So last night I went out with a few friends to a bar. They have an outside patio area that is quite large and sits on the water to make for a very nice setting. The atmosphere is usually a lot of fun, not too loud, not too annoying and the weather was perfect for being outside.
We were sitting at a patio table and as it got later in the night (~midnight) I noticed one employee walking around and taking the flags down off the flag poles. I watched as she went pole to pole starting with the race flags, bud light, etc. and then got to the Indiana state flag... As she takes it down she lets it lay on the ground while she unhooks it, tosses it in a pile of table toppers, wads it all up and carries it away. She then comes back out to get the American flag which is pretty much right next to our table. I am already a little distraught with how she handled the state flag and wanted to ensure she didn't do the same with the American flag.
As she started to lower the flag I asked her why she was taking it down?
-her- "Because we are closing."
-me- "Why wasn't it taken down at dusk then?"
-her- "Why would we do that?"
-me- "Because it isn't illuminated."
-her- "So?"
-me- "It is in respect to the flag that you have it illuminated or take it down at dusk."
-her- "Well we just leave it up until we close."
-me- "You might talk to your boss about changing that."
-me- "Please tell me that you aren't going to let that touch the ground like you did the state flag when you take it off?"
-her- "Oh no, I know not to do that"
Next thing I know she lowers it onto a table to take the hooks off and THEN WADS IT INTO A BALL UNDER HER ARM to head back inside! I tried asking her why it wasn't being folded but I think I was intentionally ignored for some reason...
I'm pretty sure that I learned flag etiquette in kindergarten. Are there that many people that don't care anymore and what's it going to take to educate them or make them understand what it stands for?
We were sitting at a patio table and as it got later in the night (~midnight) I noticed one employee walking around and taking the flags down off the flag poles. I watched as she went pole to pole starting with the race flags, bud light, etc. and then got to the Indiana state flag... As she takes it down she lets it lay on the ground while she unhooks it, tosses it in a pile of table toppers, wads it all up and carries it away. She then comes back out to get the American flag which is pretty much right next to our table. I am already a little distraught with how she handled the state flag and wanted to ensure she didn't do the same with the American flag.
As she started to lower the flag I asked her why she was taking it down?
-her- "Because we are closing."
-me- "Why wasn't it taken down at dusk then?"
-her- "Why would we do that?"
-me- "Because it isn't illuminated."
-her- "So?"
-me- "It is in respect to the flag that you have it illuminated or take it down at dusk."
-her- "Well we just leave it up until we close."
-me- "You might talk to your boss about changing that."
-me- "Please tell me that you aren't going to let that touch the ground like you did the state flag when you take it off?"
-her- "Oh no, I know not to do that"
Next thing I know she lowers it onto a table to take the hooks off and THEN WADS IT INTO A BALL UNDER HER ARM to head back inside! I tried asking her why it wasn't being folded but I think I was intentionally ignored for some reason...
I'm pretty sure that I learned flag etiquette in kindergarten. Are there that many people that don't care anymore and what's it going to take to educate them or make them understand what it stands for?