A neighbor just put up a large black flag on his porch.

[ShazzieB]

151. They did not sound mocking or insensitive to me.

This is a very large and diverse country, and some things that are very common in one area may be unheard of in another. For example, when my daughter was a teenager, we took a trip to see an old friend of mine in Arkansas, and my poor kid was completely freaked out by all the confederate flags on people's cars and such. I felt bad that I didn't think to warn her about that stuff (but proud to have raised a kid who was so appalled by it). It just didn't occur to me to prepare her for it, I guess because my husband and I have spent enough time down south that we just take that stuff for granted when we're down there. It didn't occur to me how it might look to a 17 year old who had spent most of her life in the Chicago area.

Getting back to the black flags, I don't think I've ever seen one of those myself, and I would love it if someone would be so good as to explain exactly what they are and what they mean. Among other things, I'm not even sure if we're talking about a flag that is solid black, or if "black flag" s shorthand for something else. I tried gogling "black flag," but the results were confusing.

EDITED TO ADD Thanks to other posts down thread, my questions been all been answered.