The top flag is the ‘thin blue line’ flag, which promotes the idea that police are the only thing standing between civilization and a murder-happy anarchist dystopia. You’ll generally see this flag and ideology attached to right wing authoritarians.
The lower flag is the Gadsden flag, which features a defensively positioned rattlesnake and the words, “Don’t tread on me.” It was originally a symbol of the colonial independence movement, but the Confederacy used it extensively during the civil war, causing association with the South. It eventually became associated with small government libertarian and anti-authoritarian types in later years, but never lost its association with the Confederacy. More recently, the Republican party started associating themselves with the Gadsden flag both due to their pro-deregulation stance, which they have tried to advertise as them being the party of small government, and as part of The Southern Strategy, an attempt to lure disenfranchised racist voters in the South. As the Republican party as moved further and further to the right, the Gadsden flag has sometimes been used as a neo-fascist symbol. There have been attempts to reappropriate it by anti-authoritarian and anti-fascist groups, however.
The rattlesnake flag is, in my opinion, a flag that had amazing symbolism for what it represented. A defensive rattlesnake gives plenty of warning, and when push comes to shove, will defend itself and its territory. Then, it got picked up by a group of people who act though and Brave, constantly threaten people, then run away or panic at the first sign of push back.
So… Could someone explain to us non-americans?
The top flag is the ‘thin blue line’ flag, which promotes the idea that police are the only thing standing between civilization and a murder-happy anarchist dystopia. You’ll generally see this flag and ideology attached to right wing authoritarians.
The lower flag is the Gadsden flag, which features a defensively positioned rattlesnake and the words, “Don’t tread on me.” It was originally a symbol of the colonial independence movement, but the Confederacy used it extensively during the civil war, causing association with the South. It eventually became associated with small government libertarian and anti-authoritarian types in later years, but never lost its association with the Confederacy. More recently, the Republican party started associating themselves with the Gadsden flag both due to their pro-deregulation stance, which they have tried to advertise as them being the party of small government, and as part of The Southern Strategy, an attempt to lure disenfranchised racist voters in the South. As the Republican party as moved further and further to the right, the Gadsden flag has sometimes been used as a neo-fascist symbol. There have been attempts to reappropriate it by anti-authoritarian and anti-fascist groups, however.
The rattlesnake flag is, in my opinion, a flag that had amazing symbolism for what it represented. A defensive rattlesnake gives plenty of warning, and when push comes to shove, will defend itself and its territory. Then, it got picked up by a group of people who act though and Brave, constantly threaten people, then run away or panic at the first sign of push back.
Yeah they should get a new flag with an angry lemming on it, extremely aggressive but not really a threat, and basically just irritating.