Not to be political but.THIS IS WRONG

[tonyb]

I wear flag themed socks.Flag themed clothing shows patriotism,proud to be an American.I was once a young liberal.Served two tours in Vietnam,came home and was treated like a war criminal.Spent years and years ashamed of being a Veteran.After much therapy,I now am proud of my service and those who also served.I am a member of a rifle team who does full blown military funerals,and a flag ceremony.I have gained a huge respect for the proper treatment of a flag.I love the people who were like me treated like crap,and I despise being told "thanks for your service".I was injured in Vietnam physically and mentally.I have much anger.Dont take it personal when I lash out.

Great. Thanks for the explanation, and your candor. Considering your circumstances, your feelings are understandable.

 

[gtdean48]

Don't mind patriotic socks, pants, panties, whatever...& I agree that the photo is well done except for using an apparently well-used flag. Probably have less issue if it looked like it was just bought for the shoot. Once it is flown & somebody who served like Michaelshane saw it flying, possibly saluted, pledged allegiance to it, etc. then it deserves proper treatment & retirement.

 

[tonyb]

I once bought a flag that had draped the coffin of a friend's father. Yes, I bought the flag from the friend, to whom it was presented after it had served its funereal purpose.

And yes, he sold the flag that had adorned his father's coffin.

Tasteless? Sure was. But I bought it because I knew that if I didn't somebody else would. At least I would give it a good home. (Alas, it didn't turn out that way, but that's a story for another day.) I also bought a few pocketknives that had belonged to the old guy, for the same reason. (One of those knives is in my pants pocket at present, and the fellow who had owned it died more than 20 years ago.)

Moral of this story? Some people just don't choose their offspring very well.

 

[Slacker Drummer]

...That flag is being disrespected,and so is everyone who served in the military.

The fact that we can burn our flag, walk on it, etc. is something that many of us seem to take for granted. People in some countries lose their lives for much less. The freedom to do those things is what our military fights for and that is SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than the flag itself. I used to work at the United States Senate and I am sick to death of the groundswell of support every time a flag-burning amendment comes before Congress. FREEDOM. That's what's important. And WITHOUT IT, the flag ain't worth ****. When you start to make the argument about the flag itself, you lose sight of the real things that make this country great. The minute you advocate taking away any bit of that freedom (whether or not the act is in poor taste) THEN you have disrespected everyone who served in the military.

Just my two cents worth.

 

[tonyb]

No argument out of me, Kenneth, with this little exception: A person can be angered/distressed/outraged/whatever over what he sees as disrespect for the flag and all it stands for WITHOUT arguing for the illegality of such treatment of the national colors. I'd prefer people not put out in front of God and everybody certain words I see too frequently on bumper stickers and hear uttered in mixed company these days (the "F" word is apparently not so taboo anymore), but i would never advocate for criminalizing coarse language. Of course I wouldn't.

Part of living in a society such as ours is hearing and seeing things we would rather we didn't.

Oh, are you a drum corps guy?

 

[HudsonHawk]

The minute you advocate taking away any bit of that freedom (whether or not the act is in poor taste) THEN you have disrespected everyone who served in the military.

Just my two cents worth.

I don't think anyone has advocated that freedom should be restricted, only pointing out that it is indeed in poor taste and should be discouraged.

 

[Slacker Drummer]

I don't think anyone has advocated that freedom should be restricted, only pointing out that it is indeed in poor taste and should be discouraged.

My point, which I seem to have failed at making, is that disrespecting the flag ought not be perceived as disrespecting our military because in point of fact what our military fights for is our right to disrespect the flag and that the flag itself is only as important as those rights and freedoms.

 

[Slacker Drummer]

Oh, are you a drum corps guy?

I played in various rock bands for more than a decade before giving it up to play snare drum in a Scottish pipe band. I've also played in traditional Irish sessions, Afro-Cuban ensembles, and concert bands. But these days I'm more slacker than drummer.

 

[tonyb]

A pipe band! Wow. There's something spectacular in a good pipe band under the streetlights in a nighttime parade. The tartans and all that other regalia certainly adds to the effect.

 

[diabolicaldog]

[]

My first thought on seeing this picture was that the flag looked like it had been dunked in a coffee pot to give it some patina.

 

[Frunobulax]

To me, this isn't about censorship. I don't support flag burning laws and the like. This is about taste and respect. It bothers gt if the flag has "served." Shoot, it bothers me no matter what, even if it's brand new out of the box. As for this flag, my money is on it being new and "distressed" for the photo shoot. This is an issue of not offending part of your target demographic. This photo offends me and probably a significant number of others. Therefore, to me, it was a very qustionable marketing decision.

 

[Big J]

Surely I can't be the only member who noticed the irony in using the American Flag in such a disrespectful manner to advertise a Memorial Day sale. lol

No, you're not. I asked if it was meant to be ironic in comment #5.

Anyway, I'm just an average joe about the flag, I guess. It's our nations flag, and I understand that it means a lot to many people, so I should respect them by not disrespecting the flag I think.

I feel disappointed that everything has to be turned in to sh*tty marketing gimmick these days, and that's it. It's just so 'fake' authentic, and that's what really insults me.

If it was a, say serving soldier wrapped in the flag, that would be one thing, but this is just to sell me stuff.

 

[Big J]

Reading the thread, seems to me a lot of people have different opinions about the flag.

One that stuck out is the comment that in many countries people don't have the basic freedoms we have, and would get imprisoned for burning the flag. I'm glad we're freer than that.

For me, the flag is above politics, and the government of the day. It's a symbol of our nation, and that's something that has very personal meanings for each person. I'm not going to let anyone (or any ad) hi-jack my feelings about the flag. They can do what they want, legally, but I'll always have my good feelings about the flag and what it means.

 

[gtdean48]

Freedom has already been ruled not a part of advertising = you can't actually show somebody drinking a beer, just pouring one. Cigarette ads are gone off TV, mostly in print media & never see folks actually smoking. Drinking & smoking are personal choices & the products are free to buy to those of legal age. A company paying a photographer & a model for a photo shoot to advertise clothing/lifestyle/etc. representative of Americana (they ain't selling flags) should be aware & choose to follow the flag code just in good corp citizenship.
Censorship & Free Speech ain't on the table here, IMHO....

 

[RJR]

I agree,its just a case of really poor judgment,imo.

 

[tommyK]

[]

My first thought on seeing this picture was that the flag looked like it had been dunked in a coffee pot to give it some patina.

I'm pretty sure you're right on here. Look at the brass ferrule or eyelet below her knee. It doesn't have the patina of time but looks like bright brass.

That and 26 years in and around the advertising business. There are prop houses that do stock things like this that they get from all kinds of sources but, most likely, it was made up for the photo shoot.

If you knew how many eyes were on this thing before it went to print or internet post it is sad that nobody caught this.

 

[tonyb]

Admit it, the model has you hoping for a wardrobe malfunction.

 

[gtdean48]

Admit it, the model has you hoping for a wardrobe malfunction.

Just the hat, boots, & flag....totally different perspective!

 

[tommyK]

One does wonder what's under the flag, she almost looks cold.

 

[DJH]

There's a good reason why political comments are frowned upon around here.