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Flag flown upside down as sign of distress outside of US State Department building today
(lemmy.world)
this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2025
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Not quite, it's an international sign that a vessel is in distress.
Then mostly right wing lunatics co-opted it to mean that our country is in distress.
Ahh, I didn't know about that historical context. Thanks!
Which they co-opted from protesters in the 60's, rallying against the Vietnam war, which they co-opted from the Revolutionary war, where (allegedly, much harder to source), the revolutionaries also flew the Union Jack inverted. Its history to mean insurrection in the US is as old as the US.
Its been used in many other instances internationally, and yes, also at sea with a much deeper history to signal distress. Regardless, the pedantry is both technically and figuratively misplaced.
If they did, I assume a half dozen vexillology enthusiasts with good eyesight got very concerned.
How could they tell?
The flag isn’t symmetrical, which is where the orginial flying the flag upside down comes from. It’s subtle enough pirates wont notice but an experienced British naval officer will and come rescue you.
How does that work for a ship from a country like Cuba?
Do they hang it backward? I.e. With the red arrow pointing toward the pole?
What about Japan?
I could be mistaken, but I think that was a consideration when designing the stars and stripes. The colors and lack of symmetry make it easy to see its orientation from a distance.