U.S. Flag Upside Down A Sign Of Distress

Flying the U.S. flag upside down is a sign of distress, and should not be done for any other purpose.  USFlag.org lists some Flag Etiquette on its website.

Some time ago, I did a post on this blog about a high school in California that flew a Mexican flag above the U.S. flag.  This is a big no-no and is upsetting enough, however, the U.S. flag was also upside down.  This was done to be intentionally disrespectful during the so-called “day of protest” staged by activists on behalf of immigrants who don’t seem to know how to apply for entry to the U.S. legally.  In the case of the school, a student was responsible and received disciplinary action.

More recently, some other political activists have taken to flying the U.S. flag upside down as a form of protest.  The Huffington Post is reporting that the Reverend Michael Pfleger is flying a flag upside down at his parish in protest of gun violence in his neighborhood.  Father Pfleger was a regular guest speaker at President Obama’s former church in Chicago.

Not to be outdone, activists on the other end of the political spectrum are flying the flag upside down as well.  They view the current status of the nation as being in distress, and deem the upside down flag as appropriate.  (I do not agree with this view on flag use in protests.)  A couple in North Carolina was reportedly assaulted by a police officer for flying a flag upside down, and had an article posted about them on prisonplanet.com.

Activists admittedly get lots of attention for inverting Old Glory, but I personally find the tactic to be offensive.  Some military veterans have even been caught doing it at various protest marches.  While it certainly makes a strong statement, its offensive nature should make it a taboo that protesters should avoid using.

National symbols carry significance that border on religious symbols for many in our country.  We honor the flag with color guards in parades.  On the battlefield, servicemen carry unit colors as an honor.

Most military veterans would never fly a flag upside down unless they are in some type of life and death type of distress.  Like the boy crying wolf, its inappropriate use as a protest symbol takes away from its original meaning.

A friend of mine in Sunnyside recently told me of a neighbor that was flying a flag upside down around the time of July 4th.  I have not personally seen this flag, but would hope that they have rectified this situation.  If you do fly a flag upside down in town, do not be surprised if I come knocking at your door to ask why, and to also politely ask you to fix it.

In many ways I do consider our country to be in distress.  However, flying the flag upside down is not an acceptable way to make that kind of statement.