Burning the American flag?

But why, these are just material things.

You might as well say the US Declaration of Independence is just a piece of paper, flog it off for millions and have it written up on a piece of 0.1p printer paper. The material value of a piece of cloth is negligible, but the symbolic value is enormous.

You might as well say the US Declaration of Independence is just a piece of paper, flog it off for millions and have it written up on a piece of 0.1p printer paper. The material value of a piece of cloth is negligible, but the symbolic value is enormous.

More Humans on this planet value the Quran than those who gave a toss about the US Declaration of Independence...

Doesn't change the value it holds to the people who do 'give a toss'

You might as well say the US Declaration of Independence is just a piece of paper, flog it off for millions and have it written up on a piece of 0.1p printer paper. The material value of a piece of cloth is negligible, but the symbolic value is enormous.

Yes so burning the declaration of independence should be allowed then? Do I have the right to burn it? or would that be too offensive? I personally wouldn't I would rather, If I had anything against the US, to debate it and argue about it in an intellectual civilised manner.

I'm just trying to make a point...

Ah I see, no you shouldn't. I'm also against the pretty retarded way of trying to make a point by burning your own money.

Burning the Quran is as offensive and stupid as burning anything of value to anyone...

Yes but you can apply such sentimental value to any object. I could take offence next time someone burns a cigarette as it is disrespectful to those who were oppressed and forced to pick tobacco.

Anything which holds sentimental value to someone shouldn't be burned by another.

Like you say, if your aware that someone holds particular sentimental value over a book then you would be acting disrespectfully to burn it. And it's the same for the flag of a country. Many millions of people take pride in the American flag and therefore burning it will cause a reaction. The same with the Bible or the Qur'an.

However I think that the smoking of Tobacco isn't the same as pride in ones country.

So there are rules on what can be held to be sentimental and what cant? What about if that cigarette had in fact been a roll up which my favourite Grandad had rolled just before passing?

By the way, I dont have a particular opinion on the subject, Im just playing devils advocate. I still stand by my idea that holding sentimental value to an inanimate object is pointless, but I can still emphasis how people are taught that burning the word of God is bad or the anger seeing a burning flag can stoke upon those who hold emotional ties with it.

There aren't rules per se but I think it's obvious what is right and wrong.

If you know that something holds sentimental value to someone then you shouldn't defile it. No matter what that thing is or how much you personally disagree with attaching sentiment to something its still wrong to burn it or break it or whatever. In your example, how often do people have to get rid of cigarettes rolled by someone they loved before their untimely death and how likely is someone to know that's the case? If they knew what the cigarette represented then they are in the wrong and the same with people burning the American flag. However if they were unaware then they haven't purposely offended anyone and therefore should be forgiven.

For me, the only rule is that if you KNOW something to have sentimental value then it is a different case if you burn/break it than if you had no idea what it represented.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-black-country-11835253

This is an example. The girl claimed to not know what the Qu'ran reprsents and therefore didn't realise the offence she was causing by burning it. However IMO that's a steaming pile of BS because everyone who lives in the UK knows what the Qu'ran is. But if she genuinely didn't know what it was then you can't hold her to account for it.

I think the overall point is, regardless of how you feel about an object, if you know it to have sentimental value to another, you are committing a disrespectful act by burning it.

A lack of respect is defined entirely by the views of the person who receives it.

Okay, that's just silly, immature and immoral. religion and culture/politics should never be mixed - they're completely different.

oh btw OP, it's stupid. burning a flag? big deal, people should get over it.

I know bro, we see pics of this each day on TV, they don't as they're to bussy watching Jeremy Kyle and shagging people. But there's no point talking to them, especially Americans their whole country was build on crime, murder and slavery.