- Feb 23, 2010
- 2,114
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I'll just wade in and...
OK, at the risk of getting modded for being off-topic and then being unpopular with certain other users on this forum, here's a very quick explanation from an ignorant foreigner:
Flanders has always been an idea, a way of life and a collection of dialects. It never really existed as a recognised geographical unit until quite recently, at which time it became a region on the federal map of Belgium.
Before then, a strong Flemish identity was either irrelevant or contrary to the interests of some other party. Most of the old world powers of Europe have fought here at some time or other in what Charles De Gaulle called the "Fatal Avenue" and they have done so generally heedless of the people that call the place home.
The modern, thankfully peaceful situation consists of a very wide spectrum of differing viewpoints, discussion of which would definitely get me banned for being off-topic (if I haven't already gone too far, Susan and others)
To address the flag thing specifically: for some in modern Belgium, the establishment of that (convenient) federal unit doesn't go far enough. Such people would like to see the line in the sand drawn more clearly, in real terms that would be a qualified secession from the Belgian state in favour of a Flemish state of some kind. And for such people there are also civic, linguistic and economic issues tied to this.
So an all-black flag symbolically puts the holder in this latter bracket, whereas the red bits are the official and therefore neutral line. The status quo, if you like.
Whether you want to call them Flemish, Limburgers, Gentenaars or whatever, one thing that is common is that almost all are inherently reasonable and generally pragmatic and I would doubt - even after the usual quota of delicious beers - that you would encounter ill-will, particularly if you are quickly recognised for the dispassionate, if perhaps a little ignorant, visiting cycling fan that we all are
Walking into a smoky bar in Kortrijk full of old guys wearing handlebar moustaches and starting a passionate debate over the individual merits of Stijn Devolder The One Race Wonder is another matter, of course...
craig1985 said:
OK, at the risk of getting modded for being off-topic and then being unpopular with certain other users on this forum, here's a very quick explanation from an ignorant foreigner:
Flanders has always been an idea, a way of life and a collection of dialects. It never really existed as a recognised geographical unit until quite recently, at which time it became a region on the federal map of Belgium.
Before then, a strong Flemish identity was either irrelevant or contrary to the interests of some other party. Most of the old world powers of Europe have fought here at some time or other in what Charles De Gaulle called the "Fatal Avenue" and they have done so generally heedless of the people that call the place home.
The modern, thankfully peaceful situation consists of a very wide spectrum of differing viewpoints, discussion of which would definitely get me banned for being off-topic (if I haven't already gone too far, Susan and others)
To address the flag thing specifically: for some in modern Belgium, the establishment of that (convenient) federal unit doesn't go far enough. Such people would like to see the line in the sand drawn more clearly, in real terms that would be a qualified secession from the Belgian state in favour of a Flemish state of some kind. And for such people there are also civic, linguistic and economic issues tied to this.
So an all-black flag symbolically puts the holder in this latter bracket, whereas the red bits are the official and therefore neutral line. The status quo, if you like.
Whether you want to call them Flemish, Limburgers, Gentenaars or whatever, one thing that is common is that almost all are inherently reasonable and generally pragmatic and I would doubt - even after the usual quota of delicious beers - that you would encounter ill-will, particularly if you are quickly recognised for the dispassionate, if perhaps a little ignorant, visiting cycling fan that we all are
Walking into a smoky bar in Kortrijk full of old guys wearing handlebar moustaches and starting a passionate debate over the individual merits of Stijn Devolder The One Race Wonder is another matter, of course...
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