Don't you step on my blue suede shoes.....
April 16, 2013 4:16 PM Subscribe
Or rather, don't tread on me and my yellow & black flag! They're yellow rectangles with a black line drawing of a coiled snake, and the logo "Don't tread on me". Who or what do they represent?
I first spotted this on specialized Virginia license plates; Virginia has literally a couple hundred different specialized license plates (colleges, Rotary, Masons, military, all kinds of stuff), but this is a new one. And now I'm starting to see it on bumper stickers, too, on cars with license plates from a variety of states, so it's probably not a Virginia-centric thing.
(And yes, I looked, but I don't see any explanation on the Virginia Dept. of Motor Vehicles website.)
I first spotted this on specialized Virginia license plates; Virginia has literally a couple hundred different specialized license plates (colleges, Rotary, Masons, military, all kinds of stuff), but this is a new one. And now I'm starting to see it on bumper stickers, too, on cars with license plates from a variety of states, so it's probably not a Virginia-centric thing.
(And yes, I looked, but I don't see any explanation on the Virginia Dept. of Motor Vehicles website.)
Best answer: Often worn by cars driven by "libertarian"/Tea Party types.
posted by goethean at 4:19 PM on April 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by goethean at 4:19 PM on April 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The Gadsen flag was an early bit of iconography from the Revolutionary War. It's seen a bit of a revival from the Tea Party.
posted by kendrak at 4:19 PM on April 16, 2013
posted by kendrak at 4:19 PM on April 16, 2013
Best answer: The Tea Party has adopted the Gadsden flag to represent their cause, for what that's worth.
posted by deliciae at 4:20 PM on April 16, 2013
posted by deliciae at 4:20 PM on April 16, 2013
Response by poster: Gahhhh, so now the tea party has it's own Virginia license plates?!?
Words fail me.
posted by easily confused at 4:24 PM on April 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
Words fail me.
posted by easily confused at 4:24 PM on April 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
It's available here from the DMV. It looks like you just need to get a legislator to sponsor your plate idea and have a certain number of pre-orders to create one.
posted by interplanetjanet at 4:35 PM on April 16, 2013
posted by interplanetjanet at 4:35 PM on April 16, 2013
Best answer: easily confused, the Gadsden flag was one of the first flags of the United States. The Tea Party has associated itself with the flag to claim the Founders as their own.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 4:55 PM on April 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 4:55 PM on April 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
Rob Lowe's character had one in his office on the West Wing, but that predates the now-prevalent Tea Party usage.
posted by stopgap at 5:03 PM on April 16, 2013
posted by stopgap at 5:03 PM on April 16, 2013
The history of the Gadsden flag and how the rattlesnake became a symbol of American independence.
posted by Rob Rockets at 5:25 PM on April 16, 2013
posted by Rob Rockets at 5:25 PM on April 16, 2013
Gahhhh, so now the tea party has it's own Virginia license plates?!?
It's an enormously important historical symbol in its own right.
posted by showbiz_liz at 5:38 PM on April 16, 2013 [5 favorites]
It's an enormously important historical symbol in its own right.
posted by showbiz_liz at 5:38 PM on April 16, 2013 [5 favorites]
True, showbiz_liz, but that's not why it's suddenly popular in Virginia.
posted by IAmBroom at 7:27 PM on April 16, 2013
posted by IAmBroom at 7:27 PM on April 16, 2013
What you are describing sounds more like the early US Naval Jack, known as "The First Jack" which has a yellow and red snake on a background of red and white stripes, with the message "Don't tread on me" across the bottom.
posted by w0mbat at 9:55 PM on April 16, 2013
posted by w0mbat at 9:55 PM on April 16, 2013
Response by poster: No, w0mbat, sorry, but this is the Gadsden flag.
Thanks all: I'd remembered it from the Revolution, but couldn't figure out why it was suddenly popular NOW! I knew it had to be some sort of special-interest group, since Virginia has literally dozens and dozens of special-interest plates --- this state figured out long ago that making it cheap & easy to get a specialized and/or personalized plate was VERY profitable.
I'll keep an eye out for future flag sightings: my guess is that any other stickers on those cars will confirm the tea-party inclinations of the car's owner.
posted by easily confused at 1:56 AM on April 17, 2013
Thanks all: I'd remembered it from the Revolution, but couldn't figure out why it was suddenly popular NOW! I knew it had to be some sort of special-interest group, since Virginia has literally dozens and dozens of special-interest plates --- this state figured out long ago that making it cheap & easy to get a specialized and/or personalized plate was VERY profitable.
I'll keep an eye out for future flag sightings: my guess is that any other stickers on those cars will confirm the tea-party inclinations of the car's owner.
posted by easily confused at 1:56 AM on April 17, 2013
Nike also had an extensive DTOM soccer campaign (warning: video autoplays) just before it started being adopted by the Tea Party.
posted by mikepop at 5:41 AM on April 17, 2013
posted by mikepop at 5:41 AM on April 17, 2013
Seeing the picture of the First Navy Jack, I think that was the flag used in the West Wing. Sorry about the faulty information above.
posted by stopgap at 6:12 AM on April 17, 2013
posted by stopgap at 6:12 AM on April 17, 2013
The Navy Jack is also a Gadsden Flag. It is an official Naval flag.
posted by trinity8-director at 8:35 AM on April 17, 2013
posted by trinity8-director at 8:35 AM on April 17, 2013
easily confused: I'd remembered it from the RevolutionWhat was Thomas Jefferson really like?
posted by IAmBroom at 10:20 AM on April 18, 2013 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Broom: he was a real snob..... always going on about French wines or philosophy or egghead stuff like that. Sheesh.
posted by easily confused at 12:49 PM on April 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by easily confused at 12:49 PM on April 18, 2013 [2 favorites]
« Older All the world's a book, and all the men and women... | Dog-friendly hotel in London, for 10kg dog? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Ndwright at 4:18 PM on April 16, 2013 [1 favorite]