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11 June 2025

Stuff Americans say
Patriotism part 1

Stuff Americans say

A crowd of spectators waving small American flags at a NASCAR event

America’s state religion is patriotism, a phenomenon which has convinced many of the citizenry that ‘treason’ is morally worse than murder or rape.
William Blum

Twitter/X post by ABC News (@ABC, verified). Tweet: "Teen spots school flag on ground and holds it up until someone can come hoist it back up. abcn.ws/24bTWmf" Photo of a teen boy in dark clothing standing next to a flagpole outside a school building, holding up a large American flag. Credit: Rhonda Pester

Facebook Messenger conversation screenshot (mobile, EE 4G, 22:09). Person lives in Arcata, California. Messages: Other: "Im here to lick your asshole". Blue reply: "I'm okay thanks". Other: "Your loss" with smiley. Other: "Your from the U.K. awesome". Other: "So u been to. California. Before". Blue reply: "No go away". Other: "Your a fucken retard.u go away u pussy red coat". Other: "Be a rude cunt to me when u look like a bugger". Other: "My country protects your lame as blood pudding bad breath havin aszes. GO PATROITS"

News article screenshot from Iowa Starting Line ("YOUR HOME FOR IOWA POLITICS"). Headline: "Iowa Senator Introduces Bill That Forces Teachers to Recite Pledge, be 'Patriotic'". Posted January 14th, 2022 at 11:18am by Nikoel Hytrek. Photo of American flag hanging in a classroom (Shutterstock Image)

Reddit post from r/Colorado (old Reddit interface). Title: "Take my Honks you Wonderful Patriot!" Submitted 2 hours ago by u/RichardBaker. Photo of a person standing on a highway overpass in winter, arms raised, holding a large American flag over the snowy mountain road below.

YouTube/social media comment (username redacted, 25 sec ago). Comment: "This is the problem with letting so many immigrants in. No patriotism or loyalty to united states. Country deteriorates from within. They come here because it's the greatest country in history only to destroy it."

Screenshot of "The I Pledge Project" website. Banner: "Join Us During National Ice Cream Month - REWARDING PATRIOTISM EVERY JULY! Pledging never tasted so sweet." Photo of a young girl in red/white/blue dress holding an ice cream cone. Text: "Starting every July 1st and running throughout 'National Ice Cream Month', the 'I Pledge Project' rewards children across America for their patriotism by offering them free ice cream just for reciting the Pledge of Allegiance by memory."

BBC News website screenshot. Section: World > US & Canada. Headline: "NFL teams to be fined if players kneel during anthem". Date: 23 May 2018

Reddit post from r/mildlyinteresting (12h). Title: "Our Amazon driver did not want an American Flag to touch the ground, so she left it on our porch railing. My guess is she's ex Military and knows the rules. My Memorial Day..." Tagged "Removed: Rule 6". Photo showing an Amazon package balanced on a porch railing next to a downspout, placed there to avoid touching a flag.

Twitter/X post by CNN (@CNN, verified). Tweet: "Surrounded by flames, California firefighters rescue American flag from wildfire cnn.it/2sZJGXr" Photo of firefighters against an orange flame-coloured sky reaching up to remove a flag from a building. 11/07/2017, 2:13 pm

Screenshot of an online quiz/trivia game. Question 26 of 30: "Where do you display a flag?" Four answer options: "I have one in my front yard." / "I have one on my desk." / "I have one on my truck." / "I have one on my porch." Orange "hint"

Photo of a large crowd at an outdoor event/stadium, with dozens of people waving small American flags. The crowd fills the entire frame, all holding flags in the air

Photo of a store display sign. A young girl with pigtails stands in front of an American flag, hand on heart. Store logos: Perfume 4U, Perfume Europa, Gifts by Perfume 4U, Melhores Perfumes. Text: "HAPPY 4TH OF JULY" and "GET EXTRA 5% OFF ON ENTIRE PURCHASE When You Pledge the Allegiance to the Flag"

Twitter/X thread with German-language interface ("Std.", "Antwort an", "Tweet ubersetzen"). Top: Greta Thunberg (@Gret..., 12 Std.) quote-tweeting Donald J. Trump (@..., verified, 18 Std.): "STOP THE COUNT!" Greta's tweet: "So ridiculous. Donald must work on his Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Donald, Chill!". Reply (username redacted): "In no circumstance is it okay for a teenager to refer to our President by his first name. NO circumstance." 0:18, 06 Nov. 20

Twitter/X thread. Just.A.Thought (@e_galv, verified, Jun 11): "Notice how quickly the narrative is changing from 'deport illegal immigrants' to 'deport all immigrants'... because that's exactly how fast it will change from 'deport all immigrants' to 'deport dissenting American citizens to El Salvadorian prisons.'" YHW.gaveMark.grace (@Markbhere2, verified): "Anyone who resists authority, burns the American flag, disrespects the President should be forced to leave the country or jailed for 5 years" 3:02 PM, Jun 11, 2025. Just.A.Thought reply: "As long as you realize you're a fascist then sure." YHW reply: "Names & titles don't bother me, call me whatever makes your day"

LinkedIn post (username redacted, verified, Wealth Advisor | OUTCOME Private Wealth | BYU Alumni | Runner, 9h). Post: "Excuse my mediocre art but can we put an American flag on every light post on I-15 in Utah? We are so blessed to be in a country with security, rights, and freedom. Not perfect, but getting there. We should see more flags so we appreciate it more. Anyone know how we can make this happen??" Photo of I-15 highway with hand-drawn arrows pointing to light posts and signs suggesting where flags should go.

Twitter/X thread (mobile, 4:53, 75%). LINKIN PARK (@linkinpark, verified): "Linkin Park did not and does not endorse Trump, nor authorize his organization to use any of our music. A cease and desist has been issued." 5:05 AM, 19 Jul 20. Reply (username redacted, 10h): "Yea... For 1. You should be honored the President wanted to use that song. 2. Thats not quite how that works when the song they used is a COVER version!". Second reply (redacted, 10h): "It doesnt matter what ANY of u think. The video was fucking badass & IT IS an honor WHEN ANY PRESIDENT WANTS TO USE THEIR music. Honestly, I'm SUPER disappointed in them 4 wanting to pull it. I've loved them since day 1. Way to show American that anyone cant support u. Total BS!"

Facebook comment thread. Original comment (1d): "Who of all you Trump supporters are willing to send your kids to war for Trump's idea of peace in the middle east?" Replies (all usernames redacted): "I would because I dont have liberal pos kids". "My son is ready, he realizes the danger Iran poses the civilized world". "I'd rather see them die in war than die from heroin or rot in hell from being homosexual". "I'll go myself u non American pussy"

Reddit mobile app screenshot. r/AskReddit. Post: "What does your country owe the world an apology for?" (self.AskReddit) posted 10 hours ago by lovedumpXL. sorted by top. Comment by scottiebass (8 hours ago): "USA Absolutely fucking NOTHING!!!!!"

Quora answer. Question: "Why aren't Germans patriotic?" Answer by Jens Bottiger, I'm German (Answered May 6): "Germans ARE patriotic. In America you show patriotism by attaching a full size US flag on your pickup truck (Or confederate flag for alternative patriotism), singing the anthem before every baseball game, and sending 18 year olds to Iraq so you can later thank them for their service when they roll by you in their wheelchair in Walmart. In Germany we show patriotism by voting for higher taxes on ourselves to make healthcare and college tuition universally accessible to our less fortunate fellow citizens, and by picking up after one another to keep public spaces clean and nice for everyone. I guess it gets lost in translation."

News article screenshot (The Guardian). Headline: "Florida schoolboy arrested after refusing to recite pledge of allegiance". Subheading: "Student, 11, was arrested on 4 February for creating a disruption in the classroom, the Lakeland police department said". Photo of American flag on flagpole with golden eagle finial (Alamy Stock Photo). Article: "An 11-year-old Florida boy was arrested this month after a dispute with a substitute teacher over his refusal to participate in the pledge of allegiance at his school, it has emerged."

Facebook sponsored post by IKEA (Like Page). "Hej, Jacksonville! We can't wait to OPPEN our doors to you and your family." Photo of IKEA store with Swedish and American flags. "IKEA Jax to OPPEN November 8!" 14K reactions. Top comment: "The American flag is supposed to be flown higher than any other countries flag here." IKEA reply: Quotes Title 4, United States Code explaining that flags of two or more nations should be flown from separate staffs of the same height, and international usage forbids displaying one nation's flag above another's

Reddit mobile app screenshot. Post: "TIL in 2009 a man won a $10,000 settlement after getting kicked out of Yankee Stadium by off-duty police officers for trying to use the bathroom while 'God Bless America' was playing." Link to nyclu.org. Comment by Painless8 (1h): "'Unlike most teams, the Yankees also instituted a policy of seeking to prevent fans from moving during the playing of the song.' That's some DPRK level of forced worship."

Facebook post with German-language interface ("Seite gefallt mir"). Post by American Af (@americanaf, 2. Juni um 02:00). Shared image with text: "PROTECTING OLD GLORY: THESE FIFTH-GRADERS WERE STRUGGLING TO KEEP THE U.S. FLAG OFF THE GROUND WHILE TAKING IT DOWN... SO, ONE OF THEM DECIDED TO LIE ON THE GROUND TO PROTECT IT." Photo of three young boys in sports jerseys working with a large American flag, one lying on the ground beneath it. Caption: "Parenting done right"

Tags:US patriotism·US is best·SAS·USA