The Australian Flag (1 Viewer)

Should it stay or should it go?

  • Keep it

    Votes: 42 46.2%
  • Change it

    Votes: 49 53.8%

  • Total voters
    91

Iron

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I think the flag is a pretty sensitive issue. The union jack just reflects how little confidence we have in ourselves as a unique people on the other side of the world. It's a blemish that reminds us that, deep down, we really hate ourselves
Australia has emotional problems imo
 

katie tully

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stop trying to psychoanalyse the flag man

if we removed the union jack, what would we put in its place?
 

Iron

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I still like the kangaroo. Our flaura and fauna is something we can ALL agree is unique to Australia. No hard feelings this way
Wattle!?
 

katie tully

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yeah cool ... man ... let's have a kangaroo holding a piece of wattle symbolize what we are as a country

let's just not tell those other countries that we're eating our national emblem with a pepper sauce.
 

slickstar_01

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as much as a dislike the union jack on our flag...what sort of gets to me more is the fact there is no green on the flag.
 

allyuk

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There's all this talk about the perception of Australia in the world and that how the world sees Aus as being somehow subordinate to the UK.

They don't.

...I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but no one outside of Australia or the UK would care or even realise that we had changed our flag, nevermind care about it. No one in China, Chile or the Congo is going to look at Australia and somehow respect us more just because we got rid of the Union Jack.

History is history, and it can't be changed. Britain has shaped this country in so many ways, from giving us most of our laws, to giving us most of our people. It's something we chould be proud of or at least remember and not just something we should erase in some half arsed effort to gain more respect in some random countries that couldn't give two f*cks in the first place.

I agree that Australia should stand on its own two feet, but tbf, it already does. I've never met anyone that would confuse us with Britain, but plenty that recognise that Australia has its own unique culture. We should move forward confidently has a nation, but at the same time, not forget why and how we came to be here in the first place.
 
E

Empyrean444

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There's all this talk about the perception of Australia in the world and that how the world sees Aus as being somehow subordinate to the UK.

They don't.

...I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but no one outside of Australia or the UK would care or even realise that we had changed our flag, nevermind care about it. No one in China, Chile or the Congo is going to look at Australia and somehow respect us more just because we got rid of the Union Jack.

History is history, and it can't be changed. Britain has shaped this country in so many ways, from giving us most of our laws, to giving us most of our people. It's something we chould be proud of or at least remember and not just something we should erase in some half arsed effort to gain more respect in some random countries that couldn't give two f*cks in the first place.

I agree that Australia should stand on its own two feet, but tbf, it already does. I've never met anyone that would confuse us with Britain, but plenty that recognise that Australia has its own unique culture. We should move forward confidently has a nation, but at the same time, not forget why and how we came to be here in the first place.
But times change and their is a very large difference between acknowledging and understanding the past and living in the past. By keeping the Union Jack, no matter what other countries think, we immediately subordinate ourselves. We are much more distanced from Britain now and hence the connections to the UK which the Union jack implies are false. If you were right in saying that keeping an anachronistic emblem of a flag constituted acknowledging our past, then shouldn't Italy readopt the Imperial Eagle from Rome for their national icon? No, because that would be stupid, just as keeping the Union jack is.

Personally, I think we should chuck the whole flag and invent something entirely new. It looks so crap as it is.
 

SAVAK

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what if the UK split up into separate entities. then can we remove the union jack?

also, why isn't there any green or gold on our flag. i thought they were our national colors?
 

Lentern

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I say keep the union jack. For better or worse British presence in Australia has played a huge role in shaping the country today and it would be folly to deny it.
 

Iron

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The Americans have been fine, as have the Canadians and the South Africans, the Indians, the larch, the mighty Red Wood, the great Fir! om pom pom pom om pom pom pom
 

Lentern

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The Americans have been fine, as have the Canadians and the South Africans, the Indians, the larch, the mighty Red Wood, the great Fir! om pom pom pom om pom pom pom
How are the Americans fine?
 

Iron

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Ur right.
Pesky colonists
 

incentivation

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I say keep the union jack. For better or worse British presence in Australia has played a huge role in shaping the country today and it would be folly to deny it.
Agree. Too often we misplace history for the sake of 'nationalism'. Our history should be more valued.

On a side note, there should be a greater emphasis on early Australian history across all levels of schooling. Instead of learning about the 'Petrov Affair' students should be exposed to the history of colonisation and be made to think critically. I undertook a unit in Aust Hist 1788-1850 and it was remarkably interesting. When you start to critique the development of our society and the politics of the land owning class there is so much more to it.

Anyways end rant. Point in chief. Keep the Jack. Keep the flag.
 

Lentern

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Agree. Too often we misplace history for the sake of 'nationalism'. Our history should be more valued.

On a side note, there should be a greater emphasis on early Australian history across all levels of schooling. Instead of learning about the 'Petrov Affair' students should be exposed to the history of colonisation and be made to think critically. I undertook a unit in Aust Hist 1788-1850 and it was remarkably interesting. When you start to critique the development of our society and the politics of the land owning class there is so much more to it.

Anyways end rant. Point in chief. Keep the Jack. Keep the flag.
Hold on, I didn't say keep the flag, I said keep the Jack. I certainly question the flag's competency on the whole, but more because of lack of elements than excess of them.
 
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Iron

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I certainly question the flag's competency on the hole, but more because of lack of elements than excess of them.
I entirely agree with this sentiment. But I would go further than your concerns about structural integrity to add that in my opinion such offensive misuse of the flag should be a criminal offense
 

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