Many flags around the world are iconic, think the ones of France, Canada, South Africa, the Nordics, etc.

However, there are some that aren’t as good, like the Australian and New Zealand flags, both of which still retain the union jack with little Indigenous symbolism. Speaking as an Australian myself, our flag isn’t all that great! The Southern Cross is cool, but there is no hint of green/gold, and the union jack just looks tacked on. There are also many flags that look good, but the symbolism represents ideas that you’re against. Think Iran’s flag that draws heavily from their sect of Islam and the theocracy, or the PRC’s flag having the smaller stars representing the people surrounding the larger star representing the one party state. There’s also some that are okay, but a bit boring and hard of distinguish from the rest, and an additional element would make it stand out more.

And purple should be on more flags! Republican Spain during the 1930s had some purple, but they lost the civil war and the flag was replaced.

If you could change the national flags of the world, what would be your flag proposals?

  • sbeak@sopuli.xyzOPEnglish
    31·
    7 days ago

    Some feedback:

    As for Russia, I think some elements of the imperial flag should be used, but not its entirety, since it represents the monarchy who historically weren’t all too kind to their people for most of their reign. Perhaps a new flag, with a France-like vertical tricolour, a mixture of the imperial colours (yellow, maybe black) and the modern colours (red, maybe blue) could be formed to represent remembering Russia’s long past while also showing that they are stepping forward into the future.

    I do think bringing the lion and sun flag would be great! It’s a lion holding a blade with the sun rising from its back, how cool is that? The image hasn’t loaded yet, but I do need to note that the flag should be the one without the crown, as that represents the authoritarian Shah. The crownless flag was actually adopted when the Shah was deposed for a democracy, but then the CIA had to muck everything up and depose Mossadegh to restore the U.S.-friendly Shah, and later you had the 1979 Islamic revolution and all that.

    The Qasim flag does look really cool! No qualms about that one, I think it’s simply better than the current flag.

    As for the Chinese flag, I do think that the current flag is a little boring, but it’s quite recognisable. However (speaking as somebody with Chinese ancestry), red is a lucky colour in Chinese culture, although the PRC officially defines the red on the flag to symbolise the communist struggle. I think a majorly red flag would be suitable for China, and additionally, the Qing flag represents the dynasty ruled by the Manchus rather than the majority Han Chinese, so I’m sure some people (particularly the older folk) would be upset by that. I personally enjoy the “five peoples” flag of the Beiyang republic, with five stripes representing the five major people groups of China, but since that specific iteration of China was plagued by corruption and all that, it’s not a popular option.

    In my opinion, I think a majorly red flag would be good, but maybe not the central star with the four stars surrounding it (it represents the people surrounding the party). Personally, I would go for a yellow/gold Chinese dragon in the centre going around in a circle (symbolising how long China has existed, the “foreverness” of Chinese identity), a star in the middle if communism sticks around, and maybe some lions on either side as well, since those are also very important in China? Actually, maybe it could be lions on one side (representing the spirit of the Chinese people) and a flower / maybe some leaves / another plant (representing the kind and respectful culture of the Chinese people). I think that would be neat!

    In the case of Belarus, I think the white red white would look pretty neat! Recognisable and has some historical background to it. I feel it’s a little bland though, maybe adding a third colour or some of the patterns would do it good?

    • Gorilladrums@lemmy.world
      2·
      3 days ago

      I think some elements of the imperial flag should be used, but not its entirety, since it represents the monarchy who historically weren’t all too kind to their people for most of their reign

      That goes for literally all of Russia’s flags. The Imperial flag, the Soviet flag, and the current flag all represent tyrannical regimes hated by the people. I think from a purely aesthetic point of view, that color palate of the imperial flag is pretty hard to top. It’s unique, it’s instantly recognizable, and it looks nice. I think you’re right that they need a new flag, but if they were to draw inspiration from their historical flags, I think this should be the one to look at.

      The image hasn’t loaded yet, but I do need to note that the flag should be the one without the crown, as that represents the authoritarian Shah.

      You’re entirely correct. I didn’t even notice that there were two variations. The non monarchist variation should absolutely be the one to get readopted.

      I think a majorly red flag would be suitable for China, and additionally, the Qing flag represents the dynasty ruled by the Manchus rather than the majority Han Chinese, so I’m sure some people (particularly the older folk) would be upset by that.

      Fair enough. I only used the Qing flag as an example. The point that I was making is that China’s flag should draw from the country’s rich history and culture. I see communist flags as uncreative, unoriginal, and not representee of the people they represent. They’re ultimately just a remnant of Russian imperialism. Any of your suggestions would be fine if they come from the Chinese people to represent Chinese heritage.

      I feel it’s a little bland though, maybe adding a third colour or some of the patterns would do it good?

      I thought so too, which is why I used the version with the Lithuanian coat of arms on it lol. That being said, even the normal version would be a huge upgrade from the current flag.