Visiting California right now and I recently saw a dude in a gym locker room wearing underwear with the American Flag print and an Eagle on the front. Everyone was very appreciative and a whole bunch of people got a kick out of it.

I have lived in India, Kuwait, Dubai and Canada and I don’t think the underwear flag thing would fly in ANY of those countries. It would be a massive issue.

But I am aware that there are are also certain things which are, at minimum, frowned upon. Such as taking a knee during the national anthem.

So yeah. American Patriotism. Is it slightly off-beat or is there just something I’m not getting?

Edit: similar to the one here https://www.shinesty.com/products/eagle-stars-stripes-boxers

37 comments

  2. I don’t know why we have them but I sure am glad we have so many flag themed items of clothing

  3. The underwear is probably not made out of a real flag; it’s just underwear with the flag’s pattern on it.

    A real flag does command a certain respect, though.

  4. I know 3 types of American Patriotism, first is the: “PaTRIotISM” Patriotism. Basically we make fun of our country, then we have the: “God belt” Patriotism. Which is a bunch of mostly old white people, some with trucks. A lot with flags, and a lot more with guns. Beware this is just in a nutshell, anyways we have the: “Normal” Patriotism. Shoot fireworks on Fourth of July, chug a few beers, the normal type.

  5. You understand that underwear that looks like the flag…still isn’t actually the flag, right?

  6. I just find it ironic because wearing the flag as apparel is directly against the flag code yet it’s seen as patriotic lol

    edit: okay APPARENTLY it’s the *actual flag itself*, not clothing that *looks like the flag*, thanks for the clarification, genuinely had no idea lmao

  8. American patriotism has a strong support base because being a citizen is what binds us together. We’re Americans because we love the idea of America. Germans are inherently German. Italians are inherently Italian.

    Americans are only American so far as we buy into and share our mutual experiment. So showing your love for it is a form of mutual bonding with people who may otherwise be very different from you.

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  12. i think the subtle implication is that one’s masculinity is enhanced by one’s patriotism and vice versa. it is considered very macho in America to be very patriotic. likely because more of our national identity is linked to warfare than most other countries.

  13. I think the flag has just become so iconic that it is no longer necessarily sacred, but is still considered patriotic.

    Like it’s no longer just a ‘serious’ icon of America, it’s just an icon of America, and can be used in serious or not serious ways.

    That’s also why destroying the flag is still frowned upon. Because even though it’s not necessarily serious, it still represents America.

  14. It’s just how we do things. Brazil does the same thing with their flag. Sometime we have more in common culturally with South/Central America than Canada does.

  16. That’s not patriotism, that’s a sense of humor.

    It’s meant to be ironic for shits and giggles.

  17. The flag *itself* is revered, but flag based paraphernalia is something we think is better the more over the top and ridiculous it is.

    Do you know that famous Bollywood scene of the guys assaulting the castle by using a palm tree as a catapult, forming a phalanx in midair, and beating the entire garrison? That is how we feel about eagle underwear. It’s leaning into the joke.

    Great question lol

  18. Nationalism in America is civic while nationalism in pretty much elsewhere in the world (with few exceptions) are ethnic based. One embraces people of different cultures and creed while the other has been known to commit genocide to each other. It’s annoying when people conflate the the two when Americans display acts of patriotism.

  19. i mean, you’re in a gym locker room. there’s definitely another side to it. you won’t generally see people in socially conservative professions, such as doctors, lawyers, politicians, or professors, wearing tacky flag clothing or displaying flag imagery outside of a ritual context.

    but neither would you hear them say anything about it because between-class conflict in the united states is resolved indirectly. we value freedom of expression, but also freedom of association. nobody feels the need to police this kind of thing. it wouldn’t fly in every context.

    the national anthem knee was a ritual statement, people were responding to the statement being made. it wouldn’t have mattered at all if the person doing it weren’t a public figure with a lot of attention directed at him. as well opinions were divided, with many supporting the act of expression but disagreeing with the point of view, and others condemning the act while sympathetic to the point of view, probably many people lacking sufficient interest to have an opinion, and so on.

  21. All of my Canadian friends have some sort of maple leaf tattooed on their body. I guarantee someone is covering their bits with a maple leaf.

  23. I mean when you’re confident enough to wear an eagle on your junk, you’re gonna get that reaction.

    But apart from that, yes, America is highly nationalistic. Flag culture starts young here and I’ve heard other countries have tried unsuccessfully to replicate it.

    Also, and this is just my personal theory, but we have a relatively intricate flag design, other countries with intricate flag designs also have stronger flag cultures from what I’ve seen.

  24. I swear like every second clothing store in Canada has some sort of Canadian flag boxers…

  26. It’s totally “off beat”, and actually will be expressed very differently in other areas of the US.

    It may come off as aggressive and we probably could chill in certain situations but with us being such a “melting pot”, it’s almost needed to bind all of our different origin stories together

  27. The reaction to taking a knee during the flag has a lot more to do with other isms. Patriotism is a convenient front.

  29. Could be a hardcore USA dude or it could also just be a joke/meme. I bought a pair of these boxers for my French boyfriend knowing they are utterly ridiculous.

  30. What would the Canadian equivalent be? A honking goose instead of a screaming eagle?

    I guess they couldn’t go with a beaver.

  32. The United States of America was created as a confederation of sovereign states, bound together by common interest, and was the first time in all of human history that a government had been formed on the idea that the individual citizen should be *free*.

    Sure, here in 2023 it is easy to see how badly We The People have fucked up that idea, but for a while the citizens here had a right to be proud and that pride became a part of our shared cultural heritage.

    American Patriotism, as you call it, is based on an idea we are slowly losing, but it is still a very good idea.

  34. It’s completely different to have “a flag” compared to having “flag print.” Real flags have a lot of respect. Flag print is just us being proud to be American. We use flag print paper napkins to wipe our faces. We use flag print toilet paper to wipe our asses.

    We even alter the flag based on certain political stances, such as the common [thin blue line flag](https://www.amazon.com/Embroidered-Police-American-Outdoor-Stitches/dp/B08LPTFNF7/ref=asc_df_B08LPTFNF7/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=647166587008&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3192889382108784780&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9019322&hvtargid=pla-1949177012133&psc=1&mcid=8187dc79c8ff3acebe021e72948271f8), which is used by the police. I’m not sure which I find more disrespectful, flag toilet paper or waving a modified flag. We have flag laws but our policies on free speech override those laws. We still have people waving confederate flags from the losing side of the Civil War.

  35. I have these, but shinesty makes you pay extra to pick what you get, so it was just one of the random ones I got. I also have a pair with a hot dog on the front. They are super comfy, but not at all durable.

  36. >Canada and I don’t think the underwear flag thing would fly in ANY of those countries. It would be a massive issue.

    I don’t buy this being the case in Canada. I think they’d love it, in fact

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