Veteran Wraps Baby in American Flag, Photo Sparks Controversy - Polidicks

[quote]A photographer and Navy veteran is fighting back after a photo she posted to Facebook started an online backlash. Vanessa Hicks said she had no idea her photo would be considered controversial. The photo, from a military family’s newborn photo shoot, showed a newborn infant wrapped in an American flag held by his father, who was in his military uniform. Hicks, a Navy veteran herself and the wife of an active-duty Navy member, said her intention was to honor the flag as well as her clients, who wanted to incorporate their military service in the photo shoot. “This is what he was fighting for, his son wrapped in an American flag,” Hicks told ABC News. However, when she posted the image on her page, she started to get comments accusing her of desecrating the flag. On one Facebook page an unidentified poster put up her picture writing and wrote they found it was “disrespectful, rude, tacky, disgusting, and against the U.S. Flag Code.” The Federal Flag Code has guidelines for the proper treatment of the U.S. Flag but there are no rules for punishment related to violations. In the past, the Supreme Court has found that people are protected from punishment under the First Amendment for manipulating or even burning the flag. Hicks said she was surprised when messages suddenly started to pop up on her Facebook page and even her own website criticizing her photos. She said she stayed up until 4 a.m. recently to take down comments from her business and company page, even on shoots that had nothing to do with the flag. “I know how low I felt during those first few hours,” said Hicks. “[I felt] am I not a good American or veteran or wife. It’s a train-wreck you can’t help but watch.” As Hicks tried to stop the comments from taking over her pages, others started to take notice and her picture went viral on social media sites. After that, Hicks found that many people, both military and civilian, told her they did not find the picture offensive. [img]https://scontent-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t31.0-8/11038396_575434762559047_7336593203836482300_o.jpg[/img] [/quote] [url]http://abcnews.go.com/US/photographer-fights-backlash-baby-wrapped-american-flag-picture/story?id=29557727[/url]

Why are people so offended about "misuse" of a symbol?

I think that's a very nice picture and pretty clever. I don't find this offensive at all... The only people who do are "Muricans!"

I don't get why America's flag is seen as so sacred. You could take a steaming dump on a Union Jack and nobody would care.

[QUOTE]However, when she posted the image on her page, she started to get comments accusing her of desecrating the flag.[/QUOTE] Idiots online or blatant trolls searching for attention or reactions. Not even worth bothering with them.

It's become an unfortunate trend for people to become offended at trivial shit.

These people would not like me then. Because I'll straight up tell them the flag is a piece of fucking cloth and can be replaced. The lives sacrificed FOR that flag cannot. Really, I don't get why my country is so anal about this flag.

[QUOTE=brandonsh;47316605]I don't get why America's flag is seen as so sacred. You could take a steaming dump on a Union Jack and nobody would care.[/QUOTE] Keep in mind this is "internet outrage" You can't do so much as say a word without somebody getting pissy about it on the internet, especially if you're a person of notoriety.

US flag bikinis are fine though, as is plastering it all over a pickup.

There's no way people are legitimately offended by this photo. They may as well be offended by the military draping an American flag over servicemen's caskets.

wrapping a baby in a flag = terrible affront to the entire united states, worst than ISIS putting a flag on literally every piece of clothing including underwear = yay america!!!!

[QUOTE=Roshbitnak;47316629]Keep in mind this is "internet outrage" You can't do so much as say a word without somebody getting pissy about it on the internet, especially if you're a person of notoriety.[/QUOTE]Sounds about right. Also, avatar totally fits. :v:

Update: Statistics experts conclude that all negative comments came from people with nothing better to do.

Get that disgusting piece of shit off my flag!

I think it's a creative and well produced photo that only gives compliment to what the flag represents [editline]13th March 2015[/editline] [sp]unless the baby poopied heehee lol[/sp]

Guess what butthurt people, both of them served and as far as im concerned they earned the right to do what they will with that flag. No one bitches at models who wear or wrap the flag around themselves. So this picture is not even close to desecration. More like a tribute to america and service.

That's a pretty nice photo too, so fuck 'em

[QUOTE=brandonsh;47316605]I don't get why America's flag is seen as so sacred. You could take a steaming dump on a Union Jack and nobody would care.[/QUOTE] well people would care quite a bit about that, but this photo isn't tacky and is only irreverent in a very technical way

[QUOTE=Solo Wing;47316621]Really, I don't get why my country is so anal about this flag.[/QUOTE] A flag's a symbol. People give it meaning beyond a piece of cloth. Congratulations on not having that sort of investment in the most prominent symbol of your nationality but not everyone thinks the same way. [QUOTE=Rents;47316645]US flag bikinis are fine though, as is plastering it all over a pickup.[/QUOTE] flag pattern != the flag itself It's dumb for people to get upset over this but it's really not hard to understand that people consider the flag to be a symbol and so treat it differently from a piece of cloth, especially if you're trying to make a statement by using the flag instead of an ordinary piece of cloth.

[QUOTE=catbarf;47316780]A flag's a symbol. People give it meaning beyond a piece of cloth. Congratulations on not having that sort of investment in the most prominent symbol of your nationality but not everyone thinks the same way. flag pattern != the flag itself It's dumb for people to get upset over this but it's really not hard to understand that people consider the flag to be a symbol and so treat it differently from a piece of cloth, especially if you're trying to make a statement by using the flag instead of an ordinary piece of cloth.[/QUOTE] Yeah, it's the symbol of a country. It represents millions of people, the vast majority of which you have never met, and never will. People you'd probably be indifferent or even malicious to even if you actually did meet them. It represents places you don't care about and will never visit. It may represent some ideologies you like, but it unavoidably represents things you don't agree with. It represents so much that it's impossible to genuinely feel empathetic too. Getting offended on a personal level because of some unintended use of a flag is ridiculous, especially if it's something actually heart warming as the thing in the OP. It'd only make sense if the symbol was tied to a comprehensible on a personal level, regionalistic community.

That's a really cool picture. Didn't know US navy uniforms used this camo pattern.

You could literally interpret this as some kind of "America cradles us all" message (if you so desperately have to put a meaning behind a fucking picture), but these people are too stupid to even realize it.

[QUOTE=Rents;47316645]US flag bikinis are fine though, as is plastering it all over a pickup.[/QUOTE] Actually, this too breaks the (unnoficial) flag code [url]http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagcode.htm[/url] Also be sure to check out their wall of shame, which has some primo flag misuse God bless america

[QUOTE=Ganerumo;47316930]That's a really cool picture. Didn't know US navy uniforms used this camo pattern.[/QUOTE] It's been in use for most of the decade iirc. The navy veterans I know say it's really dumb because it makes it even more difficult to find anyone who falls overboard :v:

I bet the same people bitching would be defending this like hell if someone said it was indoctrinating children (or something like that).

[QUOTE=Megadave;47317168]I bet the same people bitching would be defending this like hell if someone said it was indoctrinating children (or something like that).[/QUOTE] Or if the flag was wrapped around a machine gun.

you guys take the flag really seriously, i remember when i was visiting family it coincided with memorial day and my uncle insisted on doing some shit with their flag at noon (they had recently become full american citizens) as if obama was watching over him ready to deport him if he didn't do it

I think the biggest surprise for me is that it wasn't some tumblr users accusing this of forcing American patriotism on the baby

That picture is really patriotic imo.

[QUOTE=catbarf;47316780]It's dumb for people to get upset over this but it's really not hard to understand that people consider the flag to be a symbol and so treat it differently from a piece of cloth, especially if you're trying to make a statement by using the flag instead of an ordinary piece of cloth.[/QUOTE]...Then it goes right back to dumb once it's realized that the statement is "America serves as a cradle for the innocent and defenseless", which could not be done with a normal piece of cloth and couldn't get more patriotic if the cradle was being held aloft by Uncle Sam at one end and crying bald eagles at the other.