- This topic has 24 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 5 months ago by .
-
Topic
-
A resident living on the top floor of our complex has been flying the Australian flag for over a year now and just recently another 4 owners have started doing this as well. There are protocols involved with flying the flag which states the Australian flag shouldn't be flown at night unless properly illuminated.
Some residents are starting to complain especially on windy days and nights when the flags can be quite noisy.
Is this something our E.C. should be stopping except on days such as Australia Day and Anzac day. I'm not sure if our by-laws do cover this except maybe the appearance of lot and peaceful enjoyment of others by-laws.
-
Replies
-
Are the flags attached to common property? A non-serious suggestion would be to have everyone who objects fly some other, bigger flag, preferably one that would annoy the flag fliers, who presumably like to be seen to be more patriotic than thou. When it gets really silly pass a resolution banning the flying of flags from the building!
Find, and do enlarged photocopies to be put up in various places around your strata, of the recent newspaper article stating university-conducted research shows those who fly Australian flags were more racist than than everyone else. (It was talking about ‘flags on cars’, but I think they’ll get the message.)
[Here it is – JT]
There’s a very funny episode of Frasier where:
“After Cam Winston dropped a huge American flag over Frasier’s entire apartment window, Frasier takes his grievance to the condo board meeting. His father has warned him that he has to be careful, because he could be seen as disrespectful towards the flag. So Frasier launches into a carefully worded speech that defends the importance of the flag but also suggests that it be placed in a more suitable position.” Season 9, Episode 12. Maybe on Youtube somewhere.
[THIS was all I could find – jt]
This is SO going to be my Flat Chat column on Saturday week (Feb 25) so let's have those pro-flag, anti-flag posts rolling in
JimmyT
If you want to be alerted when anyone replies to your posts or responds to this topic, please register and login, then you will be able to subscribe to the topic. The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers. NB: Longer threads may spill over to additional pages - look for the numbers on the bottom right, under the last post.
For the serious pedant about flags:
https://www.flagaustnat.asn.au/protocol.php
This confirms the illumination at night. Presumably that could be arranged to shine into the bedroom of the nationalist neighbour!
Flying the flag upside down is a distress signal. Perhaps that could be arranged by those who are distressed.
International usage forbids the display of the flag of one nation above that of another in time of peace. Perhaps your building could call a general meeting to declare war on someone!
Have a flag design competition so you can fly the flag of your owners corporation along side the Australian flag.
Those are my suggestions.
More seriously, I always suspect crass rightwingedness in flag wavers but that is my prejudice.
I'm an intensely proud Aussie, but I can understand how flags hanging off the balconies makes your Building look just as unkempt as it does when residents hang laundry items such as sheets and towels.
So why not take the approach that the same By-Law that applies to laundry items applies to flags.
That would mean that you are not stifling national pride by prohibiting your patriotic residents from flying the national flag for their own gratification (why else?), you're just asking them to position those flag/s, including on Common Property, such that they're not visible from the outside of the Building.
Why not offer to put a Agenda Item before the next General Meeting of your Plan to put a suitably sized and properly illuminated flagpole on your Building, and proudly fly the national flag there?
I'm guessing paullings, the original poster, lives down in The Shire… oh, I see he's actually from Newcastle.
Same thing though, almost… there has been little settlement up in that, red-neck of the woods, by the people from other countries who have made our society so rich, diverse and multi-cultural; not even after WW II.
paullings better be a little bit careful with regard to the flags for the same reasons as Frasier; see Les Dansonne's post above.
Ironically, having just kicked off the flag discussion on radio and in Domain I'm over in Vietnam where the national flag seemes to fly over every little shack in the country – more communist than thou, perhaps – but none on balconies in their huge apartment blocks that seem to be springing up everywhere. I have to wonder what their EC meetings are like.
If you want to be alerted when anyone replies to your posts or responds to this topic, please register and login, then you will be able to subscribe to the topic. The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers. NB: Longer threads may spill over to additional pages - look for the numbers on the bottom right, under the last post.
I reckon, this EC has more important issues and problems to solve. Don't sweat the small stuff, plan long term.
[This posting had broken one of the golden rules of Flat Chat – no personal insults – several times. But I've let it run in the interest of balance – JT]
Lets get it out in the open, I am the flag waver on the top floor, I have come out at last. Oh I feel better now.
StrataGuru; (your name says it all, how is that ego going?) your presumption is wrong, I just like the flag, I have offered to fly the flag of any country or team, at our gatherings on the green, its just fun, you missed the point. And no, the flag is not on common property.
[StrataGuru is a ranking I give to two or three of our more reliable and better informed members. Whichever of them Just4laughs is referring to, he’s got the wrong end of the stick -JT]
Urban, where did racist come from, do you know anything about research and statistics, remember the old saying, lies, dam lies and statistics. How do you get to racism from flying the flag, its just a flag, it could be any flag, bulldogs, knights, Brazil, what is the country coming to when you get such a response to such a simple act, god help us.
Les; go back to your life with Frasier, I think you may be more contented there.
Jimmy; get over it, it’s a nonsense.
PeterC; do you understand the difference between a protocol and a law, “international protocol” pseudo legalistic bullshit. And yes you do have to deal with your own prejudice.
Whale; another presumption, do any of you think before you write! the flag is on an old sailboard mast I modified to suite. I think it looks very professional, as do many of the people in the complex and those that walk by. No one is raving or crying racism, just enjoying the sight of or flag, makes you a little warm and fuzzy inside and makes a great wind direction indicator.
Unexpected Leigh; Your ignorance and prejudice’s are showing. I don’t know what your background is but I have taught kids who have escaped from Somalia, they have shown me their bullet holes, and when I finally left the school to go back to industry one of them said to me, and this is such a treasure to me (Mr …… you make us feel like we can do anything. So don’t you ever imply I am a racist you ignorant buffoon.
Paullings question seems to be like Caesar’s call to the bloodthirsty mob to slay or save, and in an almost religious, uninformed fervour you said slay for he is a racist, he flew a flag. Does McCarthyism ring any bells here?
I was on the EC here for many years before I needed a break, and I can honestly say I did my best not to exhibit fear or favour. As those of us who are prepared to do this thankless task, you don’t please everyone. As such I believe that the individual that made the complaint to the EC about the flag did so vexatiously, but none the less the complaint will go through the normal channels and be referred to the EC for action.
Any apologies will be graciously received.
So Peter, if you are so concerned by personal insults, why didn't you put a stop to or moderate the racist accusations and uninformed rantings before. It was clear that there were huge assumptions being made.
Should I have to put up with such accusations and nonsense?
What would your reaction be if you flew a flag (I am sure you have at some time) and someone called you a racist.
Unfortunately the sorry tale of people making uninformed comment and huge leaps of logic is just the sort of thing that causes so much trouble in EC's.
No apologies here.
The initial posting was about how one flag led to the appearance of several others leading to a 'more patriotic than thou' attitude. For those of us trying to get away from a 'my home is my castle' mindset and build inclusive communities, one person unilaterally deciding their building needs a flag is the height of arrogance.
You can't dismiss any complaint that irritates you as 'vexatious'. That is just nonsense. Paullings is to be congratulated for having the guts to ask a tricky question and let the whole community decide – not just one self-important resident – whether or not flying flags is appropriate.
I think you're the one who needs to read the postings more carefully – and you might start by noting that there isn't one in support of you, despite my call for readers to do just that.
You mention statistics, once again, here’s a report into a study that shown people who fly Australian flags on their cars are more likely to be racist.
Is it just a flag on a balcony? For those of sickened by the sight of drunken youths demading that people “kiss the flag” or take a beating in the aftermath of the Cronulla riots, it's the thin end of a very ugly wedge.
By the way, I'm not saying you're racist, I'm saying you have to take some responsibility for the kind of emotions you are tapping into.
If you want to be alerted when anyone replies to your posts or responds to this topic, please register and login, then you will be able to subscribe to the topic. The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers. NB: Longer threads may spill over to additional pages - look for the numbers on the bottom right, under the last post.
Peter; Again uninformed leaps of logic, How did you get to “more patriotic than thou”? For the others flying the flag was just a bit of fun started on Australia day. For me and most of the people in the complex the flag looks good, just like the flags flying on shopping centres and other buildings. It's not my building, just my balcony. On building communities, we have been the ones that have initiated the getting to know you drinks on the green. Perhaps you should come and see what can be achieved. paullings is a friend and he was just trying to get some guidance as to what others have done. by the way we have a fantastic variety of races and backgrounds in our community and I have been trying to encourage others to share my flag pole for their homeland flag, no takers as yet. Why is this a problem, I don't get it.
Unfortunately, and I am not a frequent reader of this site, I think the responses are more a reflection of the audience you have attracted.
Your last comment is stunning, are you suggesting that people shouldn't fly the Australian flag because it causes riots? What are your thoughts on the progress of political correctness, I am all for cancelling the religious holiday Christmas, what about you?
By the way the sums are getting more difficult to post a comment, last one was 5+9, had to go for the calculator.
It's Jimmy, not Peter.
I don't buy all that political correctness bullshit – complaining about the 'PC brigade' is just people who want to be allowed to offend others, whingeing about being pulled up for it.
I don't believe in banning stuff as much as I believe in people taking responsibility for their own actions. Hopwever I did go to Vietnam for Christmas a few years ago, thinking that in a Communist Bhuddist country I would be safe – I couldn't have been more wrong. They love it there, right down to decorations with Santa on the Cross.
But seriously, consider this for a second. Maybe it's not political correctness gone wrong. Maybe it's not my pre-selected readership. Maybe not everyone gets the same warm fuzzy feeling that you do when you see your flag.
In short, maybe … just maybe … you could be wrong.
Re the sums – I don't have to do them which is just as well or nothing would get done.
If you want to be alerted when anyone replies to your posts or responds to this topic, please register and login, then you will be able to subscribe to the topic. The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers. NB: Longer threads may spill over to additional pages - look for the numbers on the bottom right, under the last post.
Ironically, the whole point and humour in this situation have been completely missed by Just4alaugh. It could’'t have been much fun at his place when he was on the EC.
Jimmy you should point out what the sums are actually for.