Got a note from Suzanne yesterday and she mentioned that she had seen some neighbors flying the U.S. flag upside down. In my response to her I indicated that maybe they thought that might be appropriate and were sending a message. She said she didn’t think most people these days knew much about he flag and what flying the flag in that manner meant.
That surprised me a little bit, but I thought as a public service, it was my duty to inform those not in the know….
I assumed that just about everyone knew that flying the U.S. flag upside down was a sign of distress. The practice originated from military protocol. According to the U.S. Flag Code, an upside-down flag is a signal of extreme danger or dire emergency. Specifically, Title 4, Section 8(a) of the Flag Code states: “The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.”
The practice has its historical roots in naval traditions. Ships in distress would sometimes signal other vessels by flying their national flag upside down — a universally understood sign of urgent help needed.
Over time, the meaning of this gesture broadened beyond physical emergencies. Civilians began using it as a symbolic act of protest or distress about societal, political or personal crises, often to express deep concern about the state of the nation. For example, some protesters display the flag upside down to signal that they believe the country is in a metaphorical state of “distress.”
Of course, that can be controversial — some view it as disrespectful to the flag and its symbolism.
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