Is is common/widely accepted to display foreign country's flags in your city?

[Capsicum]

For example, flying Mexican flags on cars to represent Mexican heritage?

Having a Filipino flag bumper sticker.

Or placing Italian flags on windows and shops etc.

If so, which flags do you see most often, and does it reflect the most common demographic origins of the city's inhabitants?

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by Capsicum

For example, flying Mexican flags on cars to represent Mexican heritage?

Having a Filipino flag bumper sticker.

Or placing Italian flags on windows and shops etc.

If so, which flags do you see most often, and does it reflect the most common demographic origins of the city's inhabitants?

In the US flying all kinds of flags for countries, cities, states, sports teams, long dead rebellions, POW etc etc etc is common, so yes.

[Acajack]

In my city of Gatineau, Quebec, the most common foreign flag believe it or not is... Portugal.

You also see the flag of the Azores, which are Portuguese islands, now and then.

[dimondpark]

Yes I see them every now and then.

[Centropolis]

other than the typical irish/italian flag

when i lived on the south side of st. louis, i'd see different iterations of bosnian flags into businesses, houses, vehicles, big rigs, etc


stlbosnians.com


or occasionally retro flags like that of louisiana (new france). primarily lots of st. louis flags...

[Pedestrian]

Is this flag "foreign"? It's probably the most commonly seen flag in SF:


https://www.citybirds.com/DigitalPho...eCastro03.html

[Shawn]

You barely see Japanese flags on actual national buildings - never on private homes. So it goes without saying you won’t find foreign flags in Tokyo either.

But in Boston? Irish and Italian flags outnumber American ones.

[xzmattzx]

You'll see a lot of Irish and Italian flags in the ethnic neighborhoods of the old Northeast cities, including mine.

You won't see Mexican flags, but you will see lots of Mexican iconography: the eagle and snake or Lady of Guadalupe on the back windows of cars, and so on.

You'll see foreign flags flying in front of ethnic restaurants: Jamaican, Puerto Rican (even though it's not really foreign), Spanish, British, etc.

[isaidso]

Italian, Portuguese, and Brazilian are the most common foreign flags flown here. Come World Cup it feels like every 5th car has a flag sticking out of the window.

[10023]

Originally Posted by Shawn

You barely see Japanese flags on actual national buildings - never on private homes. So it goes without saying you won’t find foreign flags in Tokyo either.

But in Boston? Irish and Italian flags outnumber American ones.

I imagine the Japanese have the same attitude toward outward displays of national pricd that the Germans do, for obvious historical reasons.

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Italian, Portuguese, and Brazilian are the most common foreign flags flown here. Come World Cup it feels like every 5th car has a flag sticking out of the window.

Same differenz here.

Quebec has no frontal license plates, so the usual flag-plates are Irish or Italian. Irish, Portuguese and Italian are very common and Brazilian during World Cup days.
Montreal has the most consulates of any city on the continent bar NYC, so you tend to see them hanging flags on their buildings.

[maru2501]

ireland and mexico in chicago

[Crawford]

Yes, but it depends on background. PR's fly their flags the most in NYC, even though PR isn't a "country". DRs, Colombians, Ecudaorians and Jamaicans are also proud flag-wavers. Italians, Irish, Ukranians and Israelis occasionally.

Russians and Chinese almost never fly their flags. For Russians it makes sense because most who immigrated to US dislike Russia, for Chinese probably a cultural thing.

I don't notice Mexican flags, but obviously they display the Virgin of Guadalupe. Everywhere. You can always tell an Italian neighborhood by the front-of-house or apartment building window Virgin Mary statues. You know Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods by spotting mezuzahs on front doors.

[lrt's friend]

Ottawa, being the national capital, has a large diplomatic community. It is not surprising to see flags of any country in the world and local residents just assume that this is normal. Of course, with so many government buildings around, the Canadian flag is plastered everywhere. During world sporting events, it is also normal to see flags of participating countries including on vehicles.

[Capsicum]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Russians and Chinese almost never fly their flags. For Russians it makes sense because most who immigrated to US dislike Russia, for Chinese probably a cultural thing.

Russia and China's flags seem to represent their country's governments in a way that makes immigrants' descendants more reluctant to fly them as a symbol of heritage alone.

Unlike flying some flags of countries of heritage like Italy's, Ireland's (even though Irish nationalism of course was a thing), Portugal's, Mexico's, which seem to be able to be associated with pride in roots more than any political statement.

[Capsicum]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

Is this flag "foreign"? It's probably the most commonly seen flag in SF:


https://www.citybirds.com/DigitalPho...eCastro03.html

Well, technically it was invented stateside.

[Capsicum]

Interestingly Asian-Americans don't fly their country of origin's flags that often in the US (or even Canada for that matter), compared to European and Latin American communities.

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by 10023

I imagine the Japanese have the same attitude toward outward displays of national pricd that the Germans do, for obvious historical reasons.

I feel like the premise of this thread isn't really about less or more national pride than it is whether there is a culture of flying a national flag at every single "national" building, or "quasi-national" buildings like schools,etc., or at private buildings like businesses and/or peoples homes.

As for the Japanese not showing outward displays of national pride? Ever been to or seen a figure skating competition, literally of any kind? It's like the arena of the rising sun. And for the the Germans, watched the World Cup? They don't seem shy about Deutschland uber Alles when it comes to football.

[Capsicum]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

I feel like the premise of this thread isn't really about less or more national pride than it is whether there is a culture of flying a national flag at every single "national" building, or "quasi-national" buildings like schools,etc., or at private buildings like businesses and/or peoples homes.

As for the Japanese not showing outward displays of national pride? Ever been to or seen a figure skating competition, literally of any kind? It's like the arena of the rising sun. And for the the Germans, watched the World Cup? They don't seem shy about Deutschland uber Alles when it comes to futbol.

So, maybe, it's different for Japanese in Japan or Germans in Germany if we are talking about Japanese-Americans or German-Americans in the US hesitant to display the association with their old country as connoting past/foreign regimes given their own experience and relations with the home/ancestral country.

It seems fine for some groups (in the US, not sure about elsewhere) to display some flags without making a political statement. Italian restaurants show Italian flags without making anything political about Italy, the country, salient to others. Not so much for say Russia, China, or maybe Japan and Germany, so perhaps that's why those groups' descendants in the US don't fly their flags much.

[Busy Bee]

There are plenty of German tricolors flying outside Hofbrau's, Oktoberfest activities and German-themed beer halls, which have become trendy again. Probably less than when there was a Bavarian or Swiss chalet type restaurant in every city back in the 60's or 70's but there are still establishments that fly the German flag as well as homes which I've known several who have including some past neighbors. There is nothing "read in" to flying the German flag IMO. The modern German flag has nothing to do with Nazi Germany and only has "connotations" by those looking for some, much like a Union Jack outside a pub isn't "controversial" because of British colonial policies in India.