Book burning or flag burning? Why?

Book burning. Hands down. Ignorance is a tool of tyrants.

Burning books about flags.

Burning flags with books.

The act of burning a book shows the non tolerance (and probable ignorance) of the one who is burning the book, the book is inanimate and can't be offended. However.... as the parent of a son who has laid down his life to protect the rights of ALL Americans to have free speech (among the freedoms we enjoy), I personally get offended at a flag burning as I feel it is a slap in the face. But deep down even such an ignorant act is a form of free speech and since my son risks his life for that freedom (even if it is offensive), I regrettably tolerate it. I abhor it, but I accept it as the lesser of two evils. The main evil being that we could lose our freedom of speech with censorship.

As someone who put his life out there flag burners risk a shot in the nose.

Book burners are more insidious though.

You'd actually shoot someone for burning a flag?

Myself it is a total disrespect to burn either... But I'm offended by the flag burning more... This country gave my family the freedom they have after immigrating from Germany.

My dad fought for our freedom served two terms in the Army. This country meant opportunity for our family and to see someone destroy the flag makes me cringe...

Flagburning shows utter disrespect for a Country and it's People!
As for Books.
Anyone remembering Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 movie adaptation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=976u_C5XnCc

You made a funny. A shot in the nose with my fist, if they show me such utter disrespect they need to leave the country.

Book burners are more insidious because they long to keep people in ignorance, imo.

So, you'd physically assault someone for burning a flag? Well, ok.

Depends on my mellowness and what context they were stomping on it.

There really isn't any difference. Both are about totalitarianism and the destruction of ideas. Book burning simply means the destruction of the ideas that the books represents. Flag burning is the symbolic destruction of the ideas that the flag represents. One is paper. The other is cloth. Their physical destruction is meaningless.

Sadly, the destruction of what the US flag represents is happening without the flag being involved.

Books or flag it is the destruction of ideals. Ideals that many have paid the ultimate price to attain, protect & pass on to their familys & people they have/will never know. I wonder why the ideals that built this country seem to have been forgotten? WONDER??

What ideals do you believe have been forgotten?

Pride in the country.
Pride in the flag.
Pride in self.

Neither.

Both are inanimate objects of no significance.
A flag does not represent me or what I do in life, nor would a book.
Burning them makes a statement about the burner and their views that is all.

Now banning books on the other hand so that the masses cannot access the knowledge in the book would get me up in arms:) and has in the past.

I think many people do still have pride in the country and in themselves. Why don't you think they do?

Flag burning is an act of protest.

Book burning is an act of censorship.


Ergo, book burning would be a more hideous offense in my opinion.

What if the flag wasn't American?