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Flag flown upside down as sign of distress outside of US State Department building today
(lemmy.world)
this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2025
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Wasn't the upside down us flag thing used by j6'ers? Are the line workers taking it back as the symbol of a stolen country for themselves, or is this Musk and crew indicating we're fucked?
It's a sign of distress.
They were distressed, but it's only because they're sore losers and couldn't cope with Trump losing.
This is actual distress, it's appropriate this time.
Off-topic:
My impression is the most folks who voted for Trump did so because they genuinely, honestly believed that he is really and truly and antiestablishment rebel… Who is genuinely trying to help the working poor.
Which they are [working poor.] (and, goes w/o saying, were hoodwinked by said ConMan… Just like all those retirees who voted for Ronald Reagan… And then were shocked and pissed when he immediately cut their Social Security.)
In short,… Please don’t blame cult victims who've been deceived by s/o they misperceive as an authentic, charismatic individual.
I could say the same thing about my parents, who (still) strongly support(ed) Biden, despite being equally strongly opposed to things he & his cronies did.
They believed the lies.
Its nothing exclusive to J6. Its an international sign that an insurrection or coup has occurred or is occurring.
Not quite, it's an international sign that a vessel is in distress.
Then mostly right wing lunatics co-opted it to mean that our country is in distress.
Which they co-opted from protesters in the 60's, rallying against the Vietnam war, which they co-opted from the Revolutionary war, where (allegedly, much harder to source), the revolutionaries also flew the Union Jack inverted. Its history to mean insurrection in the US is as old as the US.
Its been used in many other instances internationally, and yes, also at sea with a much deeper history to signal distress. Regardless, the pedantry is both technically and figuratively misplaced.
If they did, I assume a half dozen vexillology enthusiasts with good eyesight got very concerned.
How could they tell?
The flag isn’t symmetrical, which is where the orginial flying the flag upside down comes from. It’s subtle enough pirates wont notice but an experienced British naval officer will and come rescue you.
Ahh, I didn't know about that historical context. Thanks!
How does that work for a ship from a country like Cuba?
Do they hang it backward? I.e. With the red arrow pointing toward the pole?
What about Japan?
I could be mistaken, but I think that was a consideration when designing the stars and stripes. The colors and lack of symmetry make it easy to see its orientation from a distance.
It has been used by punk bands and Anarchists waaay before that