In recent years, I have taken interest in displays of patriotism in the United States, especially in Indiana, where I was born and have spent most of my life.
Sometimes, flying the American flag or displaying patriotic signs is a reflection of genuine love of our country. Sometimes it is a cynical use of the flag and patriotic slogans for marketing businesses or politicians. The flag is often paired with religious expressions, such as the Ten Commandments, though the flag is not a religious symbol, and Christianity is a world religion.
Class is an issue too. The flag and other patriotic displays are, at least in my hometown, much less common in wealthy areas than in poor areas. Why are those who have benefited most from the freedoms we enjoy the least outwardly patriotic, unless they are in politics?