedShift

Member
Nak, can't be it. The flag looks the same upside down. Would have been a neat reason though.
Nah it doesn't, or at least not always. The thick white line should be on top at the upper left, flip it vertically or horizontally and the thin white line will be.

Edit: basically it has rotational symmetry but not reflective symmetry. I guess back to front would be more appropriate than upside down.
 
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