Both of the flags on The Mayflower are incorrect
Isn't everything in the simpsons a parody?
Forum Discussion
I'm far less concerned by the "mistakes" made on the ship than I am by the mistakes made on this forum discussing it.
The Union Jack is only called so when it's on a ship. Otherwise it's the Union Flag. (Yes, I know this is debated, but that's the strict definitions.)
It also doesn't represent Britain; it represents the United Kingdom. They are not the same things (Great Britain doesn't include Northern Ireland - it's "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", to give it its full title).
As for the UK being part of Europe, well, that's largely irrelevant for the purposes of this discussion, but. The UK is part of the European Union, which isn't the same thing as being part of "Europe", though it does depend on exactly what you mean when you say "Europe" - i.e. whether it's the continent, economy, etc. Since the UK doesn't even use the Euro and is separated from the continent (as GB is an island, as is Ireland) it's arguable that it's not part of either, strictly speaking. It's definitely not comparable to, say, Seattle being part of the USA. It's not like each country in the EU is a "state" of Europe. There are far too many differences to think of it that way.
And Marco, for the rest of your comment, people in the UK are, and should be, taught about countries close to them because they're part of shared history. Royal families of the UK have a history going waaaaaaay back of intermingling with and marrying royals from neighbouring countries. People in the USA are, and should be, taught about the UK because that's where the majority of its founding population came from. The UK's history is, for the most part, the USA's history. And yes, knowing about any other country makes you "international". It doesn't matter how far away from your home country that country is.
That said, all the comments about people in the UK not knowing the difference and flying it upside down are bang on. Just goes to show how little people are taught these days. Maybe they're all too busy learning about China and starting threads on the Mulan forums about how historically inaccurate that is.
The Union Jack is only called so when it's on a ship. Otherwise it's the Union Flag. (Yes, I know this is debated, but that's the strict definitions.)
It also doesn't represent Britain; it represents the United Kingdom. They are not the same things (Great Britain doesn't include Northern Ireland - it's "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", to give it its full title).
As for the UK being part of Europe, well, that's largely irrelevant for the purposes of this discussion, but. The UK is part of the European Union, which isn't the same thing as being part of "Europe", though it does depend on exactly what you mean when you say "Europe" - i.e. whether it's the continent, economy, etc. Since the UK doesn't even use the Euro and is separated from the continent (as GB is an island, as is Ireland) it's arguable that it's not part of either, strictly speaking. It's definitely not comparable to, say, Seattle being part of the USA. It's not like each country in the EU is a "state" of Europe. There are far too many differences to think of it that way.
And Marco, for the rest of your comment, people in the UK are, and should be, taught about countries close to them because they're part of shared history. Royal families of the UK have a history going waaaaaaay back of intermingling with and marrying royals from neighbouring countries. People in the USA are, and should be, taught about the UK because that's where the majority of its founding population came from. The UK's history is, for the most part, the USA's history. And yes, knowing about any other country makes you "international". It doesn't matter how far away from your home country that country is.
That said, all the comments about people in the UK not knowing the difference and flying it upside down are bang on. Just goes to show how little people are taught these days. Maybe they're all too busy learning about China and starting threads on the Mulan forums about how historically inaccurate that is.
