I subscribe to the idea that it’s rather creepy even when putting aside the obvious racist connotations.
I don’t assume you’re MAGA, racist or anything else based on the flag alone but it is more likely it’ll seem that way if you have other MAGA-themed paraphernalia around.
Highly ironically - and you may hate me for saying this but... - that you share in common with the other side. Man, disinformation has worked so incredibly well to prey upon our existing division spots and weaknesses.
One side hates this country for how it has oppressed minorities, and committed atrocities in the name of profit. The other side thinks the country isn't committing enough atrocities against minorities. So I would say equating the two is disingenuous.
I'm a recently retired military veteran who was gifted an American flag as part of my retirement ceremony.
If I fly any official flags on my property, it'll likely be the new Minnesota flag, demonstrating pride in my home state that has stood up against bigotry and hatred in recent years and is currently pushing an amendment to our state constitution that will guarantee equal rights for absolutely everyone, including protections for abortions and LGBTQ+ citizens. Plus, the new state flag was made in an effort to move away from the perception of racism and colonization that our traditional flag previously displayed.
Heck, I might even fly a Norwegian flag, demonstrating pride in my family's heritage and a nation that's rated one of the top countries to live in globally (They're usually #1, but I believe Denmark occasionally snags the title from them). I still have relatives living in Norway, and that country is my bug-out location if America ever becomes inhospitable.
I will NOT fly the American flag. I am very disappointed in my nation currently. I served during Trump's first term and it was a complete shitshow for the US military, not to mention the awful changes he made that affected the civilian population. He's determined to burn it all to the ground this time around and I'm glad I'm no longer in the military, dealing with the fallout.
If anything, I will fly the American flag upside down, the sign of distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.
Thank you for your service, and yeah I completely understand.:-(
Conservatives often go much farther, showing the flag not left to right but up and down, and in all black and gray to indicate corruption, or even outright altered like showing the thin blue line.
Edit: adding picture of the above:
I wonder if there's a way for people to respect our nation's past even if not agreeing with the future direction, like a Betsy Ross style flag or some such?
All thin lines are cringe no matter the color. I don't mind the black/transparent decal stickers of flags. I think some people read too deep into those, it's just the easiest to match any car paint scheme. Not a fan of the distressed ones like what you showed though.
Got an American flag up in the front of the garage.
You can be proud of the good parts of being an American and still want to improve on the bad parts. I respect people's choice to not fly one if they don't feel like the flag deserves it right now, but I know in other countries that are fighting oppression you will see the American flag is often being waved in those crowds. To many people it still holds the symbol of freedom and individual identity.
I also have a "no touchy" emperors new groove version of the Gadsden flag on my wall because I find the meme hilarious.
The no step on snek version was the original meme version of the flag. I just find anything llama related hilarious so the emperors new groove version is what I rock.
My grandfather had a pole in his front yard. Every bloody day it was acceptable, the US and US naval flag were up. Made him happy, having been career navy, but the amount of work involved in maintaining the pole can fuck right off for me, even if I gave a damn about flags.
And that's not including maintaining the flags, nor the extra bullshit about how you handle the flags when they're governmental.
Most I'm willing to deal with is a rainbow sticker, or one of the various related flags in sticker form so folks know they aren't alone, that they have people that care about them and their rights. Even that, I'm not dealing with an actual flag for.
I have my grandpa's old US flag, and I occasionally display it for Independence Day or Memorial Day.
I am a low-key flag nerd and used to have a collection of interesting small flags in my bedroom as a kid. I would love to have a rotating selection of flags to fly in my front yard: historical US flags like the Serapis flag, or other flags that look cool or have interesting backgrounds. Alas, my wife won't let me put up a flagpole.
I got some of the interesting/r/vexillology flags printed and also fly a women's suffrage flag around elections. Just don't make the same mistake I made and make sure that the image gets mirrored on the opposite side of the flag.
Heck yeah, I would fly a Star Trek flag. That would be a good choice on Gene Roddenberry's birthday.
She thinks it wouldn't look good in our yard. She may also suspect that I would occasionally fly stuff like the "defend equality" flag, which would cause some friction with our conservative neighbors.
If I could own a nice house, I had a good work life balance, I didn't need to worry about medical or the nonexistence of retirement, my potential grandkids had a solid future, and the world seemed stable and peaceful, then, then I might feel like taking to time to say I'm proud and happy in my life.