"Right Wing Crazies" Are All Riled Up About Minnesota's New State Flag
The state of Minnesota has a new flag that is causing some drama in certain conservative circles.
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This was the old flag, which has been considered offensive for years.
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CNN explained, “Critics have long taken issue with the depiction of an Indigenous American on horseback at the center of the seal, which is read as a reference to the displacement of native people throughout Minnesota’s history.”
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After crowdsourcing thousands of submissions, a commission has picked a new flag designed by a 24-year-old Minnesota resident.
State Emblems Redesign Commission
The New York Times explained the meaning behind the new design, “The new design consists of a light blue right panel, representing the state’s many lakes, and navy blue left panel, resembling the shape of Minnesota, with an eight-pointed northern star.”
State Emblems Redesign Commission
People are generally happy about the change because, let’s face it, the old one looked like someone mowing a lawn.
Twitter: @Noahpinion
“Our new state flag will make us proud for years to come,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.
Twitter: @MNSteveSimon
“Dare I say anything that’s not a Native person being forced off their land is a flag upgrade,” Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan said.
Twitter: @LtGovFlanagan
But because it’s 2023, not everyone *loved* it.
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Some people have purposely spread misinformation that the new flag looks like a state flag from Somalia’s Puntland region.
Twitter: @EndWokeness
The “End Wokeness” account claimed this new flag — which again is not even the real new flag design — was “rubbing it in our faces.”
Twitter: @EndWokeness
And there are definitely people on X fully entrenched in that Somali flag conspiracy theory — this is because Representative Ilhan Omar is of Somali descent and someone who is constantly a target of misinformation by the far right.
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In response, Representative Ilhan Omar posted, “I hate to break it to the rightwing crazies, but I had nothing to do with the new design.”
Twitter: @IlhanMN
The BBC also reported, “Officials have said that any similarity is a coincidence.”
State Emblems Redesign Commission