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What are the flags beside the US flag at Trump's inauguration day? asks

What are the flags beside the US flag at Trump's inauguration (marked by an arrow in the picture below)?

this answer was deleted by moderator with the reason given

Your answer also did not attempt to answer the question

which is exactly incorrect.

The answer provides facts relevant to the "stripes" on the U.S. flag being copied from the British East India Company flag, refuting the story that the flag is solely attributable to Betsy Ross.

The answer directly answers the question by providing historical political facts as to why the "stripes" of the flag attributed to "Betsy Ross" have their origin in the design of the British East India Company flag, and refutes the continuing romanticized story that "Betsy Ross" is the designer of the flag.

This is particularly importantly politically as the mythology of Betsy Ross designing the U.S. flag is still perpetuated today. While the Wikipedia page does state that attribution of the flag to Betsy Ross is "very likely incorrectly - attributed to Betsy Ross" the Wikipedia page has not mention whatsoever of the "stripes" being copied from the British East India Company flag, or that the "stripes" on the Grand Union Flag are copied from the British East India Company flag

The Betsy Ross flag is an early design of the flag of the United States, popularly – but very likely incorrectly – attributed to Betsy Ross, using the common motifs of alternating red-and-white striped field with five-pointed stars in a blue canton.

enter image description here

(The final flag of the East India Company)

enter image description here

(The "Betsy Ross" flag)

The answer is of historical and political importance as to the origin of the U.S. flag. The answer does directly answer the question, even if people were previously ignorant of the fact that the U.S. flag's "stripes" are derived or copied from the British East India Company flag. Once the political history of the U.S. flag is known, people cannot attribute the flag solely to "Betsy Ross", as that is simply an inaccurate description of the historical political origin of U.S. flag. That is, after having knowledge of the origin of the U.S. flag one can no longer look at the flag in pure ignorance; without any understanding of the flag's origin in the British East India Company's flag.

Users can "down" vote the answer all they want, if their sentiment or beliefs regarding their previous romanticized version of the designer of the U.S. flag is challenged. To delete the answer is a simply an incorrect decision made by a moderator. The answer should be immediately un-deleted.

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    Did you provide a source for your claim that the stripes are copied from the British East India Company's flag? I mean, I can see that they look similar, but so do the flags of Romania and Chad, and I don't think anyone believes that one of them copied the other. I know you have objections to having to cite sources, but in this instance, not doing that may not have helped your cause. – F1Krazy Sep 6 '18 at 19:14
  • @F1Krazy Yes, sources are attached to the answer. Do not object to having to cite sources. When sources are not cited, the source is this user. Will more than likely ask and answer own question. Though wait to accept own answer until other answers or posted. – guest271314 Sep 6 '18 at 19:15
  • @F1Krazy politics.stackexchange.com/questions/33465/… – guest271314 Sep 6 '18 at 20:28
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Your answer was deleted and should remain deleted because the only thing it adds is supplementary information to an already existing answer. We know this because it begins as follows:

It is interesting that the link (Wikipedia) to the so-called "Betsy Ross" flag at the accepted answer does not include the historical origin of the so-called "Betsy Ross" flag.

Nor, does the link to the "Grand Union Flag" page at Wikipedia from the "Betsy Ross" page give any mention to the fact that the "stripes" on the so-called "Betsy Ross" flag was copied from the British East India Company flag.

One of the goals of Stack exchange is to maintain a high "Signal-to-noise" ratio. That means that answers should be simple and to the point. You should avoid posting extra information that is not crucial to answering the question, and the very purpose of your answer was to add this non-crucial information.

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    The information is crucial. The portion of the answer referring to other answers is important though not significant; it can be removed and the answer stands on its own. The myth of Betsy Ross designing the U.S. flag persists in the U.S. People can easily go their entire lives saluting or honoring the U.S. flag without ever having knowledge that the flag is copied from the British East India Company flag, which is a political and historical travesty. The U.S. flag is essentially the British East India Company flag with stars being substituted for Union Jack. Knowledge of that fact is important – guest271314 Sep 6 '18 at 17:49
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    @guest271314 The reference to the other answer isn't the problem itself. It's just evidence that you knew that an answer had already been provided and that the only purpose of yours was to provide the supplementary information. – Sam I am says Reinstate Monica♦ Sep 6 '18 at 18:10
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    @guest271314 On another note, information being on-topic and information being "important" are not the exact same thing. You won't get very far trying to convince people that information is on-topic by trying to argue how important that information is. – Sam I am says Reinstate Monica♦ Sep 6 '18 at 18:14
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    @guest271314 it's important that people understand how to do basic arithmetic, but that doesn't mean that an answer about how to do basic arithmetic is appropriate for a question about flags. – Sam I am says Reinstate Monica♦ Sep 6 '18 at 18:15
  • "the only purpose of yours was to provide the supplementary information" That is a preposterous and unsubstantiated claim. Would have posted the answer without any answers being posted. Am not trying to "convince" anyone of anything. Only stated facts relevant to the flag posted at the OP at the answer. Yes, pointed out that neither the OP nor other answers mentioned the origin of the U.S. flag, though that is ancillary. The facts stand on their own. If necessary, will post own question as to the political origin of the U.S. flag, though the current question provides a premise to do so. – guest271314 Sep 6 '18 at 18:16
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    I think the fundamental disconnect here is this: though the current question provides a premise to do so. No, the answer does not provide a premise to post the political origin of the flag. If you want to post a new question, go ahead. – Sam I am says Reinstate Monica♦ Sep 6 '18 at 18:26
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    +1. I'd also add that answers can be edited for a reason. The best course of action in user's case here is to comment on the existing answer and ask them to include this historical information. – indigochild Sep 6 '18 at 18:34
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    @guest271314 - The origins of the flag are irrelevant to identifying what the flag is. That particular design is the "Betsy Ross flag". It doesn't matter where Betsy Ross got the idea, or even if she really created it - that's the name attached to the design, and so that's the answer to the question. Nothing further is required. – Bobson Sep 7 '18 at 12:57
  • @indigochild, That sounds like a futile edit-war. Clearly people prefer lovable folk heroines like Betsy Ross to multinational super-villains like the East India Company. Please outline an edit that wouldn't be contentious. – agc Sep 14 '18 at 15:23
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If revised attributions are confetti, the "right" answer to "Who painted those 1960s big eyes paintings?" is Walter Keane.

But if a design matters enough for somebody to take or be given credit for it, then a misleading attribution is less useful than an accurate one.

Suggested labels:

  • a "Betsy Ross" flag (note quotation marks)

  • an East India Company/"Betsy Ross" flag

  • a stretched EIC flag with "Betsy Ross" improvements

  • an EIC/BR flag

  • a EIC/GU/BR flag (where GU=Grand Union)

  • the first US flag

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