What is more offensive to you; book burning or flag burning?

Book burning is far more offensive to me. Flag burning is about voicing protest; book burning is about suppressing dissident voices.

Book burning, I don't know why.

Burning the American flag is more offensive to me

We should burn George Bush at the stake instead of the flag

This is a far too painful subject for me to comment on..

Book burning seems 100 times worse. Destroying information in hopes to keep it from people is worse than destroying a symbol.

Book burning. Immensely.
Flag burning does not bother me at all. I guess I don't understand wh it is offensive.

Book burning. I love in Fear and Loathing where Duke gets out a little American flag to sniff ether from, 'Yeah, why not?'

Book burning.

Book burning of course.

Book burning is about suppressing the voices of others, whereas burning a flag is just burning a symbol.

I like to burn books about flags.

Book burning

Books!

Either ones bad.

Book burning is far more offensive to me. I don't really care either way about flag burning.

book burning by a large margin, though I am not a huge fan of either

You know, from a practical point of view, burning books isn't that huge of a deal so long as the book isn't out of print. I mean these days, its not like you can't just make a pdf version of it, in which case you can make infinite copies. Its more the principle behind ignorance that bothers me.

Lets see here: Book burners are a bunch of dweebs who are ignorant and proud of the fact that they're ignorant. Flag burners are a bunch of dweebs who think its trendy to burn the symbol of the country which gave them the right to do it in the first place who half the time don't even know what they're protesting. btw-- not picking on liberals either, since its not just lefties to who burn flags. That douchebag Philips guy who protests gay solider funerals sure hell burned a lot of US flags too.

BOOK burning of course! Books mean a lot more to me than any flag ever did. Books stand for knowledge and the stifling of any knowledge bothers me.

Flag burning.
Have some respect, jerk.
What I mean is, there are tons of books, and tons of the same book. And yeah, there are alot of flags..but, I dunno.
I'm not an overly patriotic type, and I'd probably be very upset if all the books were burned. But in a single act, what would irk me more, would be the flag.
It started it all. Although, knowledge is good..

Flag burning I guess, it is the symbol of our country, I do feel a bit offended when I see the american flag burning in Iraq.

Hi fellow Australian, so what did you think of the election?

book burning
there is no cloth that holds my love

...and flags w/ books on 'em.

Book burning.

Flag burning doesn't bother me a bit.

I've been known to rescue boxes of books from peoples' garbage piles. Books should not be thrown away or burned.

I would be offended if the Bible was being burned.

book burning.

Very happy. How bout yourself? Interesting to see if Howard also loses his seat - do they know yet?

Both piss me off, but book burning would be worse.

I'm pretty happy about it I never liked John Howard, he wasn't as bad as Pauline Hanson though, I heard it could take weeks before they find out.

Oh right. Yeah Howard was too old anyhow

Yeah I think he should just retire personally, he's already made too much of an idiot out of himself over the past few years

It would depend. I'd be more upset to see Canadian flag burning than some other flag burning, but it wouldn't really offend me. With books it's different. I know some books are a waste of paper, but free speech is free speech and I respect it. I can't really compare the two, but book burning is really bad (and wasteful and polluting).

What is more offensive to you; book burning or flag burning?

No Other: option for this one, I want honest responses.

No room here for middle of the road. So… BOOK BURNING! A flag is symbolic and representative but books are knowledge and that is more valuably than a symbol.

I think that's why it was such a landslide. He just doesn't get that he doesn't understand people. Saying that Aussies have never been better off? What a joke. Not with these house prices! And everything else.

Book Burning I guess, though really neither.

Flag burning. A book is just a book while a flag is a symbol of a country.

Not for American Citizens to do. Other bastards do it and I'd kill them if I could.

> Flag burning. A book is just a book while a flag is a symbol of a
> country.

Looks like you and I are the only ones that think so.

What makes a flag not just a flag? A book can be a symbol of knowledge, of the right to read potentially 'risky' materials.

I think symbols don't have much value. It's all emotion and sentiment. Words are worth more.

When people burn books, there's usually some information inside that they don't want other people to see. It's as if they want less in circulation, less people to have access to it. Yeah, they are only making a tiny dent as far as that goes, but it's offensive because they are playing 'nanny'. It's a very self-righteous, patronizing position to take. I am offended by anything that suggests we can't handle certain information or certain freedoms.

People burning the flag seem to be doing it either because they oppose something the country is doing, or they want to play that silly ironic 'statement' game about freedom of speech. Neither of those positions are offensive to me.

I think that the main people of Australia that he was most beneficial as a prime minister was probably the more upper class Caucasians more then anyone else, what do you think of Kevin Rudd? I think he's okay though people I know don't really agree with his opinions and new rules, etc.

I like Kevin Rudd, we'll see what the next few years holds.

I don't think you can compare the two. When one imagines flag burning, one imagines someone burning a flag. When one imagines book burning, one imagines a mountainous bonfire of books.

Systematic book burning is far more offensive then flag burning. But, let's be realistic. I'd be far more offended by the burning of the Union Flag than the burning of a single copy of The Da Vinci Code.

You'd like Stephen Fry's 'blessay' Fame.

'Dan Whatsit and his preposterously awful Leonardo book are actually relevant to our theme. I usually last longer with any best-selling novel, however pathetic, than I did with his. But in his case I knew from the very first word that this was a writer of absolutely zero interest, insight, wit, understanding or ability. A blunderer of monumental incompetence. The first word, can you credit it, is ‘renowned’. ‘Renowned symbologist Henry Titfeather ….’ or something equally drivelling, that’s how this dreadful book opens. How do you begin to explain to someone that you just don’t start a fictional story by telling your readers that your character is ‘renowned’? You show it, you don’t tell it.'

I've already read it. A friend of mine told me about a few weeks back. I particularly liked that revelation that, "I expect you get really annoyed by people coming up to you…" is the single most predictable and boring thing you can possibly to a famous person.

Books contain wisdom and/or knowledge. Even if it is bad or bogus information, it is information which should not be destroyed, as a warning to future generations. A flag is merely a badge for a group of people united by geography or some other factor. Flag-burning is taboo in the USA; in many other countries it is ignored.

I guess he got my belated election vote for the whole lost generation apology.

book

both are wastes of time, symbolic actions like that i find as lazy and pathetic cries for attention. if you want to make a difference don't lend yourself to minor acts of violence try thought and effort instead. no need to respond just my opinion.

Neither particularly offends me, but I tend think of flag-burning as an action taken by individuals, whereas book-burning is often performed by a state. That would make the book-burning more offensive, just as I find capital punishment more offensive than murder.