The Cross of St. George

[poliphilo]

The streets are full of the Cross of St George (the English flag- red cross on a white ground.) It's plastered up in windows and it's flying from cars. I'm told this is because of some football thingy that's happening in Europe.  craftyailz  and I were saying how it made us feel uncomfortable because up until a few years back the Cross of St George was only flown by churches and far-right  groups like the National Front and The British National Party.  

I guess it's good that footie fans have wrenched the English  flag from the hands of the fascists. But to tell the truth any flag waving makes me nervous.  It's infantile;  it's divisive; it has no place in civilian life.  Flags belong on battlefields.

Comments

[archyena.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's reminiscent of how the strange American myth of cowboys continuously gets us a foreign policy of Dodge at high noon on crack.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

In Britain a "cowboy" is a workman who doesn't know his job or who deliberately sets out to cheat his customers (ie a "cowboy builder".) I don't suppose you have that usage.

I grew up in the 50s in the heyday of the TV westerns- and I love cowboys. Just adore them. Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickock, Doc Holliday. Oh yeah, Mama!

[archyena.livejournal.com]

Around here "cowboy" denotes a rough and ready but also flawed individual who comes down on the right side of things and saves the day when it really matters, pardner.