Politics & Government Australia Flag Change

[Tigerdrive]

Let the booting begin!

 

[Wallaby]

We should never change the flag. We are subjects of her Majesty the Queen, therefore we should treat the flag with respect it desrves. People have died for this flag, so people should show some respect to our fallen soldiers.

Oh, fer chrissakes, no one (in Australia) ever dies for a flag. It's a pretty design on a bit of cloth. It has some meaning. But in itself, it has no value.

Soldiers die because they are fighting for a society, and rights they believe in. Or more often, because it's a job and they get told to go and fight.

None of the soldiers in WW1 or WW2 fought under the Australian Flag - it wasn't our official flag until 1954.

Personally, I don't really care much either way. The Australian Flag symbolises Australia, because it is the Australian Flag. At the time it was designed, the Union Jack and the Southern Cross were fashionable, so they got in. Fine. The Union jack doesn't symbolise Australia. The Southern Cross doesn't symbolise Australia (it can be seen at night by over 70% of the world's population). Put them together in a particular way, and bingo! the Australian Flag!

We changed the national Anthem in the 1970s - it didn't make a lot of difference. Green and Gold were only proclaimed as our 'National Colours' in 1984, mostly because our sporting teams were wearing those colours (and controversially, we didn't wear Green and Gold suits and blazers in the commonwealth games opening ceremony in 1982 - shock, horror).

The Aboriginal flag design is owned privately, and cannot be used by individuals or commersial organisations without permission of it's owner. The designer has also objected to it's inclusion in designs for future flags, saying it stands on it's own, and should not be used as an adjunct to any other thing. It is purely the flag of the aboriginal peoples of Australia.

Basically, if we choose to change now, we'll be having the same argument in 30 years time, when fashions change, we realise we don't own the Southern Cross, and that the flag designed in the early 2000s 'Doesn't truly reflect out modern, virtual-reality, multi-integrated lifestyle'.

 

[Exposure]

A flag should be a symbol that unties all. The only thing that the current flag does is give racist bogan australians a symbol.

Get rid of it asap or let the bogans reclaim their shitty union jack and southern cross while we celebrate a new flag that represents all australians.

 

[Andre]

A flag should be a symbol that unties all.

So if I suggested this to rectify the horrible mess of our current flag you'd be there with a pitchfork objecting?

 

[Barry_Badrinath]

A flag should be a symbol that unties all. The only thing that the current flag does is give racist bogan australians a symbol.

Get rid of it asap or let the bogans reclaim their shitty union jack and southern cross while we celebrate a new flag that represents all australians.

So then the bogans get the new symbol tatooed on them and it becomes a new symbol for racism in Australia.

 

[Jose Cruzeiro]

So then the bogans get the new symbol tatooed on them and it becomes a new symbol for racism in Australia.

The use of the flag by 'Aussie pride' bogans as a tool of racial division only has an impact because of the British symbolism in the flag, which in this context suggests that if you're not a white British desendant you're not a 'real Aussie'. It's nothing short of disgusting and it goes against everything that Australia should stand for these days. I'm not saying that the Australian flag is an inherently racist symbol, but it has definitely been exploited and subsequently tarnished by a few w***ers in our society.

A new flag that represents everyone equally would never have the same divisive power. In fact, the introduction of a new flag would probably only heighten the use of the current Australian flag as a racist symbol, similar to the way the U.S. Confederate flag is now used.

 

[CLUBMEDhurst]

Well said, Jose!

 

[The_Reaper]

The use of the flag by 'Aussie pride' bogans as a tool of racial division only has an impact because of the British symbolism in the flag, which in this context suggests that if you're not a white British desendant you're not a 'real Aussie'. It's nothing short of disgusting and it goes against everything that Australia should stand for these days. I'm not saying that the Australian flag is an inherently racist symbol, but it has definitely been exploited and subsequently tarnished by a few w***ers in our society.

A new flag that represents everyone equally would never have the same divisive power. In fact, the introduction of a new flag would probably only heighten the use of the current Australian flag as a racist symbol, similar to the way the U.S. Confederate flag is now used.

It doesn't in Fiji...

Also pretty much nobody uses the Union Jack to mean any of those things (except in Ireland and Old Firm derbies).

 

[Jose Cruzeiro]

It doesn't in Fiji...

Also pretty much nobody uses the Union Jack to mean any of those things (except in Ireland and Old Firm derbies).

I'm not saying that the Union Jack is an inherently racist symbol. It's not.

I'm saying that in the context of Australia it has been used as a divisive symbol by SOME people, and this use has been somewhat effective because the design of the flag can be easily aligned (or interpreted) with what SOME people think it means to be a 'real Australian' (i.e. 'real Aussies' are Brit decendants and the flag reflects this).

In a different social/cultural climate this may not be the case. But in our society, it sadly has occured.

 

[musha_13]

I hate the idea that solider's died for our flag, they didn't - they died for what it represents. Besides, the flag has only been our national flag since 1953 - the Vietnam War and the current Iraq/Afghanistan are the only ones where our current flag has been represented.

This page sums up my thoughts - http://www.ausflag.com.au/flag_should_change.asp

 

[Barry_Badrinath]

The use of the flag by 'Aussie pride' bogans as a tool of racial division only has an impact because of the British symbolism in the flag, which in this context suggests that if you're not a white British desendant you're not a 'real Aussie'. It's nothing short of disgusting and it goes against everything that Australia should stand for these days. I'm not saying that the Australian flag is an inherently racist symbol, but it has definitely been exploited and subsequently tarnished by a few w***ers in our society.

A new flag that represents everyone equally would never have the same divisive power. In fact, the introduction of a new flag would probably only heighten the use of the current Australian flag as a racist symbol, similar to the way the U.S. Confederate flag is now used.

Sorry, I was refering more to the southern cross.

 

[Dont be a lemon]

It doesn't in Fiji...

Fiji is a small country (less than 900,000) with a somewhat divided society between the Indigenous Fijians and the Indian Fijians (whose ancestors arrived via British imperialism).

I daresay if it was up to the Indigenous Fijians the flag would be altered.

 

[morri]

I like the Australian flag as it is. Looks pretty.
I you don't want the union flag then just kick that, but don't be surprised if you suddenly need a visa for the UK...