Flying the flag, and why I refuse

Flags in Villa Peluca

During the week of the 18th there were flags everywhere. Every car, house, and plaza was cheerfully adorned with Chilean patriotism. Although the fervour as calmed down substantially as we move into October, it's no rarity to see Chilean flags flying all over the city.

Last Sunday I went to a "street workout" event in Talcahuano, feeling like an international delate in the mix of Belgian, Spanish and Chilean company. Whilst I was trying out zumba and winning a pull up competition, one of our party had disappeared over the road to investigate the motivation for the enormous Belgian flag flying from the roof, accompanying the Chilean colours. It wasn't long before he appeared on the roof, surrounded by a group of Chileans all smiling and waving cheerfully as the Spaniard took photos from the park. It turned out that they were firemen with some sort of long standing link with Belgium, though none of the firefighters themselves were foreign born. They were thrilled at the interest and promptly presented their international guest with a t-shirt and invited him to their next barbeque.

Whilst sitting on the bus on the way home at the end of the day, it occured to me that seeing a British/English flag wouldn't produce anything like the same kind of reaction in me. There are far too many British colleges and schools for "my" flag to be anything more than of passing interest. Moreover, my feelings towards actively parading "my" colours are less than warm. The welcome to conce group frequently demands that their international members bring their flags to demonstrate diversity and tolerance, but for me, the idea of showing "my" colours to that end feels contradictory.

Welcome to Conce flags

Flags are powerful symbols and must not be underestimated, as the visual representation of a country, interpretation can be wide ranging and very different. Associations of UKIP, BNP, anti-immigration and right wing policies dominate the flag for me. Moreover, looking at the broader global context, our flag has been flown more than enough on foreign soils - the British flag is the British empire, colonialism, imperialism, and the symbol of a successful country. Nobody needs reminding - the influence is visible everywhere from anglicisms, to fashion, to media. In contrast, flying the Chilean flag demonstrates support for a country that, despite its drawbacks, is making progress and is slowly catching up. It's the defense of a cultural identity that feels threatened by the dominance of foreign markets. It's the solidarity and unity needed to bring standards up to "western" benchmarks.

It's not really news that I'm no patriot. I have no pride in my country because I don't claim ownership. I am supremely grateful for the accident of birth that afforded me a British passport and all of the benefits that go with it, for the opportunities and the security, for the quality of life. I am British for my past, my education, my opportunities, my upbringing, but the last 4 years have introduced something different. My nationality doesn't determine my culture, my culture is no longer tied to a country, but is gradually becoming a hybrid creation. Our generation, with increasing access to information and travel, is becoming a global community. We are citizens of the world, more in common with each other than natives of our "home" country. 

So why flags?
A relic of past norms and political lines? An important rallying point for countries which are still developing? A harmless patriotic symbol?
I guess it depends on the who, why and where...