Alison":2z7l7u4b said:
Vid does not work in the UK
Alison
Just google "Easy Rider" + final scene, or something to that effect, or search for it on YouTube.
It's the ending scene of the movie where these 2 hateful, prejudiced guys think it's funny to kill the 2 guys on Motorcycles. They had originally intended to just scare them, but then the guy on the motorcycle (Dennis Hopper) gives them the ol' one-finger salute (AKA the California Howdy, flips the bird, gives 'em the finger), which is offensive to most (if not all) Americans, and so, thusly offended, the redneck hillbilly dude shoots him with a shotgun.
Here's a wiki page about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easy_Rider
My point was that, no matter what type of flag one is waving, whether it's a national flag, or (in the U.S.) gang "colors", or, in the case of the movie Easy Rider, long hair (ofter referred to as a "freak flag"), or flipping one's middle finger, there are going to be people that take offense to it to the extent that they'll want to harm you.
When this movie came out in 1969, many people took offense to the fact that the American flag was being worn on a jacket or painted on a helmet, but very shortly afterward it was embraced as a show of patriotism. Many in the Southeast U.S. still fly Rebel Flags, a symbol of the Confederate Army during the U.S. Civil War, and many others are offended when they see it because it's considered to be a symbol of hatred and oppression in a culture wherein slavery was acceptable. The swastika was originally a sign of goodness or auspiciousness for about 5,000 years up until the middle of the last century, but is now thought of by most as a symbol of hatred, oppression, and white supremacy.
So wave your flag high, whatever it may be, but just be ready to defend yourself because some people are downright kooky and are looking for something to be offended by.
Crazy Humans! When will they learn to get along with one another?
