Macedonian fan creates a tornado
Many people have no more intention own time to waste monitoring political news on television or printed daily newspapers. One of those it is me. But when it comes to Macedonia however, it seems that majority Macedonians sometimes are lowering their defensive shields against media party propaganda. And so own initial decision and intention we change it within justification that only now, just a little bit of listening and hearing about what it is that's hurting our nation? And than again we will leave a policy as a side issue.
Immediately after the New Year holidays, in January, appeared a secondary information that we could freely evaluate it as unimportant and irrelevant because the elections ended in December, the result was fifty / fifty 50/50. Because the outcome remained undecided citizens majority, at least in casual conversations with friends and what they heard from the media, believed that now is a situation where politicians need to resolve, their own battle to do themselves in fighting for the party domination in the Macedonian Parliament .
This secondary information was published only once and who read, read. Because of it most Macedonians remained uninformed and onwards the same information conveyed orally through the people as "broken telephone". That was not enough arguments and faithfully to the truth. Shields for defense against political propaganda were raised preventing us from various variants of own interpretations, about the current political situation, to reach out us and not to disturb.
How to interpret our own shields? These are subjective ways of defense during a conversation that manifest by turning the head or hands towards left-right. Or verbally express ourselves and say, "I am not interested in politics, let say something else ...Ii know it ... I do not know what it is ..!" and etc. In this way we consciously reject information that we don’t need in everyday life and therefore we behave defensively each in their own way. Consciously selecting and rejecting side issues.
But Macedonian politicians wouldn't be manipulators if in a strong and aggressive way they wouldn’t break through our shield and get our attention to them. They are people who more important is to be in the top light on stage for all to see and hear than to deal with their own affairs that are paid and elected by the people. They are people who in the past couple months have turned again to catch our curiosity.
Namely, all the information that initially seemed unimportant today are daily top issue and force us to think and talk. It is called Albanian platform!
I will focus on only one part of it, and that is the request of Albanian tourists for starting conversation and debate on Macedonian flag written into the first point as follows:
1. Achieving full equality in accordance with the Ohrid Agreement and
constitution
- Comprehensive debate on the flag, anthem and coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia in order to state symbols reflect multi ethnicity social and ethnic equality.
The new flag of the Republic of Macedonia with the law is adopted and published in the Official Gazette of 06.10.1995 year. And deeds soon effect suspended the validity of the previous flag, Vergina sun with 16 rays, which in the official gazette was published in 1992.
According to Article 2 Macedonian flag is described as a sun disk with 8 solar rays that extend to the edges of the flag. The center of the sun coincides with the point at which intersect the diagonals of the flag. The rays intersect in diagonal, horizontal and vertical. Macedonian flag is red with gold - yellow sun.
It is interesting to mention that similarly is described Japanese fascist flag of the Navy since the second world war. Well, it mentioned that the flag is illustrated with eight red rays emanating from the red circle in the middle and symbolize sunrise. Military flag was used by the Navy to imperial Japan.
In contrast to this variant of the Navy, primarily flag of imperial Japanese land army was with 16 rays and it originated in 1870 during Meiji period. A similar design was adopted in 1889 as the flag of the imperial Japanese navy with 8 sun rays.
Army of Japan in the Second World War had 2 flags, one with 8 rays of the Navy and one with 16 rays of the land army.
Even more close to the design of the Japanese fascist flag with 8 rays was US Decal design which was prepared in special paper to transfer to another surface such as glass, porcelain or metal.
For US military aircraft from World War II, Aircraft Boeing Corporation has provided this Decal on which US pilots wrote down how many Japanese aircraft crashed in the Pacific. Decal was stylization of the Japanese flag and the American pilots sticking it on external metal sheet or inside the cabin of the plane. Decal message for pilots was "Compliments from Boeing."
Immediately after the New Year holidays, in January, appeared a secondary information that we could freely evaluate it as unimportant and irrelevant because the elections ended in December, the result was fifty / fifty 50/50. Because the outcome remained undecided citizens majority, at least in casual conversations with friends and what they heard from the media, believed that now is a situation where politicians need to resolve, their own battle to do themselves in fighting for the party domination in the Macedonian Parliament .
This secondary information was published only once and who read, read. Because of it most Macedonians remained uninformed and onwards the same information conveyed orally through the people as "broken telephone". That was not enough arguments and faithfully to the truth. Shields for defense against political propaganda were raised preventing us from various variants of own interpretations, about the current political situation, to reach out us and not to disturb.
How to interpret our own shields? These are subjective ways of defense during a conversation that manifest by turning the head or hands towards left-right. Or verbally express ourselves and say, "I am not interested in politics, let say something else ...Ii know it ... I do not know what it is ..!" and etc. In this way we consciously reject information that we don’t need in everyday life and therefore we behave defensively each in their own way. Consciously selecting and rejecting side issues.
But Macedonian politicians wouldn't be manipulators if in a strong and aggressive way they wouldn’t break through our shield and get our attention to them. They are people who more important is to be in the top light on stage for all to see and hear than to deal with their own affairs that are paid and elected by the people. They are people who in the past couple months have turned again to catch our curiosity.
Namely, all the information that initially seemed unimportant today are daily top issue and force us to think and talk. It is called Albanian platform!
I will focus on only one part of it, and that is the request of Albanian tourists for starting conversation and debate on Macedonian flag written into the first point as follows:
1. Achieving full equality in accordance with the Ohrid Agreement and
constitution
- Comprehensive debate on the flag, anthem and coat of arms of the Republic of Macedonia in order to state symbols reflect multi ethnicity social and ethnic equality.
The new flag of the Republic of Macedonia with the law is adopted and published in the Official Gazette of 06.10.1995 year. And deeds soon effect suspended the validity of the previous flag, Vergina sun with 16 rays, which in the official gazette was published in 1992.
According to Article 2 Macedonian flag is described as a sun disk with 8 solar rays that extend to the edges of the flag. The center of the sun coincides with the point at which intersect the diagonals of the flag. The rays intersect in diagonal, horizontal and vertical. Macedonian flag is red with gold - yellow sun.
It is interesting to mention that similarly is described Japanese fascist flag of the Navy since the second world war. Well, it mentioned that the flag is illustrated with eight red rays emanating from the red circle in the middle and symbolize sunrise. Military flag was used by the Navy to imperial Japan.
In contrast to this variant of the Navy, primarily flag of imperial Japanese land army was with 16 rays and it originated in 1870 during Meiji period. A similar design was adopted in 1889 as the flag of the imperial Japanese navy with 8 sun rays.
Army of Japan in the Second World War had 2 flags, one with 8 rays of the Navy and one with 16 rays of the land army.
Even more close to the design of the Japanese fascist flag with 8 rays was US Decal design which was prepared in special paper to transfer to another surface such as glass, porcelain or metal.
For US military aircraft from World War II, Aircraft Boeing Corporation has provided this Decal on which US pilots wrote down how many Japanese aircraft crashed in the Pacific. Decal was stylization of the Japanese flag and the American pilots sticking it on external metal sheet or inside the cabin of the plane. Decal message for pilots was "Compliments from Boeing."
As for the design of the current Macedonian flag although it is written that the rays intersect however, it is not clear enough how they intersect?
Macedonian flag published in Official Gazette of 06.10.1995 year, photo: pravo.org.mk
Boeing Aircraft Japanese Flag “Aerial Victory Decal” photo: flagcollection
Because Japan was in the axis with Germany and Italy often both their flags were hung on a same place. Proof of that is the photo in black white that clearly shows the Japanese and German fascist flag hung high on the back wall of a hangar during a mutual meeting.
Under the flag of fascist Japan, Italy and Nazi Germany Swastika flag about 50 million casualties were caused worldwide, of which 6 million Jews in concentration camps.
Under the flag of fascist Japan, Italy and Nazi Germany Swastika flag about 50 million casualties were caused worldwide, of which 6 million Jews in concentration camps.
Japanese and German flags hung on a same place, photo: anti-risingsunflag
As for the design of the current Macedonian flag although it is written that the rays intersect however, it is not clear enough how they intersect? What is apparent is that rays with golden-yellow color not cross because it is not drawn. But probably its author imagined that they intersect in the central disk though so do not look. It is not visible! So, we still accept figurative interpretation of the appearance of the flag with a small dose of imagination that rays intersect in the central disk.
How the design of this flag is accepted? As for transparency, prior to accepting any art design offer, a public competition announcement for new Macedonian flag was published from a state institution. Then it was given a certain period to which citizens were able to think and create designs that Macedonia should be present throughout our territory and worldwide.
But thing where was not enough transparency was exactly the decision for the new design, with a solar disk and 8 sun rays, to become our new flag. I remember there were a lot of comments from people, primarily in the artistic profession, publicly expressing their dissatisfaction and feelings of deception and saying that the flag’s design does not fully represents Macedonia. Therefore, the new official flag of Macedonia despite new position high on the mast got the nickname "fan".
How the design of this flag is accepted? As for transparency, prior to accepting any art design offer, a public competition announcement for new Macedonian flag was published from a state institution. Then it was given a certain period to which citizens were able to think and create designs that Macedonia should be present throughout our territory and worldwide.
But thing where was not enough transparency was exactly the decision for the new design, with a solar disk and 8 sun rays, to become our new flag. I remember there were a lot of comments from people, primarily in the artistic profession, publicly expressing their dissatisfaction and feelings of deception and saying that the flag’s design does not fully represents Macedonia. Therefore, the new official flag of Macedonia despite new position high on the mast got the nickname "fan".
Requests for debate, read change of the flag, in so-called Albanian platform is actually a mature bird Coward whose egg was inserted into Macedonian nest in 1995. Interpretations that the previous flag with the Vergina sun hung nowhere in the last 100 years in the Macedonian history, equally apply to the current "fan" from Skopje.
Anyway, from that time onwards the Macedonian new flag began mass-produced and thus become available in all varieties, from flags for office tables, badges, pens, notepads, stickers, shirts, shoes, embroidered emblems for clothes, flag real size ...
Under this flag our professional athletes have achieved major successes in basketball and handball while Macedonian fans loyally waving two flags, one with the sun of Vergina and the second with sun of Skopje.
The similarity in the design of flags is so great that i think if someone would wave the Japanese fascist Navy flag with 8 sun rays in an audience of a sports contest, in which would participate the Macedonian national team, it can happen that no one will notice it. Or Japanese Navy flag of the rising sun to be waving in the audience a while and then someone would have noticed that something is wrong with the Macedonian flag.
Given the fact that such competitions of national character almost always are broadcasted in live, waving the Japanese Navy flag with 8 sun rays in public would cause great dissatisfaction among Macedonian viewers who would follow this sporting event. Nothing would be surprising if some incident would happened.
Japan fascist sunrise flag from second world war, photo: anti-sunrisingflag
Visit to air museum in Dayton, OH, USA year 2002,
photo: Igor Manev
The facts of history should be respected lest we repeat the same events, a rule we often hear and read. In this context one would mention as my experience in 2002 when visited Air Museum in Dayton, Ohio, USA.
I saw an extraordinary collection of original exhibits that were on display dated from a vast period of time starting from the beginning of the birth of aviation. With the flying machine designed by the Wright brothers, December 17, 1903, the capsules-modules of Apollo series space missions of NASA and military aircraft series Stealth F117.
However, a special moment attracted my attention and it was the Japanese fascist flag which is also an exhibit in the museum. The similarity of this flag with our current Macedonian flag was so great that immediately i wondered why the two flags are so resemble each other?
I saw an extraordinary collection of original exhibits that were on display dated from a vast period of time starting from the beginning of the birth of aviation. With the flying machine designed by the Wright brothers, December 17, 1903, the capsules-modules of Apollo series space missions of NASA and military aircraft series Stealth F117.
However, a special moment attracted my attention and it was the Japanese fascist flag which is also an exhibit in the museum. The similarity of this flag with our current Macedonian flag was so great that immediately i wondered why the two flags are so resemble each other?
And just when i thought that i am the only one thinking that way because i am from Macedonia, my older relatives asked me the same question: "Why the Japan flag looks so much alike to Macedonian flag?" My answer was: "I do not know". I did not know then and believe me not even today i did not find an answer to the question why the Macedonian flag is so much alike to Japanese fascist flag?
Inside the Dayton museum, Ohio, visitors constantly ask questions of which many remain unanswered. That is why American historians are available to tell you the answers that along with original exhibits from the past of our civilization are undeniable fact.
As for the question, of similarity between the Macedonian flag and the Japanese fascist flag, the answer should provide and say the historians from our museums of Macedonian history. Have we an answer for that?
The walk inside the American museum continued with admiration caused by unusual sights. Together with my relatives we often pointed with our index finger to a many air exhibits or touching them with our hands. Touches with our hands gave us direct contact with the past time and it was an unforgettable experience. With my camera and Kodak film i constantly framed an exhibits and the photos that i made i keep to this day. So many original exhibits so i spent several film rolls and still failed to catch in eternity those exhibits on display at the end of our visit in the museum.
Written by: Igor Manev
26 March 2017
Written by: Igor Manev
26 March 2017
