Do you know these mysterious flags??

[@JJMcCullough]

After some searching, it appears a number of you have identified the purple flag as being the symbol of a fringe organization called the "The American National Union of The United States of America." It appears to be a fairly extreme libertarian/antigovernment group that's closer to the "sovereign citizens" set. But not a large or influential group, even within the libertarian subculture, and with a decidedly difficult-to-Google name. There is actually very little information about them online in any form. They seem to use this flag, albeit with gold rather than white bars, however. Although maybe the photo in this video is just too brightly lit for that to be obvious. Or maybe this is just another one of those "the dress" type situations where my eyes can't perceive gold when it appears so close to blue and purple.

[@Hexagonius-js8tl]

The Tamil Tigers were a terrorist organisation that occurred the north of Sri Lanka, as a Sri Lankan Tamil all they caused was harm.

[@SylviaRustyFae]

As i look at the pic of it on the trailer im startin to think it is a the dress situation... As that white doesnt look quite white to me but i cant quite see it as clearly gold. Ofc, cud just be the gold strip has worn tho wud expect the colours to have faded more... Then again some colour dyes fade slower than others.

[@RockiesCanada]

I was going to suggest sovereign citizens. Definitely fits the libertarian archetype, but it also looks like a variation of what could be a US state flag. Honestly it kinda looks like the flag of Belize sans emblem. And Porcfest isn't just a "libertarian camping trip". It's strongly associated with the Free State Movement. Many Libertarians see New Hampshire as the state that has the least taxes/infringes on their freedoms the least. The Free State Movement encourages Libertarians to move to New Hampshire on mass to influence New Hampshire politics to become more libertarian.

[@1776SOL]

That makes sense as purple is the boundary marking color for "No Trespass / Private Property". I'm a fairly little "l" libertarian individual who looks at the LP as a clown car of "Individualists" who do little to move the needle towards liberty bc they spend all their energy virtue-signaling their "individualism" & arguing about who is the most pure. This highly obscure flag just goes to prove my point.

[@WilliamHostman]

It is, itself, looking like a misappropriation of the US Coast Guard's Distinguished Service Medal's suspension ribbon. (the stripes are vertical on the ribbon, horizontal on the flag.) I immediately recognized the pattern as a ribbon rotated 90°. The stripe ratios are a dead match.

[@xanderjcliffe-musicreviews7740]

The flagship series on this channel

[@Flauset]

Flagflag on the channel

[@awfulzed]

That joke was just flagrant!

[@PASH3227]

AMEN!!!! I love this SO MUCH!!!

[@MaybeMintz]

Nice

[@guywitcurlyhair]

Good one!

[@Sim0n98]

JJ: Let's do something a bit more light hearted! Also JJ: Your friend has posted a flag from a Sri Lankan terrorist group

[@Birb728]

Bro just posted cringe 💀

[@breadman32398]

Most flags were probably terrorist flags at some point. The NC courthouse one could probably be counted as that.

[@drewjanus4643]

@@breadman32398 rebel flags and terrorist flags I would argue are very different

[@rey_8834]

@@drewjanus4643 i mean, what defines terrorist as opposed to rebel? The one from the video was very much a rebel/separatists flag for independence from Sri Lanka.

[@holdenennis]

@@drewjanus4643 How?

[@ziebelzubel]

So you're saying that Gregor MacGregor was the original Florida Man?

[@Gean_Playz_YT]

Yes and WHILE STILL BEING A DIVISONAL GENERAL IN VENEZUELA BECAUSE SIMON BOLIVAR ACTUALLY TOLD HIM TO GO TO FLORIDA TO GET FUNDS

[@deborahchasteen3206]

The Highlands MacGregors were known for their clan's profession: cattle thieving. So presumably this General MacGregor was breaking no cultural (handed-down) sanction on criminal grifts. I still enjoy the name of their 70s clan chief I met as a child, Sir Gregor MacGregor of MacGregor.

[@gozillatheape2461]

I was searching for a comment like this XD

[@I-Libertine]

This doesn't seem Canadian enough. (A message from your friendly government content monitor.)

[@Duck-wc9de]

-5 points to JJ's canadian credit

[@themoviedealers]

Gregor McGregor Scottish though, so one degree of separation from Canadian. No points docked.

[@kingding-a-ling9794]

🤣🤣 love this

[@Why_It]

4/10 Didn't speak enough Canadian-French.

[@BS-vx8dg]

@@themoviedealers Bingo! I used to live near Amelia Island, but when I heard the name Gregor McGregor I was not thinking Florida, but was actually expecting J.J. to make a Canadian connection joke.

[@emmeline.reinhardt]

Yesterday, I saw an Isle of Man flag in my small town in Upstate NY. My family was impressed/slightly concerned that I identified it immediately lol. Told them that I like studying flags. Thank u for another obscure flag video, JJ!!

[@howdoipickaname9815]

i once identified the flag of texas when my grandpa showed me a picture

[@Balthorium]

The three leg flag. It’s fun to annoy people with obscure knowledge. Particularly when you are a stoner and ironically know more than they do sober.

[@Idontknowyou05]

Same, I've surprised my parents with stupid flags or maybe a country on a map they couldn't tell the name of, etc etc, my response most the time is that I look at maps on a game for fun

[@wolfiejor7124]

I saw one too in my small town in southern Indiana on this woman's car i see the car once ina while at the store lol

[@Canuckcrisis]

Sicilian flag or Isle of Man flag, which is more bizarre?

[@chancyleclown3887]

I was starting to miss the flag content, palate thoroughly cleansed!

[@TheStickCollector]

Same

[@cormorantcolors]

It feels like JJ tried to cram the word “Missouri” into the script as many times as possible after getting all those comments about it. If so, I respect that lol

[@fun_police8011]

Is pronouncing “Missouri” like that a Canadian thing or just a JJism?

[@balsawoodbones]

@@fun_police8011 it’s common in older Missourians and the Midwest in general. You’ll rarely find anyone under 50 saying it in Missouri

[@Ozma2]

I assumed it was something he picked up off Abe Simpson, "I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I regonise Missourah!".

[@rnglillian8081]

@@balsawoodbones it awakens something deep within me that makes me cringe so hard every time he says it as someone from Missouri

[@Gwenpool2369]

As a born and raised citizen Missouri, I have heard three different ways of pronouncing Missouri. That is indeed one of them. Misery is another

[@guywitcurlyhair]

I’m glad JJ is taking a break from all of the seriousness, and instead we get one of my favorite topics that he talks about! Definitely the ginger to my sushi. Thank you :) This is also a great gift for school ending yesterday :D

[@JML6988]

Wow, I usually only consume ginger as part of a Bento box meal. For me, sushi needs no complement. 😇

[@PASH3227]

I'm going to start using that expression, "ginger to my sushi". I love it!!

[@guywitcurlyhair]

@@PASH3227 no need to credit me :)

[@cursorguy]

Damn school just ended for you? Then again we go back in early august

[@guywitcurlyhair]

@@cursorguy yeah. It’ll be nice to relax for a little bit though. Even if literally everyone else got out before me

[@remybedard9940]

If I were to guess, the last flag could be an alternate New Hampshire flag. New Hampshire’s flag is notoriously of the seal on a bedsheet variety. Purple is the official state color and is associated with NH in other ways like the state flower (Purple Lilac) and the state bird (Purple Finch)

[@cr9057]

something that supports this claim is the "Free State Project" which was a somewhat failed attempt to have libertarians move to New Hampshire to try and make it a yellow state, and this flag was flown alongside the Gadsden flag. Perhaps this guy is a Free Stater who likes this specific design for new hampshire.

[@chickenravioli]

@@cr9057 PorcFest is a free stater festival

[@dstinnettmusic]

Yeah but purple has monarchist associations. Would be weird for it to be directly related to libertarianism. My guess is it relates to the Iroquois confederacy, perhaps some type of interest or endorsement of their method of organizing. Libertarians tend to fetishize Native American culture, and the Iroquois were a big influence on the founding fathers when designing the constitution. Also plays into the history of that area.

[@SoWhiteItHurts]

@@dstinnettmusic purple was associated with the libertarian right prior to the omni-presence of the Gadsden flag in the libertarian movement(leading to the yellow/gold). Old political compasses used purple for lib-right. I think it's like Communism and the American Republican party, red can mean many things and purple can too.

[@amrosk]

@@dstinnettmusic It would not be that weird for monarchist to be found among libertarians, with a good amount of them preferring it over democracy.

[@rcnanofalcon]

I'd just like to clarify that while the Tamil Tigers were a Sri Lankan Tamil separatist movement, they also had massive popular support in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which is ethnically and linguistically Tamil as well. This famously caused headaches in relations between the Tamil Nadu state government and the Indian federal government. Eshan's friend is possibly an Indian Tamil, which could explain his support for the group.

[@adanactnomew7085]

I'd love to see a video on 🌈 colours🌈 and how cultures separate them into basic categories. Like how English has 12 (pink red orange beige brown yellow green blue purple white grey and black), which is odd because beige and brown are really just shades of orange, as is pink is to red, but we don't have special categories for cyan or magenta, which get lumped with blue or pink despite really being with own thing.

[@syryquil]

I'd consider beige a sub color of brown but the rest are about right

[@jdsonic3000]

@@syryquil lfob v

[@chancyleclown3887]

I never considered how different cultures see color, I’d be very interested to learn about it

[@cshaffrey3438]

In Russian I believe light blue and dark blue are regarded as different colours

[@adanactnomew7085]

@@syryquil i think beige is bordering on its own thing. There are things that are beige (sand, acomputer from the 80s) that we wouldn't really call brown, but instead beige

[@EdinMike]

Recognised the Tamil Tigers one straight away, and I honestly haven’t heard that phrase since the 90s here in Scotland, can’t remember why though ! I’m guessing something happened in the news…

[@technetium9653]

The Tigers have lost, so their organisation is at least changed and different from the time

[@arkadeepkundu4729]

Probably got something to do with the recent economic collapse in Sri Lanka & the massive protests there.

[@kailash4799]

Also popularly known as LTTE

[@bonifacemathew2463]

They were extremists and even assassinated one of most loved prime ministers of India I don't really remember what the cause of conflict between them and India at the time was but you get a real bad name after pulling off something like that

[@kailash4799]

@@bonifacemathew2463 bruh. They are a liberation army. They did what all liberation armies did. Also "most loved" lol .. far cry. Also, ex PM . And he was withdrawing support and fighting the LTTE instead of defending them from SL army. First go find a history book and not congress propoganda.

[@darreljones8645]

I love how JJ refers to all the e-mail writers as "my friend".

[@Mimi.1001]

JJ refers to everyone as "friends", even the Canadian parliament.

[@robgronotte1]

We're all friends here.

[@lauscar]

This is ultra-nerdy, but I thought that Taiwan flag looked familiar, and it turns out it was used in a plot point in a late West Wing epsiode! The president inadvertently accepts it from a crowd, and it causes a whole diplomatic incident with China...

[@SamAronow]

Yes! That’s how I knew what it was when he showed it!

[@HueyPPLong]

So the CCP is also against the ROC relinquishing it’s claim to be the one true China? I see why Taiwan wouldn’t give this label up if they want to rule over all of China one day. But giving up the claim they have on 100% of the CCPs territory would be a good thing for China I would imagine. But then again I can see that as long as Taiwan continues to claim to be the “real China” then the CCP can continue to claim Taiwan as well since they’re both claiming to be China. Taiwan turning towards a pseudo indigenous Taiwanese independence ideology would probably make it much harder for CCP to take them over one day at least optically.

[@ianmoore3470]

Omg that’s how I instantly knew that I literally watched that episode two days ago😂

[@juno3254]

@@HueyPPLong Yes it's true that CCP is against the idea of Taiwan changing their constitution and giving up its claims of Mainland China. Which is ironic because the CCP had always rejected the ROC's claim of the Mainland as well, where the CCP had actually refused to refer to Taiwan as the Republic of China, but instead refers to it as the "region of Taiwan"(臺灣地區) -- to signify that the ROC also shouldn't exist and Taiwan should be a part of the PRC. There has been a meme going on of the Taiwanese national identity that many people might be familiar with: Taiwan: I am China China: No, you're not Taiwan: Ok, then I am Taiwan China: No, you are China This essentially represents the ironic PRC-ROC situation, where originally ROC Taiwan's goal was to reinvade the Communist Mainland, but throughout the decades the Taiwanese had regained a new Taiwanese national identity. So nowadays the Taiwanese had largely abandoned the goal to reinvade the Mainland, instead people now just want to separate entirely from China and have their own independent country --- Taiwan instead.("One Country Each Side/一邊一國") So the Taiwanese today began to recognize the CCP as the legitimate China, only because they don't consider themselves as Chinese anymore, but this new national identity seems to upset China even further, because it's a kind of separatist movement. It seems like the ultimate goal of the CCP is to annex Taiwan as a part of the PRC. And I think that based on how bellicose the CCP has become during the past few years, they might actually use military force to invade Taiwan if the island were to actually change the constitution and renounce its claims on Mainland China. Which does sound really ironic because theoretically it would work in favor of the CCP's traditional rhetoric, but the CCP actually deems this as the most unacceptable policy that would trigger a war. As much as I support the Taiwanese I think that the safest condition for them would be for Taiwan to maintain the status quo. So that it could buy more time to keep strengthening its military capabilities and increase cooperation with the U.S., in order to defend itself from a future Chinese invasion. The status quo has been quite beneficial for Taiwan anyway, because it has been a de-facto independent country since 1945, and it was able to achieve economic development and also the citizens are able to enjoy the liberal democratic system independent from the CCP. I just fear that a war might make them lose all these things that they have at the moment.

[@FalloutProto]

I got east Asia almost immediately. Though i probably wouldn’t have guessed taiwan

[@notoriouswhitemoth]

The return to vexillology is a welcome change of pace!

[@akshat.jaiswal]

Yeah much needed

[@SchilkeSmooth]

So a few notes. There’s a slight chance that the guy could be Indian and not Sri Lankan given there a lot of Indian Tamils that have sympathies to the LTTE. Granted though, this is unlikely and would probably be someone from the political fringes of Indian Tamils. But there is a possibility as the Tamils are a transnational ethnic group. As for the New Hampshire flag, I’ve spent a bit of time in northern New Hampshire and I have two possible guesses, but Google did not support them at all. The first is that it is a flag that’s been “retconned” for the short lived Republic of Indian Stream on the northern tip of NH. The second is that it could be a flag for the Connecticut River Valley b/w Vermont and NH. There are some minuscule secessionist movements, similar to Cascadia but even smaller, in Northern New England as well and it could be for that. After looking at PorcFest, I wouldn’t be surprised.

[@akshat.jaiswal]

Yeah I'm indian and i instantly recognized ltte flag

[@fenrirsdaughter9880]

Another thread said it's for a movement called the American National Union. They apparently have a youtube channel, but I'm concerned if I click on it my youtube recomendations might get crazy.

[@ndesi62]

I would say way more than a slight chance. Among politically-active and/or very-online Indian Tamils, it's fairly common to be supportive of or at least sympathetic towards the LTTE. And all kinds of emotions have been flaring up recently due to the economic crisis in Sri Lanka.

[@manitdoshi]

There are far more tamils in india than in srilanka so he was statistically more probably indian

[@Granticus3000]

I’ve lived in North Carolina my whole life and while I won’t say that the Guilford Courthouse flag is common, it’s definitely not uncommon either. There’s a lot of them (usually as miniaturized desk versions) at a lot of local museums

[@higbort]

never seen it. from charlotte.

[@MasterOfTwisted]

I live in the banks and I ain’t seen one.

[@nevreiha]

the earl who is namesake to guilford was earl of the city of Guildford in Surrey, England. (gildfud)

[@ivorywind9739]

Used to live near Guilford courthouse, they definitely displayed it there, but rarely saw it outside of the courthouse area

[@amelialonelyfart8848]

I live near Guilford and haven't heard of it until now. Granted, I don't leave the house much...

[@thechacokid1599]

I’ve been watching your content for a little over a year and I have to say I find your sound design to be incredibly pleasing. Those NES sounds just hit right

[@hyrulianwhovian5399]

I've driven by that exact LGBTQ Hashing flag multiple times before and never really thought about it; it was pretty surreal to see somewhere I knew in of these videos!

[@Ray_Vun]

tbh if i walked past that i would've assumed it was something to do with foot fetishes

[@liammccoy7502]

I grew up in Columbia and went to MU so yeah cool to see a place I knew in a video for tve first time

[@gepplebelby8935]

I know, right? Ive always seen it down on stadium, but never bothered to look it up

[@morganmumma6599]

I drive past it pretty much everyday! Agree it's cool to see something just down the street from me on this channel

[@izzyj.1079]

@@Ray_Vun Unfortunately, that's a fair assumption these days. Lot of folks trying to make kinks a big thing in the community

[@spencerbailey208]

I find it interesting how you pronounce Missouri, because usually the only people that ever say Missour-uh are people that are from certain areas of Missouri. For instance, I'm from Southeastern Missouri and 99% of people say Missour-ee. But according to ABC News a lot of people in West and Northwestern Missouri say Missour-uh, so it's interesting to me how a Canadian would choose to say Missour-uh, especially since I'd say most Missourians and people from other places say Missour-ee

[@willyeeton4390]

To pitch in, I'm from coastal Virginia and have traveled down to Florida now and again for my whole life. this is my first time hearing anything but Missour-ee. I suppose it's a more northern pronunciation.

[@isaacvandoren4733]

That was very intriguing to me also

[@nicenoise2829]

@@willyeeton4390 Every other Canadian I know calls it's Missour-ee. I think he's just trying to say it as he thinks a local would.

[@geznicks]

He's doing it to generate comments

[@rnglillian8081]

I'm from the Kansas City area and I never really hear it said that way around here and assumed it was a southeastern thing lol. Made me cringe every time he said it that way

[@erilassila409]

I wanna tell you about a flag mystery I solved all by myself. I saw a lot of St Andrews cross flags, which are identical to Scottish flags, flying alongside Spanish flags in southern Tenerife. I didn't think much of it at first since Tenerife gets a lot of English and Scottish tourists and immigrants, so I thought it was just the scots celebrating their own heritage alongside Spanish culture. Turns out it was just the flag of Tenerife, which happens to be pretty much identical with the Scottish saltire. 😂

[@tekmogm5979]

Most cross flags are used by several places/people, Saint George's cross is used by England, Genoa, Milan and others, and the Amelia Island flag is almost identical to that of the Order of Saint Lazarus.

[@SalutExpla]

As much as I love the serious and unique videos as of late, simple flag mysteries or other videos of that nature are a delight

[@georgeiii2998]

Over 13 minutes of JJ? It's a good day.

[@JJMcCullough]

This is actually significantly less JJ than usual

[@georgeiii2998]

@J.J. McCullough Oh well. Shorts and Twitter fill in the gaps.

[@JoyJournal]

His videos are usually around 15-30 mins long lol

[@graycockerpunch6191]

can’t tell which ongoing series of jj’s i like more, mysterious flags or the american food cultural canon explained

[@j.pollman3360]

I drive past that On-On flag every day in Columbia, Mo. I recognized the street immediately. Love that I learn more about a flag in my town from a Canadian.

[@dagalaiphusaerobindus646]

Thanks, JJ! It’s crazy how much history can be behind just a simple design.

[@lukeoz7254]

I agree. Especially interesting is how the meaning of different flags can change regardless of historical context. Also nice flag find.

[@harriotlovesyou4334]

as it turns out, the mystery flag is the flag of the "American national union," which as far as I can tell is a union for business owners

[@harriotlovesyou4334]

looking into it more the ANU also seems to be affiliated with conspiracy theory stuff about the WHO and LGBTQ+ community being satanic in nature, though I can't tell if it's part of the same organization or the guy I found just uses the flag and similar name

[@GuyEatingFudge]

7:03 a little FYI, flag poles being included is typically indicative of a shipping company, presumably to represent the flag being flown on ships.

[@gregoryhunter7413]

I’ve loved all the super serious videos you’ve been making recently, but this little light hearted break was fun. I love the wide range in topics you cover

[@DrgoFx]

Hello! I am actually someone who has been on several Hashes and can provide some more context!! So for starters, Hash House Harriers is a pretty global, international thing as a result of it being a British thing and thus foreign diplomats and such would take it with them when they traveled abroad. The "scavenger" hunt it basically the idea that you, the runner, is playing the part of the Hounds and you are tracking down the Hare, who is person who set the trail. Some runs called Live Hare Runs involve the Hare still in the midst of setting the trail, dead ends and all, usually because they overslept and the objective is to catch them. After a run, it's custom to stand in a circle and drink based on what happened on the run in relation to a bunch of vague arbitrary rules, a good number of which being made up on the spot. Hashers typically are vulgar college types but there are family friendly Hashes like the ones I went to growing up. Hashes are viewed as an escape from the troubles of reality, be that work/school or politics so discussing such things is considered in poor taste and will result in you forced to chug/pour a drink on your head during the circle. To further emphasize this culture of no worries, everyone earns a Hash Name at some point to keep things hash/hobby related. My Hash name is Sugarbowl, my dad is Lost Prick, and I had an IT teacher who I knew from hashing before he was my teacher. His name was "Hanging Dick". Made seeing him at school awkward because I didn't know how to call for his attention.

[@desmondthebear1073]

Yeah it was nice to see Hashing on such a global platform considering how underground the sport can be. on-on.

[@buffler111]

Doing G’s work right here!

[@Ojisan642]

Count Dankula did a whole Mad Lads video on Gregor MacGregor. The dude was a legend.

[@hwangbigdong]

Finally more flag content, I was starting to get worried about if the real JJ was still here or if he was replaced by sadness

[@peytonzosh3802]

Love the flag series, that's why I started, ur personality is why I stayed

[@DGPHolyHandgrenade]

for the last flag, I can see that as a custom job; may be a family or organization that is small and decided to use the flag to allow people to find them at such camping events. The position says it may be a leadership or some other signifying flag since it flys at the top of the pole and above the gadsen flag. A few of my hobbies include camping events, and banners/flags are an important part for marking a campsite and putting them prominently so that others may find the camp. All of those are custom jobs though, and when you get into silk painting, it's pretty easy for some of these flags to look more professionally done than trying to hobble some stitching together. The see through nature of the 2nd pic of the flag leads me to believe this may have been hand done silk painting.

[@JJMcCullough]

Interesting!

[@akkar8726]

I remember reading this particular book on extinct countries which mentioned MacGregor's scams, mainly Poyais. He really is an interesting trickster.

[@helloyoutube5042]

My favourite guy uploaded. Saturday suddenly got a lot better. 😊

[@franciscoflamenco]

A bit on the terminology here: While calling Taiwanese independence proponents "nationalists" might be technically accurate, in the context of Taiwanese politics the word "nationalist" is reserved for the "blue" party, KMT/TNP, which are the ones that one to uphold the one china policy. It's basically a matter of Chinese nationalism being called "nationalism" and Taiwanese nationalism being called something else. It should also be noted that the Democratic Progressive Party, the party in control of Taiwan and in favour of independence, is for all intents and purposes a left wing party (as the name suggests), yet it's more opposed to communism than the "right wing" TNP, since the latter is generally not opposed to rapprochement with the Beijing government.

[@glib683]

The DPP is a big-tent party, there are both social conservatives and social liberals in the party. Independence-status quo-unification is a bigger division than left-right in Taiwan.

[@BBarNavi]

The Kuomintang has NEVER stopped calling itself the Chinese Nationalist Party.

[@franciscoflamenco]

@@BBarNavi I'm well aware.

[@loganfaucher]

I live right next to amelia Island, and I can say that we have this flag everywhere, but it really isn't super prevalent on it's own. Like you said, we are known for having several flags that flew over the area at some point in time which we hold with equal regard. You are just as likely to see the french blue and yellow fleur de lis flag around here as the McGreggor one. So yea, thanks for doing your research! It makes me proud of my small town!

[@SpektakOne]

I grew up in Scarborough (the east end of Toronto) which I understand has one of the largest Sri Lankan communities in the world. I would see that Tamil Tigers flag quite often; one of those times was during a fight between two Tamil gangs that took place in the parking lot of the Canadian Tire where I worked. Swords were involved. Oddly, not the craziest story from working at that Canadian Tire location.

[@mungo...]

The Tamil Tigers were having a bake sale at my uni in southern Ontario years ago. When they approached me to donate I told them to f-off because they were a terrorist group and the university should ban them from trying to fundraise on campus. Got a few dirty looks from people who were unaware who the LTTE were.

[@maenad1231]

You’re so in tune with your audience JJ. I definitely needed this palate cleanser 😇

[@UltraBlazer50]

It always makes my day whenever one of these gets uploaded, and one of the flags being in Missouri (my home state) was a great surprise!

[@JamesOKeefe-US]

Our JJ is to vexillology what the Sacramento History Museum is to woodcuts. That is to say oddly hip in the area of esoteric subjects 🤣🤣 A wonderful and comforting diversion to start the weekend. Thank you as always JJ. Happy Saturday everyone!!

[@riiitch]

JJ + flags = a fine Sunday evening. Feels even better I'm enjoying this vid with another 120k people

[@randolph4421]

I love this channel. It brings such a feeling of security even in the scariest of times.

[@martind349]

Thanks for standing up JJ

[@masonp.6255]

I LOVE THIS SERIES! PLEASE KEEP DOING IT JJ 🥺

[@johnnytex1040]

Fact check; the government of the Chinese mainland during the Republican era wasn't based in Peking/Beijing, but in Nanking/Nanjing. Does this matter to 99.9% of people? No. But still.

[@skaftonmd8916]

As a life long Missourian - it’s Missouri, not Missoura… only the country folk in western Missouri pronounce it Missoura (along with some local politicians).

[@trexthethird4622]

Glad I am not the only one that got triggered by that lol

[@zachthehun3531]

No he pronounces it perfectly

[@TheAserghui]

@@trexthethird4622 only time people use the A with me are folks who knows their mispronounciation triggers me Such is life

[@pakkmann]

just because only country folk use it doesn't make it wrong. It's older, more traditional, and certainly used FAR LESS these days... just as accents tend to fade away, the local pronunciations have been more or less smothered. Let me say this, my late grandparents are both from Missouri and have names whose spellings don't really appear to match their sound in "General American." But a name is a name, and both use the same general old school pronunciations that give us Missourah. So just as I'd defend their names, I think I'd defend the fact that people use both MissouREE and MissouRUH. Cheers.

[@dernickjung342]

You're really on a streak at the moment. Every Video, you have produced in the last couple of weeks, is interesting, informative and you really seem motivated and happy. Keep it up, great work. Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪

[@qwerty9170x]

Those are the colors of the Libertarian Free State Project trying to get Libertarians to move to New Hampshire. Given the context, its almost certainly a flag for Free State Projecteers.

[@Gooseduke]

The Free State Project’s Flag is the same as the Don’t Tread On Me Flag with a porcupine in place of the snake though

[@leviticus1392]

As a resident of Amelia Island i can say that that flag isnt a common thing to see. You would mainly see it in big events like its shrimp boat festival.

[@WillfromTO]

JJ! This is my favourite series of videos that you do - thanks for another. I wanted to ask why you pronounce Missouri as "Missourah" and New Hampshire as "Hampshyre" - is that a local accent (similar to the aboots?) Love the channel!!

[@FinalLugiaGuardian]

0:53 I've seen that flag is in person. It's in St. Augustine, Florida near the Castilio de San Marco fort.

[@TheSecretPower]

4:14 The capital of the Kuomintang's Republic of China was located in Nanjing, so technically the flag was never flown by a Beijing based Chinese government.

[@ericwilson8867]

I quite enjoy the heavy videos but I appreciate a break with the simpler video; and for mental health.

[@jurassichrist]

Have you considered covering the topic of heraldry?

[@454turbojet8]

Hey, JJ, your video where you spoke against Bill C-11 was awesome. BC LOVES J.J. MCCULLOUGH! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@cpe8633]

It’s always a good day when JJ uploads. Thanks for the content!

[@baileygrace9712]

You know what? This is the first time I’m actually interested in a sponsor for a YT video. I’m kind of isolated, so I think learning new things would help me out in the long run. Thanks for sharing.

[@SecretSquirrelFun]

3:34AM in Newtown, Sydney Australia and I open my eyes just as your notification popped up... and I couldn’t resist. So now I’m awake. Last video you mentioned a quote from one of your favourite writers. About getting to the White House and finally meeting the really smart people - which book was that from please? Happy Pride 🌈🇦🇺

[@JJMcCullough]

I believe it was just from “Politics”

[@SecretSquirrelFun]

@@JJMcCullough thanks JJ

[@JayAcker]

It's always fun to see someone unfamiliar try to explain Hash House Harriers, and you've got the spirit down pretty good! It is a lot of fun and very intensely anti-serious. Though to nitpick a few points the term "hashing" doesn't necessarily mean running but the first members of the club of British friends would meet at a restaurant called the Hash House in Kuala Lampur in the 1930's, and hashing isn't restricted to college culture but goes much beyond that and around the world with for example American military bases just as likely to have a group as a college town might.

[@sabbs_]

Gregor Macgregor was the og “Florida Man”

[@sdeepj]

That’s what I thought immediately

[@alexstark5568]

I am now going deep down the rabbit hole of hashing and want to organize one. Thanks JJ for the never ending stream of interesting and obscure topics.

[@Pelicanecho420]

Gregor MacGregor Florida Man before there was Florida Man.

[@owenofhb8319]

Earlier today I was just thinking “I wonder when JJ McCullough will make a new video about Flag mysteries

[@KomradZX1989]

Oh JJ, hearing people call Missouri “Missour-ah” is like nails on a chalkboard to most of us who live here. Really only two kinds of people put an “ah” at the end: The uneducated/elderly and people who have never been to Missouri 😂 Come by and see the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, we’d love to have you! Cheers!

[@clintgillespie8579]

He probably learned his pronunciation of the state from Grandpa Simpson: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpSTXoemd7qCi9E

[@GermansLikeBeer]

Really? It sounds normal to me as a Kansan; I hear older people in the KC metro call it that all the time. Although, to be fair, dunking on Missouri is a Kansas pastime, so maybe they do it precisely because it makes Missourians uncomfortable.

[@Ray_Vun]

as an european, i'm curious about the normal pronounciation by those who are from it. i've always just said it how it's spelled, missoree, sorta like misery but with an o instead of an e

[@luckyblockyoshi]

@@Ray_Vun I’ve always pronounced it and heard it pronounced as “misery” but with the stress of the “ser” part instead of the “mi” part

[@KomradZX1989]

@@Ray_Vun oh I would love to see Europe. It’s always been on my bucket list. But yeah, as far as Missouri pronunciation goes, the people that live here and put an “ah” at the end also pronounce Washington as “Warsh-ing-ton”. I don’t know where the “r” comes from in that case and I’m Missouri’s case I’ve always treated the “i” at the end like you do with most other words that end in an “i” like spaghetti, ravioli… always an eeee

[@impalas1966]

Much love from California JJ. I came across your account a couple weeks ago watching KZbin Shorts and you’ve quickly became one of my favorite channels. Hope you can come visit California soon! definitely have to check out San Francisco and Santa Cruz

[@guthriebarrett]

It's funny to me that JJ says Missouri like that because usually only people from Missouri or other souther/midwest states say it like that

[@montyollie]

I know! And then purposefully follows it up by accentuating the SHIRE part of “New Hampshire”

[@spikeslobodian]

"it's a pretty niche collectable even by my standards" i died

[@POCLEE]

I'm a simple Taiwanese, I see heart and harmony, I up-vote.

[@TheEmuIRS]

When you pulled up the first flag I instantly recognized it and knew that Amelia Island would be mentioned, it’s such a treat to see our niche flag history pop up! ❤️

[@mr.ardinomars983]

I love this man Helps me stay interested in geography and just purely interesting!!!!

[@PikeProductions23]

Now we need a follow-up video called "All the different ways to pronounce Missouri"

[@dalemcleod3439]

I didn't know that was a thing #TIL

[@sub_par3174]

I actually saw a flag that looked just like that Purple and Blue design on r/vexillology where someone months back who I believe was from California had seen his neighbour fly that flag and I don’t think it was identified

[@JJMcCullough]

Intriguing!

[@sub_par3174]

Oh wow that reply was unexpected I just wanna say nice video J.J. I love all of your content

[@tessewact]

I remember seeing that! Seeing it in this video unlocked that memory

[@sub_par3174]

@@tessewact Yeah I have been trying to find the post again but I am not great at navigating Reddit

[@xanderb45]

Btw the flag is the American National Union flag I’m pretty sure

[@sammack1890]

Thanks JJ! I know you won't read this but I've been going through a lot lately and I needed a fun video to take my mind off things. You're one of my favorite creators and you've helped me through a lot even if you don't realize it

[@kkassam]

I strongly suspect the Charlottesville guy with the Guildford Courthouse flag was from North Carolina and that it was a historic patriotic symbol for him with local flavor.

[@JJMcCullough]

Oh yeah I forgot it’s right next-door

[@jamesquaine6264]

Thank you I always enjoy these kinda lighter videos more!

[@samjhemr]

My guess for the last flag is definitely also inconclusive. It bears similarity to flags such as Suriname, but purple is also commonly used for bisexuality(being the cross of pink and blue). I can imagine that this flag could be used for a subculture that is primarily attracted to men while also being attracted to women, hence the dominating blue stripe, although I believe that has a flag already.

[@tessewact]

Definitely not the case, i assume it would resemble the bisexual flag more in that case. And the venn diagram of people who would fly the Gadsden flag and a pride flag doesnt overlap much

[@xanderb45]

It’s the American National Union flag I believe

[@timetraveler2yearsago758]

This channel gives me the same feels I use to get watching PBS as a kid. I love it :)

[@giren0079]

My guess for the mystery flag is a pro monarchy flag. The purple and blue show up a lot in those flags. I've also met more than a few people who claimed to be libertarian but were actually monarchist, an example of this weird belief is Kaitlin Bennett and her husband they both said they were libertarian but when pressed they said they would prefer Christian Monarchy. I think the main idea they have is a Christian Monarchy would enforce strong morals but leave the market alone.

[@JJMcCullough]

What a dumb philosophy

[@themoviedealers]

I feel that enforcing strong morals would negatively effect the free market by definition so this is nonsense

[@postindustrial76]

Kaitlin Bennet is just some maga chick who says she's libertarian because she likes guns or whatever. Too many of them.

[@gow2ilove]

@@JJMcCullough Hi JJ, it's the flag of "The American National Union of The United States of America"

[@zainbeverly8420]

That’s so crazy. I live on Amelia island and I’ve watched your stuff forever. I slowly put the pieces together as you showed the first flag and said it was from Florida. Can’t believe my little island ended up being talked about by JJ. Love the Gregor Macgregor rendition btw.

[@jayl9387]

Oh wow, I go to the university of Missouri and have seen that flag while driving around.. it’s directly west of one of the dorm buildings I’ve lived in. It’s always weird, seeing KZbinrs mention Missouri. Doesn’t often get much attention.

[@Duck-wc9de]

One thing I find funny is the aparent randomness of american state names and borders to outsiders. I'm Portuguese, most american states are bigger and more populated than Portugal, and yet, they seem so... underrepresented. One thing I like to do is just get to google maps and find a new city in the US/canada. For instance, today I was checking one village in that little thing of oklahoma. Its so random.... I can't express the feeling... I also like to think, if people also check my area on google maps.

[@jayl9387]

@@Duck-wc9de Yeah, I kind of feel a two way relationship with American identity in this respect. The USA is mentioned everywhere all the time, so those mentions are impersonal the vast majority of the time. Yet if someone mentions Missouri, I get more excited wondering what they had to say. I suppose may be a similar feeling as what those who live in smaller countries feel when they are mentioned.

[@laggindragon7166]

@@jayl9387 this^^^^

[@theeclipsemaster]

The battle of courthouse flag looks really cool

[@iberianslivestreams9597]

It would be hilarious if that libertarian flag that was made by just one guy actually became a mainstream symbol lol.

[@delgado.adrian160]

There is a bit more to the story of MacGregor and Amelia Island, he had been sent to the US in 1817 to negotiate the end of American Support for Spanish Loyalists in the Independence of New Granada (under orders from Bolivar), and maybe invade Florida to force Spain to divert troops there. So, after spending a good portion of the money he'd brought with him, MacGregor rounded up some volunteers, and occupied the Island with the help of some French Privateers that were around the area and getting paid by either New Granada, or Mexican rebels. When he left, the privateers claimed the island for Mexico as well, until the US occupied the island later that year

[@hannah.b_765]

Ah, your flag videos never disappoint. It was a good palate cleanser from all the serious videos. Happy Pride, JJ! 🏳️‍🌈

[@jakewilburn6295]

Love that you pronounce it “Missourah” It’s mostly older people in the Show-Me-State that pronounce it that way. It is dying off in favor of “Missouree” which is the way 98% of people say it these days here in my home state. It was surprising to hear a Canadian pronounce it in a way I’ve only heard old farmers use. I wonder if that is more due to the Canadian accent or if that was intentional or accidental or what?

[@joy_gantic]

JJ I was just going through your Flag Mysteries series and wondering if you'd make another video. Thank you for giving us a new installment!

[@sanjai1038]

I'm watching your videos for quite some time now, and I really love to see your videos. But today when you mentioned Tamil, I felt so good. I'm not from sri-lanka rather from India(state : Tamil Nadu) it's really amazing to see this

[@namesurname1036]

I appreciate the break after these weeks of serious topics. Not saying I don't like them, only that it's nice to come back to our all-time favourite flag mysteries

[@shinyagumon7015]

Gregor McGregor: First Recorded instant of the "Florida Man" in the wild.

[@WanukeX]

4:13 - For the period the ROC was in power in mainland china from 1928-1949 the Capital was Nanjing not Beijing, so the current ROC flag never flew at all over Beijing as the Capital.

[@Txpilot7]

Like other people have pointed out, the mystery flag most likely belongs to the American National Union of The United States of America. Another organization uses a similar flag known as the North American National Party but their flag has a lion in the middle of it. If you look up the account General Post Union and look for the post on 12-15-21 you will see a poster for an assembly with the mystery flag and the organization’s seal. You can also find a document with meeting minutes if you search images for the American National Union.

[@NeonSolo]

I've enjoyed the recent videos but this one really excited me when I saw it in my subscriptions

[@TommyLamar]

Kinda good news for the last flag, Porc Fest is happening again in a little over a week in Lancaster NH, so we can get some boots on the ground and figure it out

[@PresAlexWhit]

J.J. you should do a video on a Land Value Tax and Georgism like Mr. Beat did to spread the message! It would be very interesting to hear your ideas on it considering Canada is vastly public land and uninhibited. It could serve as a key video to help people understand how exactly it would work in countries that are vastly deserted.

[@JJMcCullough]

I think it’s kind of a dopey idea tbh. No one takes it seriously except internet weirdos.

[@PresAlexWhit]

@@JJMcCullough that'll be me and the bunch on r/Georgism Lmao. It has been gaining alot of traction recently, but definitely not how much it had in the late 1800s. I'll say that if you listen to what it's about, it might grow on you too. Love the vids, man.

[@joelsmith3473]

Another great installment in J.J.'s award-winning series.

[@forthrightgambitia1032]

0:52 To be pedantic it is the flag of the Kingdom of Castile, which was one of the kingdoms - and the most important - that made up the Spanish crowns before they were unified by the Bourbons dynasty in the early 18th century. It is a quatering from Castile and also Leon, which were two medieval Spanish kingdoms that were unified via a dynastic marriage. Both the castle and purple lion (these symbols are obvious from the names of the kingdoms) are featured on the coat of arms inside the modern Spanish flahg. Also, this very same flag is the flag of the autonomous community of Castile and Leon within Spain. That quartering pattern happens in coats of arms when someone inherits a coat of arms through a female line. The flag of Maryland (based on the coat of arms of the Baltimore family) or the British royal standard are other examples of this. The chrysanthemum formed from the hearts in the Taiwanese flag is also quite controversial because of the Japanese association of that flower, remembering Taiwan was a Japanese colony between the late 19th century to WW2 and feeds the idea that Taiwanese independence is a front for Japanese imperialism that many Chinese believe. The guy with the Tamil tigers flag might be Indian too, albeit unlikely, as there is a whole state in south eastern India (Tamil Nadu) with a large Tamil population, some of whom naturally sympathise with their fellow Tamils in Sri Lanka.

[@danielgertler5976]

Been a while since a flag episode came out, would be nice to see a new one