9 ms·
A "thin blue line" flag also doesn't fit any of the banned criteria. You guys are basically saying that supporting police and military is only done by republica
by dx87 6y ago
A "thin blue line" flag also doesn't fit any of the banned criteria. You guys are basically saying that supporting police and military is only done by republicans.
- mmastrac 6y agoIt's a logo that is more strongly associated with one political party than another, being worn by someone who is presumably armed and in a position of authority. If you cannot see why this is a problem, I don't think I can explain it any more.
- kev009 6y agoSince it is less incendiary to discuss, what if someone was wearing a Rastafarian style hat in places marijuana bills were on the ballot, is this a conflict?
- CameronNemo 6y agoIf the colors/hat had become a signalling mechanism by the political movement and were being used to make a political statement, I would say wearing them would be in bad taste. Especially if a member of law enforcement or the military was doing it.
- KittenInABox 6y agoMore directly, if the Rastafarian style hat was a prominent display in several recent political rallies for a single party, I think it should be absolutely called into equal question.
- kettro 6y agoRastafarianism is a religion. I assume religious attire is not restricted.
- sjs382 6y agoTo avoid the religion argument, let's switch it to a shirt with a big marijuana leaf on it. In that case, yes. Unless the person is a voter in the act of voting.
- weed_lol 6y agoThat's stupid
- NoodleIncident 6y agoI didn't think voters were allowed to have political clothing either? I've heard of some voters asked to turn masks and shirts inside out while they're at the polls.
- zjs 6y agoThe PDF linked from the post clarifies the rule for PA: "Wearing a t-shirt or button supporting a candidate, campaign, or political party (except voters in the act of voting)" (Other jurisdictions may have other rules, of course)
- CameronNemo 6y agoThere is a difference between being in bad taste and being illegal.
- hwillis 6y ago??? do you really not get it? If I wear a shirt with MEDICARE FOR ALL, GREEN NEW DEAL (or SUPPORT ACA and REJOIN PARIS ACCORDS) on it, that's clear partisan support. That's illegal. Thin blue line flags and "support our troops" are out of place and it's two-faced to pretend it isn't just a signal of partisan support. These are some of the major party issues. Bad taste has nothing to do with it. If someone wears a SUPPORT THE CURRENT PRESIDENT shirt, that's support of Trump, not endorsement of the concept of government or something nonpartisan.
- paradox242 6y agoI agree that things like 'thin blue line' and 'support our troops' have a political element that would be out of bounds in states with these laws, but its not clear to me that the example cited in the story approaches this level of explicit political meaning. If it is what he says, then it was simply a copy of text that all soldiers swear to when they enlist. The U.S. Army is not a political organization and contains people from all backgrounds. What really seems to have happened here is that the author was able to reasonably infer this police officers political affiliation from his clothing and that is not what is prohibited in these laws.
- barumi 6y ago> There is a difference between being in bad taste and being illegal. It's called "letter of the law" vs "spirit of the law", Purposely violating the principle of the law by abusing loopholes, and proceeding to claim that technically violating the spirit of the law is not illegal because you came up with a loophole that you believe is not incompatible with the letter of the law just goes to show the level of dedication that you have to break the law without being punished for your transgression.
- no-dr-onboard 6y agoFor some reason I can't imagine many people utilizing that sort of logic with the transgender flag on a hat.
- nitrogen 6y agoIf you were working as an election official, that would still be a problem.
- Schiendelman 6y agoNo, it wouldn't be. The thin blue line flag is a racist dog whistle. The transgender flag is inclusive.
- pluto9 6y ago> It's a logo that is more strongly associated with one political party than another I doubt the regulations around polling places consider that relevant. I'd guess one party wears cowboy hats more often than the other, but that doesn't make them a political statement.
- throwaway377383 6y ago>It's a logo that is more strongly associated with one political party than another As long as you'll admit that BLM falls under this same logic, and should similarly be banned, then you're being consistent. If not, you're being hypocritical.
- Schiendelman 6y agoNo, he should have just said the thin blue line flag implies racism and bigotry, which is the real problem. It intimidates.
- NoodleIncident 6y agoOf course! Unlike the other imaginary hypocrisy in this thread, I actually saw someone on reddit say this exactly. They were just there to vote, and they were asked to turn their BLM mask inside out while they were there.
- heavyset_go 6y agoIt's a symbol of political groups like "Blue Lives Matter"[1] and it has specific connotations in the US[2]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Lives_Matter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Lives_Matter [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_blue_line#Symbols_and_variations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_blue_line#Symbols_and_var...
- sk5t 6y agoAre you seriously suggesting the "thin blue line" or "back the blue" flags are not political messaging? Lots of folks with different backgrounds and beliefs "support police and military"; however, the bootlick flags are closely tied to just one party.
- dx87 6y agoIt's definitely political messaging, but the linked PDF says that political messaging is only banned if it's associated with a specific campaign or candidate.
- rodgerd 6y agoOnly one candidate has had the "Blue lives" flags at their rallys.
- zimmern 6y ago>>bootlick flags lol, trump has made lefties lose their damn mind.
- dxdm 6y agoHe's made a lot of things worse for a lot of people, his supporters or not, American or not, and even himself.
- chipotle_coyote 6y agoIt's arguably made them blunter and more strident, but I don't think "righties" are on particularly solid ground if they want accuse the left of being uniquely mean and insulting.
- no-dr-onboard 6y agoWhat makes a "bootlick" flag, in your opinion?
- takeda 6y agoThe people wearing it made it political. You see them exclusively at trump rallies. For similar reason wearing a red hat now became a political statement. In Poland for example now wearing something with a thunderbolt or 8 asterisks is sign that you support current protests. In France wearing yellow vests. Those things constantly change and at specific time it can be political. It's all about context and if you're voting you can't claim to be oblivious to it.
- macintux 6y agoBLM isn’t only supported by Democrats, but wearing it to the polls should absolutely not be allowed.
- thedream 6y agoImagine a group of programmers unable to tell the difference between "violates the rules" and "hurts my political feelings"... yikes.
- Spivak 6y agoAnd then imagine the group of programmers arguing with them trying rule-lawyer "keep the polls civil and don't sport inflammatory clothing or accessories." It's not a good look when the best you can make is something isn't technically forbidden. Like it doesn't make you clever trying to argue that your "cry more snowflake" shirt isn't political -- you're just an asshole.
- thedream 6y agoDoing a thing that's "not a good look (according to Spivak)" != a violation of the stated rules Being perceived as "an asshole (according to Spivak)" != a violation of the stated rules Thanks for demonstrating my point so clearly ;]
- AnimalMuppet 6y agoNo, but if you're working at the polls, you shouldn't be trying to push that line absolutely as hard as you can, and then arguing that what you're doing doesn't technically cross it. That isn't the point. The point is, in your official capacity, you're supposed to be neutral. Not "not biased enough to be against the rules". Neutral.
- thedream 6y agoThe scenario you described didn't happen. What did happen was that a poll worker made up their own version of the election guidelines and injected their personal biases related to "specific ballot measures" and the "police organization" into their conduct. Does that sound neutral?
- raisedbyninjas 6y agoWhat's clear from this thread is that there are a hundred ways to clearly support a candidate that don't break the rules. If you agree with the intention behind the rules don't try to undermine them. If you don't support the ban on electioneering, then be open about it and try to change the policy.
- latchkey 6y agohttps://www.police1.com/legal/articles/3-things-to-consider-before-you-raise-a-blue-line-flag-yTymSYXUqtXZUOYi/ https://www.police1.com/legal/articles/3-things-to-consider-...