What is a black and white American flag?
So, what does a black flag normally mean? It was used by people to symbolize, usually in times of war, to showcase that they will not give up or give in. It is usually flown to express that the people are ready to fight till the end. But the black and white American flag is different.
It has alternating black and white stripes, and the stars are white with a black background.There are also variations of the black and white flagWith a single stripe of red, white, grey, blue, and yellow as variations used for different purposes
The stripes each essentially symbolize a particular group of people. We will now look at what these flags mean.
What do the different flags mean?
Like we discussed, each flag has its own specific meaning.
Red Strip. The black and white American flag that has a red stripe in it represents the support for firefighters and fire service heroes and is a way of honoring them. Blue Strip. The flag with the blue version shows supports and solidarity to the law enforcement forces, for those who work for the safety of other people and injured or fallen law enforcers.Yellow Strip. This flag is used to support the non-governmental security forces.
The blue flag was the first one used, and then different variations of it were designed to support various departments. The combination of a red and blue stripe symbolizes emergency services, such as army forces and ambulances, and firefighters. It is also known that paramedics used a white strip to show their support for the doctors and the hospital department.
Significance of the Different Flags
Flags show the emotion that the person holding them. And in such situations, the black and white American flags, and their variants, though controversial, have been used as a means of uniting people. For example, during protests, the blue flag variation of the black and white American flag was used by the police forces to support their solidarity and unity against the protestors. Sometimes, these flags will be hoisted outside police stations, fire stations or hospitals, as a means of expressing love and support to the injured or fallen heroes. Unlike other variants, the blue strip, popularly known as the thin blue line, has always been used by police officers as their way of expressing their take on an issue. Over time, the flag became more popular, and it started appearing in badges, stickers, and even in police cars and bikes, to symbolize solidarity. Recently during the protests, we could even see some police officers wearing thin blue line masks. It has now become quite common to see the flag at various places. But, along with the popularity, it also sparked two major controversies.
The first controversy was that it violated the American flag. While the flag symbolizes solidarity and support for the fallen soldiers, some people thought it was a violation of the American flag. A national flag holds deep meaning and sentiment in the heart of many people, and the black and white variation of it with a blue flag was looked like an alteration of the real flag. Some people did not approve of this alteration and began protesting it. The second controversy was, that it showcased political motivations. While there have been many controversies and issues between the police and the public, the thin blue line flag was looked like the political stance of the police force. Some even looked at it to show Blue lives matter, which is related to the black lives matter movement, in support of the lives of police forces who lost their lives or get injured during protests. This has made people see police forces sporting the flag as opposition and has led to various debates on whether it is legal to alter the American flag and to display it.
Despite these controversies, it is totally legal for anyone to support or have a flag they wish to support, and this is becoming an increasing trend. It is even available in online stores such as amazon, and many other retailers sell these flags. It is a never-ending debate on whether there is hidden politics involved behind the thin blue flag, and this foreshadows the main purpose that the flag was designed in the first place, which is to support and thank the police for their services. As far as the other flags go, they are not that popular when compared to the thin blue flag and hence have not gained much reception. While, a complete black and white flag of the American flag is viewed as a symbol of protest, and to express the rebellion. The black flag can be often found to be used in protests, which may be political, or non-political, but is used as a symbol of protest and rebel against supremacy. Though in recent reports, it was proved that the thin blue line American flag did not violate the U.S flag code. This might decrease the hatred against it, but since there is no one specific meaning for the flag, if so, which is being shadowed by situational reasons, remains a topic of debate. At the surface level, it is honorable to agree that the flags were originally developed to honor the injured and fallen soldiers, and there is no harm in it, and it is an individual’s opinion to support which flag they want to.
