Is flag-waving stupid and immature?

Similarity of views, here...

Hi, Bill! Pledging allegiance to your flag is a different thing than waving it on sports competitions with marked nationalistic views...

And, yes, I have a problem with the One Nation Under God...

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

You got a probem with that?

In England here, with a World Cup (soccer) competition coming up soon, there are flags everywhere. These flags are the Cross of St George, the English flag. The Union Flag ("Union Jack") represents Great Britain (UK), not England alone. Both of these flags however are used by far-right nationalist parties.

This is a new phenomenon in the UK, that national flags be flown everywhere. We used to be more restrained. My own view is that it shown immaturity and sometimes xenophobia. I know Americans are keen to wave their national flag on all occasions. My view is, it is silly and is often worse than that.

What do others think?

OCCOM BILL wrote:

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

You got a probem with that?

Not a problem, so much as a question. Allegiance to the country of your birth is fine, as long as it does not engender xenophobia.

But taking American behaviour as a particular example; when they are all surrounded by other Americans, with the nearest foreigner about 2000 miles away, why do they want to wave flags at each other? To remind themselves where they are? I'm really and genuinely curious about this.
The British, as noted above, seem to be going the same way and I think it is a retrograde step.

Suggestions to the contrary illustrate just one more way conservatives are savvier than liberals in politics. Should the ACLU not be the proudest flag waver of them all? Sure the far right is the most adamant in defense of the flag; but why is that? Those most interested in preserving the principles that flag represents do themselves a grave disservice by not waving their own. Americans who speak as you do are simply asking to be deemed anti-American… which is not a good attribute for any political contender, here.

The Dutch arent too big on waving flags at official moments; very few houses indeed have a flagpole or a thingemie on the outside wall to stick a flag in.

But oh, when there is a football match, when there are European or World Championships - literally whole streets are decked out in orange. (A little working-class street in the otherwise gentlefolk neighbourhood I once lived in was literally painted orange - walls, traffic poles, everything.)

"J´engage ma fidelité au drapeau des États-Unis d´Amérique et à la République qu'il répresente, une nation sous Dieu, indivisible, avec liberté et justice pour tous."

"Yo prometo lealtad a la bandera de los estados Unidos de America, y a la Republica que representa, una Nacion bajo Dios, entera, con libertad y justicia para todos."

" Ich gelobe Treue auf die Fahne der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika, auf die Republik, die eine Nation unter Gott ist, vereinigt durch Freiheit und Gerechtigkeit fur alle."

"Ik Zweer Trouw aan de vlag van de Verenigde Staten van Amerika en aan de Republiek waarvoor zij staat, één Natie onder God, ondeelbaar, met vrijheid en gerechtigheid voor allen"

" Eu prometo lealdade à bandeira dos Estados Unidos da América, e à República a qual representa, uma Nação abaixo de Deus, indivisível, com liberdade e justiça para todos."