If this were a bug or a font, I'd know what website to use.

September 13, 2014 9:30 AM

My neighbor is flying a flag I've never seen before. What is this? What does it mean?

Additional clues that may or may not be relevant:

-This is in Charleston, SC.

- This house seems to have a variety of historical South Carolina and Colonial-U.S. flags on rotation.

posted by dr. boludo to Law & Government (11 answers total)

Best answer: It's an older South Africa flag.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:35 AM on September 13, 2014

Best answer: RSA? Here is a picture of a flag that looks the same and some description
posted by lwb at 9:35 AM on September 13, 2014

Best answer: Republic of South Africa's Prinsevlag.

lol well that was a photofinish
posted by lathrop at 9:35 AM on September 13, 2014

Response by poster: That was fast! You never disappoint, AskMe.

Anyone have a reasonable hypothesis as to the cultural politics of choosing to fly that flag, as opposed to the contemporary SA national flag (besides just 'historical flag enthusiast,' which is a solid possibility here)?
posted by dr. boludo at 9:43 AM on September 13, 2014

Best answer: As for what it means... given that's the flag they flew during apartheid, it might be an indicator that your neighbor is a racist. :(

Or it could have something to do with South Africa being in the news for the Oscar Pistorius verdict or their rugby match against New Zealand.

Or maybe your neighbor is just a historical flag geek and is finally getting around to flying this one.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:45 AM on September 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Sometimes all you have is an old flag and that's what you fly when your team is playing..
the flag looks really old with holes.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 12:53 PM on September 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

Why don't you go over and say "hey I don't recognize that flag you're flying - what's it represent?"
posted by aubilenon at 2:50 PM on September 13, 2014 [1 favorite]

South Africa are playing in the Rugby Championship at the moment. (They are the Springboks)
posted by Diag at 3:20 AM on September 14, 2014 [1 favorite]

Funny coincidence. I recognized the flag because I saw Invictus on an airplane today. Given that there's rugby on, it could be not-as-racist-as-originally-suspected. I learned through the movie, and verified through wikipedia (be kind) that Mandela *embraced* the theretofore hated green and gold as gesture of reconciliation and unity.

Also, your neighbor might have no idea whatsoever what the flag represents, might represent, could be assumed to represent, etc.
posted by colin_l at 10:41 AM on September 14, 2014

Best answer: To be clear, the link lwb posted is actually a Boer nationalist website and the flag in those photos is an unofficial version of the former South African flag, but with the flag of the Afrikaner Resistance -- with its modified swastika -- replacing the Union Jack in the central emblems. If it were that flag the odds of it having political significance probably shoots up, like, 10x or more.

But your neighbor's is the old official flag, and may in this case just represent vexillological interest.
posted by dhartung at 12:17 PM on September 14, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks all for your answers. I don't know the people who live here ("neighbor" may be overstating the case -- try "house a few blocks away that I walk by every day) but if I ever see them I'd certainly ask them about it. Several other flags I have seen certainly could be read either way -- colonial-era South Carolina flags, I'm pretty sure they had the "Don't Tread On Me" flag up a few weeks ago (although that one, alas, I see rather a lot around here so I may be conflating houses). I'm going to start paying closer attention.

(Bonus points to dhartung for teaching me the word vexillogical!)
posted by dr. boludo at 6:26 PM on September 14, 2014