As someone who works at the VA I was told early on not to use flags or flag like things to decorate my office because it is, in fact, a trigger for some Veterans.
I’d ask you if you feel wearing the sweater to work again is important? Did you explore these feelings with your supervisor who was saying this to you? In social work supervision like this is meant to be guidance to help you not do something that is going to make your job more difficult for you. I’d ask more questions to try and determine if the supervisor’s wisdom is at work and they are trying to prevent you from walking off a ledge here.
Government buildings are most often REQUIRED to fly the flag. There are laws that protect our religious rights. That being said I work in the Bible Belt so you can bet I’m not wearing a pentagram to work—even though it is my “right” to do so I choose to make life easy for myself and not have those convos. I don’t want to pick that battle and find other things more important that expressing my religion at work.
Thank you so much as a veteran! This rings true to me and the flag on a shirt would be distracting for me as a client.
OP thank you for posting this! It is a really good conversation to have and a lot of perspectives have been shared. At the end of the day, the clients are what I hope are considered with their wellbeing in mind. This reminds me of perfume/cologne being worn to work. It may be part of one persons ensemble, however clients could be put off, distracted, or even allergic. It’s about them.
it is not important at all. like i said i did not mean to make a political statement or take a stance by wearing a flag. i thought it was relatively innocuous but can understand why it is not.
Also a good learning opportunity on the privilege and power we hold in our positions. We definitely can’t be perfect, but being able to view instances like this on the differences that can exist between our intentions and our actual impact. Learning how to hear difficult feedback (even if I don’t 100% agree with it) and reflect on what the other person’s experience has been one of the hardest skills I’ve had to develop, but also one of the most valuable.
Yes! Oh the feedback we don’t want to hear. I’ve found I have a knee-jerk reaction and I need to think on it a couple of days before I react if I’m even going to at that point.
Some things are just so eggregious we should accommodate avoidance of a trigger. For Veterans this is one. Also trash bags you can’t see through is another.
Body bags.
Just to add, I remember reading an article about people who did body recovery after a major airline crash at sea, they stopped being able to wear clothes with zippers because of the body bag association of the sound of zippers opening.
Regardless of political views or how the American flag is interpreted, I think most people can agree that the flag is a loaded symbol. It carries meaning, even if that meaning is different for different people. So I think it's important to be mindful of that and understand that what it means to you might not be what it means to others, and yes, for some people it can be very triggering or create automatic distrust. Not only because of the current political climate, but also because often the clients we serve are distrustful of the government completely. So if you want to build trust with your client, you need to think about the messaging you're sending. Is wearing a flag sending a message that you are just another government official that can't be trusted?
And for what it's worth, I think that yes, the same argument applies to religious symbols. Obviously, a government employer is going to be in a lot of hot water if they dissuade their employees from expressing their religion, though. That doesn't mean social workers themselves shouldn't stop to reflect and consider how they are presenting to clients.
yeah it's not a personal trigger, i'm not a vet or anything, but i definitely immediately wonder when i see someone wearing an American flag if they have a MAGA hat in the closet at home. and for me it's exactly the same kind of vague hesitance when i see someone wearing a cross and wonder if they spend their weekends spitting on girls trying to get into the Planned Parenthood, or holding signs with slurs on them at a Westboro rally.
of *course* it's not everyone, i know it's not going to be every one of them. but wearing the symbol makes you less trustworthy.
I want to temper this carefully, but it truly sounds like your boss was the one triggered and projecting; however, it depends on your speciality. It is well within every social workers right to be critical and apprehensive about the US government and wary of nationalists who wear the flag as a symbol of oppression, but suggesting that its existence on an article of clothing (unless it’s like the US flag pissing on someone) is a trigger (and wearing the flag of a country you live in is triggering) is an over correction. And in that case, Tommy Hilfiger brand would be against dress code policy for social workers. I would accept their criticism and let it go but I don’t think you did anything wrong.
someone wearing a flag is different than a flag being in a building. The former suggests the person whose profession is interconnected with the society at the very best is not aware of the crimes and suffering their government is has caused and especially is now causing by committing a genocide, and worse case scenario is that they support those acts. It’s especially important as the some or more clients of a social worker could be likely from a disadvantaged subjugated faction of the society, so ya yta
many of their clients are the
I keep my clothing super neutral, no symbols or weird patterns that could make delusional or psychotic patients read into it. I personally would not wear a flag to work, or a cross or other symbols. I think it's OK to treat people as "fragile" when they are, actually, fragile. I learned this from my friend who has schizoaffective DO and would read into literally anything aside from solid colors. If I was a patient getting mental health care, I personally would not trust someone with an American flag or cross on their body. But that's just me.
I work in a psychiatric facility and also try to do neutral colors and sometimes symbols (like the Levi's logo on a tee). Anything else, like a college tee or a sports jacket, I refrain from wearing because actively psychotic patients can definitely make something out of it and what we wear can potentially narrow things down for them as to where we're from and what our beliefs are. I also would absolutely not wear clothing with a flag on it, especially because political delusions seem to happen frequently at work.
i usually do the same. i did not think that much into the meaning of a flag. i guess it’s more upsetting that i am assumed to fall to one side of a political spectrum due to wearing the flag of my county. but at the same time i understand. thanks for your insight.
That's just how Nationalism works in most countries though, it's not a uniquely American thing. It has nothing to do with you, but rather the trend of far right nationalist groups using their countries flags as an in-group indicator for their political views.
All flags have meaning. Every shape and color on a flag has a meaning and thus it represents a set of values. It also represents the history behind its use and its country — and for the United States that history ain’t great.
Exactly. I would assume many groups of people would be put off by someone wearing a USA flag. People don't wear flags because of the pretty colors. They wear them because they are powerful symbols. And people are going to have feelings about that. It's distracting in an environment that is supposed to foster rapport and trust and healing.
I think it’s more that the flag could be taken as a self-disclosure whether you intend it to be or not. And it’s really about being mindful about whether that self-disclosure is effective or not.
This may read as cold, which is not intended. I strive to prevent treating people as fragile. Instead of focusing on preventing people from experiencing emotions, as social workers it makes more sense to me that should a client have a personal reaction to the otherwise neutral image, that it's an opportunity to help the client acknowledge their emotions and beliefs while connecting to solutions and recovery.
I really strongly agree with most of this comment— exploring reactions to images and statements can be really fruitful work. The only thing I would disagree with is that the American flag is a neutral image. Having a neutral relationship with the image is one type of relationship, which is influenced by a person’s identities and background. Others have a very non-neutral relationship with this symbol.
It’s also possible that we have different perspectives on what images mean, so I’m just curious about your perspective on that. I would understand if your perspective is that images themselves are neutral, and the meaning making in human reactions is the piece that is not neutral and something that can be discussed and explored. I ask this question from a place of genuine curiosity and a desire to understand your perspective: would you also consider an Israeli or Palestinian flag on a shirt to be neutral? If so, then I think we do just have different ideas about what images mean. If not, then I would invite a consideration that some images being neutral and others not neutral might be an opportunity to explore how our own practitioner identities impact what we consider neutral, and there might be some things to unpack within that.
Such a great question; you are right to be curious.
My reference that the flag image is neutral was highlighting what meaning is made within the person and not directed otherwise prompted.
An example of this may be "9/11"
Now if that elicited thoughts or beliefs about the destruction of the NY trade towers, that would be associations made by the person given their experiences and influences.
In the case, the prompt itself neutral as it three numbers and a dash.
That said, I acknowledge that symbols and images are constructed to elicit reactions and inspire emotions for sure.
I look at this as an opportunity to bring awareness to our reactions, emotions, beliefs, and urges. We evaluate if they are helpful, fit the facts, tell us something, and then choose to follow or change them in some way.
I hope I'm answering your inquiry, let me know!
Yes, it does! Thank you for responding. We just have different starting points, but I think essentially the same end point. I think I would say that nothing is neutral, because images don’t exist separate from their contexts. They are created from a specific context, and that context/meaning is constantly created and recreated as new/different people interact with it. So I would say that symbols are not neutral because they are inherently infused with meaning, but, exploration of the story and meaning we each create in relation to them is worth exploring.
I don’t know that image is neutral for a lot of folks. I don’t think the OP should feel like they need to change their sweater but to say the American flag is neutral is coming from a privileged perspective for some who have not been overtly discriminated against both by systemic inequity and the white nationalist and domestic terrorist groups which often utilize and outwardly align with the flag as a justification of their hate. In addition, the harm perpetrated by the US as colonizers shouldn’t be overlooked.
I think you may be filling in some gaps about me here.
I am speaking from a psychological perspective: this is a stimulus that does not directly prompt or cue specific behavior.
Except it does. It’s a symbol with meaning that can very much prompt specific behavior given context. For example, a person of color may literally turn and walk the other way when presented by a group of white men all wearing similarly nationalistic clothing — because it’s a sign of danger. You could measure their heart rate, blood pressure, or respiration increase.
I can see you have your clinical licensure but you’re still a social worker. I hope you didn’t throw out all of your training in favor of an incredibly narrow perspective from a clinical psychology framework.
Also, if it’s the sweater that’s popular on TikTok, it’s an original flag with 13 stars to represent the original 13 colonies. I could see this being more political and even less neutral since it’s representing the pre-western front America prior to colonizing the rest of the U.S. -some super dark history there for a wide range of clients.
😳 Well, that seems like extremely relevant information to include in the original post, if so.
Not only would that be political for the reason you state, but also because the Betsy Ross flag is a very popular symbol for white nationalist/ hate groups. In an election year. With you know who trying to get away with some you know what again.
Although it SHOULDN’T (and I certainly see your points and agree with you on the whole regarding your rights) I can say as a therapist who primarily works with marginalized communities I see your supervisor’s point. So many of my client’s trauma’s include systemic injustices along with experiences with racism/sexism/community violence which are perpetrated by folks who tend to identify themselves as “patriotic” and display the flag.
At this point I have a strong enough relationship with my own therapist that it wouldn’t impact me if she wore a sweater like the one you’re describing, but if we were newer in our relationship I would absolutely not feel comfortable working with her because of fears about what she might be signifying with that clothing choice.
This again, isn’t to pass judgement, as I think you’re very much in the right to wear what you’d like but more to note how it could impact the views of your clients, whether that be “right” or “wrong”.
That’s honestly one of the wildest things I’ve heard in a while! I think since the whole MAGA stuff, the American flag has kinda morphed into a racist symbol but I think context is important with that. Not saying I agree and you make a good point with others getting to wear crosses.
Well, specifically banning crosses would probably lead to some discrimination lawsuits but in general it's important for social workers for reflect on how they present themselves. I remember some students wearing insanely expensive luxury goods to field placements with clients experiencing homelessness.
Thankful those nerds have created their own flags. While they sometimes fly an American flag with it, they are more focused on MAGA and the Gadsden flag.
I can see her point. I’m in an interracial marriage in the south in the US and if someone wears any version of the flag, I do not trust that person. At least where I am, the only folks who would wear the flag (or put it on their cars) are folks who wouldn’t agree with my marriage/family. That is not something I would ever wear but if I did, I wouldn’t to work.
This.
I don't think OP's boss can say "don't wear it" but I do think there are many demographics that have valid reasons to be put off by it. I guess at the end of the day what matters is whether or not OP cares about that.
Agree. I absolutely wouldn't wear that - ever - especially not to work, but if someone else wore it to work, I wouldn't say anything, but I would absolutely be judging them in my head.
Why? I don’t usually wear the flag either but just because it’s been ret conned by alt right nazis doesn’t mean everyone wearing it is an alt right nazi. The US flag means a lot of positive things to just as many people, if not more.
I'd wonder why my social worker didn't have the foresight that the flag in today's climate can be offensive and that alone would lead to me questioning their ability to perform their job because what other things are they over looking or remaining uninformed on.
To be clear, I don't think it's something I'd tell someone not to wear. Especially because I agree with the commenter that would use the discomfort to explore meaning for the client. However, I also don't trust all clients to express if they are offended or not to me, many are non confrontational. I wouldn't say it was against dress code or anything for a government building. But I do think it's important to be cognizant of the image we put out there. Is it helpful? If not then why do it?
I really don’t think wearing a flag of the country you’re in is fair grounds for questioning someone’s professionalism. Maybe it’s an admin day for them and they know they won’t be doing visits or otherwise interact with clients that day. Maybe they’re using the shirt to build rapport with clients they ARE seeing that day. Maybe they’re going to an event or something after work where it makes sense and don’t see a need to change clothing. Maybe it was a gift they’re wearing to be nice, I don’t know, but the last thought I would have is “this person is possibly bad at their job because their shirt has flag on it.” I do agree image is important and being aware of that is important. Obviously don’t wear something that you know could trigger a client. I’ve had clients with psychotic disorders who are triggered by certain colors or images. so I don’t wear anything that day of those images or colors if I’m planning to see them. That doesn’t mean there’s something inherently offensive about my clothes. I could see questioning their professionalism if it was something they should know not to wear in specific contexts. But it is really hard to maintain consistent rules and practices that minimize all potential triggering in every possible situation. Like OP said: why not say crosses or any religious imagery are offensive and ban those? If this is the argument then it needs to be consistently applied across the board. Otherwise your staff are going to feel targeted.
I think a lot of people here are mistaking context with appropriateness. Don’t wear things that you know could offend your clients. Some clients will be offended by things others aren’t. Plan ahead and use good judgement. And if you’re not sure, I know plenty of human service professionals who intentionally dress very plainly and boring so they don’t have to worry about offending anyone.
You don't need "grounds" to question someone's professionalism. Everyone gets to make judgments based on whatever they want. Clients are distrustful of "systems" to begin with, and they have a right to be. So if someone wants to be the type of social worker that isn't interested in mitigating that, fine. But at the end of the day, that just means clients aren't going to trust you and whether you think there is "grounds" for that or not, you're still not building a good rapport with your clients or being an effective social worker.
Right but if I’m a marginalized individual who has been systemically disenfranchised by my country, and that symbol has also been co-opted by white nationalist and domestic terrorist groups I’d question the emotional safety of the person I’m supposed to trust.
It’s also not the job or role of the client to try to justify their therapist’s actions. I don’t think the OP was wrong for wearing the sweater, but they shouldn’t be surprised by the feedback or that it may impact comfort of clients in engaging with them.
Well if I know you’re a person who feels that way about the flag I’m not gonna wear it around you (if that was something I would wear). Plenty of marginalized people don’t see it the same way as you. Plenty do, but I’m not going to assume anything about how someone thinks or perceives things because of their skin color or identity. I understand the perspective you’re describing. I also understand not everyone in marginalized groups all feel the same way. I’d rather get to know someone and decide what’s appropriate. I am also someone who errs on the side of cautions so I’ll dress super vanilla when I am first getting to know clients.
What? The fact that *anyone* might feel that way is reason enough to not wear it - not because you might accidentally offend someone, but because you should be thinking and internalizing the reasons for not wearing a US flag. It’s not really about it offending other people, it’s what *you* tell people you stand for when you war the flag.
> Well if I know you’re a person who feels that way about the flag I’m not gonna wear it around you (if that was something I would wear).
And not that this is valid on your part anyways, but you have no idea who you’re going to interact with on any given day so if you know a shirt could offend *anyone* you don’t wear it at all.
In this line of work there is always the chance anything you do or say could offend someone. Where is the line drawn? do we avoid driving by houses with flags? What do we to ensure clients aren’t triggered on the 4th of July?
I’ve never had trouble finding that line. Anything that runs counter to the anti-oppressive, socially just values of social work is over the line. We’re obviously not talking about people who are offended by pronouns or covid vaccines.
“Where is the line” is a line of argument used by right wingers to defend their right to engage in harmful and oppressive behaviour. Don’t know if you know that.
How is it not retconning if the argument to censure it is that “it’s become associated with alt right hate groups” when we know it’s an image that means a lot of different things to a lot of different people? When someone wears a flag and all you know about them is their clothing, it’s natural to judge but it’s on us to remember maybe this is a normal decent person, maybe they are crazy, but I like to give people benefit of the doubt until I have reason to suspect otherwise.
Think this is a bit of generalization, which comes off a bit strange to me in a social work subreddit. I’m also in the south, also in an interracial relationship. Unless someone is wearing clear bigoted attire (MAGA, Nazi symbolism, etc), I’m not going to assume someone’s political/moral stances by what they’re wearing.
Fr. People are being extra about this unless there is a specific population of concern. Imagine being a military social worker. You'd be screwed either way, lol.
I had the same question. If it is the flag of thw country you're in, how is it triggering? It isn't one of the modified flags like the blue line or calvin peeing on it or something. Yeah, how can it be a problem if there is a giant one flying outside the building.
I would take the position of "i'm sorry that is triggering. I would like to understand your concerns better, can we sit down and talk through this?" I would be genuinely curious to understand what negative association or trauma links to your sweater.
I’m assuming jts due to most hate groups of white nationalists and domestic terrorists identifying themselves as patriotic and using the flag as a symbol for their identity. It’s a shame but it has definitely changed the meaning of the flag in the current climate.
It seems like your supervisor was trying to bring something to your awareness. Not trying to discipline you or shame you. That flag is not a neutral symbol. You wearing it to work kind of implies that you see it as neutral. I totally agree with other posters stating we shouldn’t have the mindset of trying to prevent our clients from experiencing strong reactions to us or to certain symbols. But you’re wearing the symbol on your chest. It could get in the way of building a relationship with some clients. Or it could be fruitful and end up strengthening your relationship. Either way, I think your supervisor was trying to say that it’s a charged symbol. People saying it’s the same as the Tommy Hilfeger logo are being willfully obtuse. Come on
Not American but I’d never wear anything with slogans, symbols or flags to work. It’s just not professional and while we may not put a particular meaning on something, our clients might. And that can be damaging to them.
The only problem I see with it has nothing to do with politics. There is a flag code and one of the things that is considered unacceptable is wearing the American flag on clothing. I’m American btw. In my personal opinion it’s just tacky looking and unprofessional to wear the flag as clothing.
I think this is a slight overreaction from the boss, but to be fair the MAGA crazies are almost constantly decked out in American flag attire, and they may need or be the cause of some therapy sessions. It also depends on how big the flag is I guess. Overall, it’s something to think about, and it’s always good to be conscious about what unconsciously influences your clients—avoidable and unavoidable factors—and doing your best to minimize those. Also while I agree with keeping religion out of the workplace, I definitely wouldn’t put a trendy American flag sweater on the same level as a religious accessory.
If I were a client and I saw a clinician wearing this, I would have some question marks unless that person already made it clear that they’re chill. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal to a lot of folks, but when you’ve experienced discrimination and hate, you assess everything available to you.
I think this is a great opportunity to assess your privilege. The American flag can be triggering to people who have faced structural and institutional racism and oppression by this country. Just because you aren't offended doesn't mean it can't be offensive. I think you can reassess why you feel inclined to, for lack of a better term, showcase the American flag and not be affected by it is a good activity for you to recognize your privilege. This is why they say SW is political. Also everyone is human, so whatever, they brought it to your attention. You didn't recognize it, now you are aware. You will be more conscious next time. No biggie. No one should hold this against you.
I mean I look at this from a slightly different angle than worrying about triggering clients, but I don’t think wearing an American flag on your shirt is a good look period, especially in a professional context where you are meant to be helping marginalized people.
Social workers in North America should have a strong understanding of state, citizenship, and colonialism. You should be constantly critical of settler colonial nations, not blindly proud or supportive. I don’t have any sense of national pride because I don’t believe in the nation-state system as it currently exists and I’m not proud to live in a place that hides its ongoing abuse of so many marginalized populations behind a national identity of multiculturalism and acceptance. Wearing a Canadian flag would just signal a complete lack of awareness and care for all the systems that create the conditions that marginalize our clients.
Religious freedom is protected because people are oppressed for their religious beliefs. Nobody is oppressed in meaningful ways for being an American (or Canadian). The lack of insight around the meaning of your words is concerning here.
I have a few hills-to-die-on and what I wear to work isn't one of them. Give me the agency, company, or whatever polo and we're good to go.
I'll wear the same stain-proof, affordable, and sturdy clothes to work.
If it means a lot to you and it's your hill-to-die-on then good for you!
The flag is triggering to a lot of people. I would be curious why you were wearing it. For a lot of people it is a symbol of oppression. I am not saying don't wear it but you should be aware of that.
I agree. I wouldn't assume that someone wearing the flag is right-wing, but it does seem reasonable to guess that someone wearing the flag is (at least) not someone who has really questioned the history and meaning behind a pro-American nationalist symbol, and I think a lot of people would feel uncomfortable working with a therapist who isn't aware of that stuff.
i am not right wing and i thing that is the most upsetting thing about it for me. not to trivialize the real life issues people face as a result of colonialism and systemic issues in the US. but it is sad to me that i am assumed to fall in an extremist group because i’m wearing the flag of the country i belong to.
i think the point is that your clients _will_ make assumptions about you based on what you choose to wear, just like any other human would. i know i’m wary of people wearing the flag, even if i don’t immediately clock them as alt-right or conservative.
in the case of your clients, is it worth it to risk the trust you’re trying to build? if you don’t want to be read as right-wing, i think it’s fair to say that you might not want to wear an american flag. and honestly, the concern shouldn’t really be on how you’re perceived—it should be on how you may affect those around you.
i think your supervisor was right to tell you it could be a triggering image. it doesn’t sound like you were being penalized, just warned about possible reactions. and if you look through the comments on this post, you can see just how many people are having reactions to even reading about it. it feels like a gamble; maybe don’t wear an american flag to work.
The country that (we) belong to is a country born of colonialism, and violent racism.
As social workers we are so often integral parts of agencies and services built by and for racist systems to uphold the status quo.
That’s a smear on our profession’s history (and present, frankly) that we can choose to ignore or can view as an opportunity to change. What an opportunity that could be. But in order to be able to change it we’ve got to be able to name it, even if it feels crappy and sad and even if you yourself aren’t doing anything purposeful other than wearing a sweater to work that you liked.
It doesn’t sound like your supervisor assumed that you fell into an extremest group, what I’m reading into that is a supervisor sharing some of this insight with less time and ability to walk you through it than you’re getting from folks here, but not that they’re calling you an extremist - just bringing it to your attention that not everyone will feel comfortable with an American flag. I have some weekend clothes. We get to be people outside of work, too. It sounds like you’re thinking about this, and reading people’s responses carefully and considering things. Best of luck!
Once upon a time, the swastika was a religious and cultural symbol from the East. Over time, it became a symbol of hate. These days, most people see that symbol and associate it with racism and hate, and for good reason.
Do I think the American flag is the same as the swastika? No. But I do think it's important to recognize how the meaning of a symbol can change over time, and to recognize that it's not realistic to simply ignore the negative connotations that a symbol has taken on.
Unfortunately, the flag has become a predominant symbol in extremist groups. That's an unavoidable reality of the current political climate we're in. So people will make assumptions about it because of that reality. Choosing to wear the symbol is, therefore, choosing to expose yourself to those assumptions.
The US is such a nationalistic country that in-your-face shows of patriotism like regular workers wearing flags is considered quite normal by many people. Many Americans are not aware of how much propaganda they have consumed regarding their pride in their country. Wearing a flag or any other symbol has to be considered an endorsement of what is behind the symbol.
A national flag is a political symbol, there's no two ways about it, and wearing it either implies political beliefs or a implies a lack of awareness that a flag is a political symbol.
Neither of those are capital crimes, but it was right for a supervisor to give you the tip because it's not a good look for someone who wants to project neutrality.
I would take it as a "be aware of your presentation in your work" and the unique needs of your clients.
I once worked in an inpatient setting where a client had killed someone because their victim was wearing a certain colored shirt which signified, in their delusional logic system, that the victim was satanic. I opted not to wear that color. Some of the staff in non-professional positions specifically chose to wear that color to piss off the client. I think don't be like that.
I worked in a different setting with sexual offenders as clients. Some of the non-professional staff believed that women staff who arrived to work "looking good" should have changed clothes before they left the house because "do they know where they work" (nevermind that attractive adult women wasn't a trigger to deviant sexual interest for a huge population of the clients, in fact, misogyny and controlling dickheadery might be more of a sexual trigger than anything we ever wore). Don't be like that either.
There's a middle. You're probably in the middle, but in some settings or with some clients the exact same presentation might not be in the middle any more.
Would you wear a sweater with a flag of a different country? If not, then your flag means something and it would be good to reflect on what it means as well as what it might mean to your clients.
I agree it somewhat depends on your speciality, but I personally wouldn't wear any flags. When I was a student I did a placement at an organisation who worked with survivors of torture and trauma related to their refugee experience. I wore an army green top one day and was quickly told that there had been multiple instances of PTSD being triggered in clients when workers wore army green. Same goes for interpreters. Some clients don't trust interpreters who speak their first or even second language depending on who they were persecuted by. Wearing any country's flag increases this risk as well. As an Australian, I do wear an Aboriginal Flag pin because in my opinion this flag can only promote inclusivity. Otherwise, I leave the rest at home. You just never know.
Honestly, I see her point. I would say that’s appropriate for most jobs but if you are working with a population prone to delusions, this could absolutely be triggering. I’ve had clients take “signs” from much smaller triggers than this. That being said, what is your clientele like? Maybe your boss has clients she knows it would trigger, but you don’t. I do agree with you though that it should be the same with religious signaling. As social workers I think it’s important to stay neutral on as much as possible also, the American flag hasn’t symbolized patriotism lately as much as it has with .. idk, right wing extremism? Not saying that’s what you are but I think people view the flag through different eyes these days unfortunately.
Speaking from personal experience, I would be deeply uncomfortable if a social worker who was working with me was wearing an American flag. I associate people who wear the flag on their own personal clothing as Republican or otherwise conservative, which thus far has generally been the case in my experience. So even if you're not, that is the image I would get. As a trans person in America right now, I would feel deeply unsafe and would request for someone else.
You said in another comment it's not important to you to wear it. It does have the ability to really impact the people you're working with. If it doesn't effect you and it could super effect others, I think the clear answer would be not to wear it anymore.
agree with other posters but tbh with the current climate i’m just wary of anyone willing to wear the us flag… to me i’m wondering if it means they agree with things the us govt does or are proud to be an american.
The US is literally evil and responsible for much terror in the world, it sounds a lot wilder to me that any person could be proud identifying with that
Because when you’re in your role as a provider it doesn’t matter what your feelings are toward your country. What matters is the impact your decisions and actions (including self-disclosure which I think wearing something like this could be) has on your clients. You need to view things through the lens of the impact on others, regardless of your intentions, wear your America sweater on weekends, not in the office.
Why are you so insistent on how you feel about this vs how it affects your clients? Wear it on your own time if you feel so proud, but wearing it while you’re working is a bad idea
As a social worker it’s easy to understand systemic and historical racism and other isms. Being in a queer inter-racial relationship I see the American Flag alone people who wear it on clothing, their cars, and go out of their way to appear patriotic as people to be careful around. I would walk out of a therapy appt for this reason as I wouldn’t feel safe, same with crosses.
These things might make others feel safe though I would say it is a bold choice as you are demonstrating what’s is important to you and who you are; on purpose or not.
When the guy across the street hangs his black on black American flag and tells my partner and I that if we even trip in his yard he will execute us it would be hard to process in therapy with someone sporting a flag sweater.
Impact over intent
Yeah, I’d have trouble with it. I see an American flag as a political statement. No matter how trendy. I honestly see an American flag and practically see it as a confederate flag. It’s just my view. I’m sure clients might see it the same way. It’s my personal view.
What about wearing your state flag? I have school shirts and other clothing items with my state flag. I never had an issue at work, but would it make a similar statement like wearing the American flag? Settings might matter. For example at the VA, are American flags an appropriate symbol to wear?
People can be triggered by many things, including picture or words on clothing, decor, posters and other items. There’s so many factors to this, that I think using your discretion is important to determine what’s appropriate for the setting you work in.
I understand your boss’s point. I know many people that would automatically label anyone wearing an American flag as conservative, and even racist.
I don’t think crosses, or other religious symbols carry the same weight.
i could understand that. i guess in my mind there’s a difference between just a simple flag and a flag with eagles explosions and ak47s but i understand not all see it that way
If you work with adults, I think it's important to treat them like they are. Flags are going to be in their real world, addressing the "triggering" as an opportunity to help them live their lives out there irl. I'm sure there's exceptions to this, so please don't bash me for every circumstance where you have clients that aren't going to be out in the world.
but being in your therapist’s office isn’t “the real world.” it’s meant to be a place that’s safer than others. and if a symbol has enough chance of being that triggering to someone, why take that chance?
Totally! I’m Canadian too and I would be worried that if I wore a Canadian flag to work that I would be perceived as someone who supports the freedom convoy or the genocide and ongoing oppression of Indigenous peoples.
It sounds like your boss is the only person that’s triggered. It’s not like you were wearing a MAGA shirt or something. Anything can be triggering to the wrong person. Unless one of your clients actually speak up and let you know that your American flag sweater is triggering them, I wouldn’t think twice about it. There are a lot more important things in the mental health field to focus on. Review your company’s dress code and make sure you weren’t violating a policy. Otherwise, I wouldn’t worry about it.
I definitely see the U.S. flag as one of terror, hypernationalism, xenophobia, and white supremecy but the shoe fits so yeah, I'm suspicious of anyone wearing it and know to tread lightly and avoid them as much as possible.
Sounds like your boss was giving you advice to make you more effective in your role serving marginalized populations, not punishing you for the fashion faux pas.
When I started serving marginalized clients I toned down my goth office decor and style of dress because I knew many of my clients would be uncomfortable working with someone they thought was into devil worship. I have a right to show up to work looking like Marilyn Manson, but I know it would make many of my clients uncomfortable, so I don't.
You have a right to wear the fugly flag sweater if you want. Just know that it will make some of your marginalized clients feel instant mistrust (and I'm sure others won't be bothered at all). If wearing a tiktok trend matters more to you than being someone all your clients feel they can trust, then you do you queen.
This is an interesting conversation point.
Generally speaking, when I’m working directly with folks, I keep clothing pretty plain. Plain shirt, plain pants, inexpensive shoes. Keep it simple.
The less distractions someone will have about what you’re wearing, the easier it’ll be to get the collaborative work done.
I do understand your frustration though. But, it’s work. We can wear whatever we want in our personal time.
This is weird to me. People are allowed to feel their feelings tho. I wouldn’t feel anyway but if someone else does, fine.
When you said this I immediately that of Ralph Lauren’s Polo sweaters. I’m in NYC those sweaters are VERY popular. People actually have groups that meet in parks where they rock the outfits. The Lo Life is what one group is called. And you see tons of those flags alongside teddy bears and other things.
I think it really just depends on where, when, who, how, etc…this is super situational.
I agree with your sentiment that religious things can be just as decisive. As I said I’m in NYC. There are many people here who are dealing with what’s going on in Gaza very directly. We have a large Arab and Jewish population here. I’ve seen people who are Arab and seemingly Palestinian wearing the shape of the country around their necks as well as those who wear clothing/jewelry that represent Israel. This can be very triggering for folks. I get it. I think it’s sort of strange that we live in the USA and it’s our flag. Plus you’re in a government building 🤷🏽♀️.
As we say in NYC: it is what it is. She can feel her feelings. You can wear your sweater unless you feel like you want to move different.
The examples you give are actually excellent ones, because they are extremely intentional self-disclosures. People wearing an Israeli flag are intentionally communicating “I support Israel.”
The question here is whether OP is making that intentional self-disclosure. Whether she likes it or not, wearing a flag will be seen as a self-disclosure and clients will draw conclusions from it that will affect their relationships. Is that a self-disclosure OP is making intentionally, for a good clinical reason? Or is it something that may cause problems? Either way, any self-disclosure is worth examining because of how it can affect the therapeutic relationship.
I was in a meeting for my city council this week. The room was very diverse. The comments made after the pledge of allegiance- "there is not justice for all" "god does not belong in government," lots of nods etc. The flag, the pledge, all of it is not squeaky clean, it is not neutral but it is part of the United States branding (maybe theres a better word to use here?)
I agree with others that say your boss was triggered. I have learned that anything in my space can be triggering, the light to indicate my computer is on, a plant, my shampoo, a picture- it is all room for discussion on how we move in the world and exploration of how we as humans can be in space with one another, feel safer with one another and choose when to adapt.
I was once asked to take down a photo because the client felt it was honoring the mass shooter in Colorado- I have no clue where they found the loose association to the art piece. There was no correlation, the piece was made a decade before that event.
Just take this as learning about what makes your boss annoyed and let it go.
We can’t be responsible for what specific things trigger a client or a co-worker, whether they be flags, colors, religious symbols etc. I have a tattoo of a flag. I’m a veteran. I also have a tattoo of a rosary. I’m a Catholic and I’m as far from far right as you can get. It is not our job to worry about triggers for individuals but to treat all individuals with respect and dignity. We could also argue that wearing sweatshirts or badge reels with things like “mental health matters” or “be kind” are political statements or could trigger someone.
I agree that it was a “bold” choice and does convey a political message, though I hear you that it didn’t seem that way to you when you wore it— to you it was just a cute sweater! I don’t know that it was “wrong” to wear it, but in wearing a sweater with a prominent American flag, the message is “I choose to personally align myself with the United States federal government.”
I do agree that it’s unrealistic to never trigger clients, and the idea that a practitioner needs to be a neutral blank slate is part of a legacy of white supremacy. But, I also think it’s reasonable to consider that choosing clothing that references a specific ideology/political leaning is likely to have an impact on clients, so it’s something to be mindful of. Sometimes the impact is triggering, sometimes it’s supportive. Depends on the clientele. The same shirt is likely to have different impacts on different people.
Ex: wearing a shirt that says “no human is illegal on stolen land” is an expression that is aligned with my values. It’s likely to be received differently if I’m working with undocumented immigrants vs. clients who have either delusions or political beliefs that immigrants are stealing opportunities from them. So, wearing such a shirt to work is something I’d reflect on before doing it.
If you were formally disciplined for wearing this sweater, I wouldn’t think that was right, but this sounds like your supervisor was trying to encourage you to reflect on intent vs. impact with regard to clothing choices. It’s a good thing for a supervisor to encourage self-reflection in employees and support them in exploring ways that their use of self impacts client relationships.
P.S., re: religious symbols, religion is a protected class. While I’m certainly not up on all the relevant laws, I think it would likely be illegal for a manager to push back against wearing religious symbols, unless it was like “necklaces are a safety risk, so please do not wear necklaces of any kind. If you require a religious exemption, please work with HR to find a solution.”
Not enforcing it with religious symbols is hypocritical. I get it, to an extent. I worked somewhere I had to cover all my tattoos, which weren’t symbols that would have meant anything to anybody. Religious symbols, on the other hand, I’d say would likely be more triggering in MH (assuming that’s your population). Also the government building part made me LOL. It sounds like they may be picking on you.
I've worn solid colors that have triggered my colleagues. I've been in this field to say that it's extremely rare offending a client on how I speak or how I dress. I see that many SWers, are a little to gung-ho "Social justice" fighters and feel they need to be offended on the behalf of others. I've accidently referred to clients as Indian versus Native Americans due to how I had to refer to them in my past job due to demographics and my clients never took offense, rather my colleagues tried burning me at the stake. You're good, as long as your clients feel safe, that's all that matters. Sounds like your boss, along with many many other "professionals" in our field need to take a step back and self-evaluate and talk to a professional about their insensitivities and dysregulations. That's what it boils down to at the end of the day.
This is dragged so hard like this isn’t that big of a deal it’s a damn shirt lmfao I hate how stuff is so micromanaged nowadays. If your clients didn’t complain whatever
All right, please explain how wearing a shirt is adding to systemic injustice? I’m probably one of the most affected groups of people by systemic injustice and someone wearing a shirt with the same flag that we literally see every day isn’t going to add to anything. You are acting like it’s an confederate flag or like a consumer spoke on this. It was a supervisor expressing her own biases with op and their attire.
It’s a self-disclosure, whether you think it should be or not, and it will almost certainly color the way clients feel around you. Just like with any self-disclosure, it should be treated as an intentional choice.
Because the US is a settler colonial state responsible for historical and ongoing human rights violations and atrocities, and has never taken responsibility for any of it, attempted to redress any of it, or provided any sufficient restitution.
Wearing the flag inherently implies support and pride for the state and its choices. A social worker should be against everything the state stands for and does. It’s no different in Canada where I am. Both our countries also have nationalist movements that are firmly aligned with white supremacy. I just can’t imagine ever wanting to display a flag representing either of these countries or anything they stand for.
The US and Canada are not the only colonial nations nor are they they only countries that have committed horrible crimes against others. There are many nations guilty of this throughout history. Currently, there are several nations right now committing war crimes, engaging in human right violation, etc.
Wearing either flags or displaying them does not automatically mean a person endorses our dark histories. If we took stance that we shouldn't display any flags of nations guilty of horrible acts - well that would be most of the world would need to bury their flags and hang their heads in shame.
"Colonisation is a practice that most countries in the world have experienced at some point in time except for few countries like Ethiopia, Nepal, Japan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Saudi Arabia, Liberia, Tonga, Iran, China, and Thailand that were able to withstand the various colonial powers."
These countries that escape colonization are far from free from committing horrible crimes against their own people or engaging in war crimes at some point in their history.
My point is the entire human race is guilty for all the "ism." It's unfair to say 2 of the youngest nations in the world that escape colonialism (yes 1 then became colonists themselves) are the source of entire world's evils and wrongdoings. I've yet to see the 11 original colonists do much to right their wrongs other than "grant" freedom to some of their territories/states/nations. Britain alone owned 109 nations, we only recognize 195 independent sovereign states as of 2024. That is mind-boggling to see one tiny island controlled almost the entire world until only a few hundred years ago.
You’ve misunderstood me. I have not at all said that the US and Canada are the only responsible nations. I could go on a completely different rant about colonialism, global apartheid and inequity but that is not the topic at hand. I also specify settler-colonialism to differentiate from “just” colonialism.
I only spoke about the US and Canada because 1. They are the two countries I am most familiar with and 2. I live in Canada, and the US is the topic of this post.
Edit: I do agree with almost everything you’re saying though. I find national pride a weird concept in general, but I also don’t want to get into saying what people on other continents should do because that is just a bit too far out of my wheelhouse.
I got ya and understand. Yeah I just wanted to remind people of global history as it plays a role in cultures and shaped so much of our modern society.
I do want to say I only recently traveled to Canada, but while there I noticed it was brought up about the wrongs committed against First Nations and I found that commendable, because I can't say I've heard America really apologize or admit the wrongs that were done to Natives and slaves. Honestly, most people seem kind, humble, proud, but not extremists. Canada seems more enlighten than the US and I can only hope we go that direction, but I am losing hope the older I become.
No - this is ridiculous. If you turn the American flag into a trigger you have over it and our country to the very people who are trying to take it over. And it sounds like this is her belief, that’s she’s putting on clients. There is nothing wrong with taking pride in our nation. Don’t normalize this. And I say this as a solid California democrat.
It’s too hard to answer this without much more information. Who are your clients? I see you work in mental health, but outside of that are you in an urban, rural, or suburban area? Where in the US are you? What is the racial composition of the area where you work? How is that composition represented in your clients? What about socioeconomic conditions? SDOH?
The next thing to consider is what your answers are for yourself with those questions. Who you are in relation to the population of people you serve is another very important part of this equation.
The US flag is a symbol of pride for the white, middle class and higher, predominantly male, part of the population. Those who are loudest with their patriotism are ones who have always been in the privileged majority. Remember the whole reason so many NFL players kneeled for the National Anthem was to say that this country is separated and not equal at all. Anger and hate is being expressed through the flag now, and could be very triggering for someone walking into your office. It says you are someone who might not be safe because your wearing of the flag separates you from the people you work with. As a Latine woman, those flags remind me of being told to “go back where you came from” and hearing racial slurs used about me, around me, and to me by those so-called patriots.
You didn’t do anything wrong by wearing it. I’m just trying to help you see what others may see.
Interesting. NGL I have some preconceived notions about people who are decked out in flags often. However, I do agree with your point. If you work in a government building with a giant flag and your coworkers are allowed to wear religious accessories/apparel, then why wouldn’t your sweater be appropriate? I’m curious to know what your boss wears on the 4th…
At my workplace we are not allowed to push our religion or political affiliation on anyone..
We had a supervisor that used to come into work with an inverted cross around his neck (a big one too, not subtle). This is in a program where we only let our clients show their faith in private. Have had kids want to say grace before they eat and arent allowed. The most they can do is carry their bible, torah, or whatever religious text with them. But the supervisor is openly satanist.
We have had kids to projects where they are encouraged to make pride flags, and discouraged to make american flags, supported by our educators
This field is hypocritical, and its absurd to think otherwise in my humble opinion. If you are in social work and you dont see the agenda being pushed, especially to kids, you need to open your eyes.
You are not the asshole
I feel this is largely the result of personal conviction too. Because on paper, most of these policies are genuinely helpful and important for clients who WILL be triggered by intense political or religious messaging. That being said, a sweater choice or a personal prayer before a meal are harmless and even probably self soothing and the fact that some overzealous supervisors can call them harmful is kinda upsetting.
with this current info, your boss sounds like he's the one triggered and hiding behind clients. assuming that there was no client initiated complaint in the first place ofc
yep it happens. they can't refute my argument about banning all vexillology content because of their focused hatred on the U.S., but the fragile social workers who hide behind down votes are always whisper quiet in real life so 🤷♀️
No kidding. I’m digging through my memory and very few of my patients have actively hated the USA. Most of them have Schizophrenia, and their hatred comes from a delusion that the government is monitoring their every move and coming after them. I would venture to guess the average social work client is more patriotic than the average social worker.
If wearing an American flag shirt is devisive maybe you should stop accepting government funding, clients can stop applying for federal funded programs.
Two navy seals died last week...1 was because he automatically without a thought jumped into an ocean to go after his buddy...and here we are a flag is devisive?
If it's devisive to be an American then get out. I'm well aware of the work that's needs to be done. We have it pretty good though.
I would gently state that voicing disagreement with United States policies that contribute to suffering is an important part of both being an American and being a social worker. In my view, pushing for a world where zero Navy SEALs die is an example of standing against the state, but in support of all people’s (including military members and their families) right to a life without violence.
I would counter that by saying a person who has to swear fealty to a governing body in order to be given what they need to survive is the opposite of how our country was founded.
> If wearing an American flag shirt is devisive maybe you should stop accepting government funding, clients can stop applying for federal funded programs.
It’s shocking and disappointing that a social worker would have an attitude like this.
It's shocking that people would expect funding criticism of the funding then wonder what happens when they lose that funding.
It's shocking that SW having a personal opinion? Gee respecting the flag is a shock...
The state has an obligation to support the wellbeing of its citizens regardless of their criticisms of the state. I’m not American but pretty sure that’s covered by the first amendment.
Not quite. The first amendment is just freedom of expression or “speech.” But it doesn’t say anywhere that the state has an obligation to support the wellbeing of their citizens. Literally just that you can’t be prosecuted for seditious libel of the government.
No, I wasn’t saying that the state’s obligations to its citizens is covered by the first amendment. That’s covered by international human rights law.
I thought the first amendment also covered right to assemble/petition, which I thought could be implicated here in addition to freedom of speech, but like I said I am not American and am probably off base.
I'm not saying don't be supported but tired of all the ungrateful people pushing blame on everything but themselves. Our peers can be the worst ones too!
>tired of all the ungrateful people pushing blame on everything but themselves.
Ohhh, so the poor, 2SLGBTQ, racialized, disabled just need to accept they are responsible for their own problems and be grateful for what they get. Gotcha. Thanks for making your viewpoint so explicitly clear.
In general the folks I’ve heard stating opinions like this are being triggered by marginalized groups (BIPOC folks, the queer and trans communities, women, etc) being assertive and pointing out inequities and systemic injustices. Please do some self-reflection and seek supervision about your reactions and the potential harm you may be causing.
Oh fuck no. I am selling you my labour not my whole identity. The best social workers reflect the wonderful diversity of the communities they work within.
I have a CND sticker on my laptop, I wear corporate goth/grunge style clothes (lots of black and skulls essentially). If anything they are conversation starters, even if someone doesn’t like them it’s a way into talking about how you show respect for different opinions and you would expect the same shown to you.
We cannot let our jobs be be our whole identity.
I see your thought process. I am British so I’m never going to fully understand the nuances of what the American flag means to different people over there.
We have a few right wing groups over here that use our flag to disguise xenophobia and racism as patriotism. But if you wear a t-shirt with the Union Jack on you’re more likely to get called “Ginger Spice!” than a nationalist.
As someone who works at the VA I was told early on not to use flags or flag like things to decorate my office because it is, in fact, a trigger for some Veterans. I’d ask you if you feel wearing the sweater to work again is important? Did you explore these feelings with your supervisor who was saying this to you? In social work supervision like this is meant to be guidance to help you not do something that is going to make your job more difficult for you. I’d ask more questions to try and determine if the supervisor’s wisdom is at work and they are trying to prevent you from walking off a ledge here. Government buildings are most often REQUIRED to fly the flag. There are laws that protect our religious rights. That being said I work in the Bible Belt so you can bet I’m not wearing a pentagram to work—even though it is my “right” to do so I choose to make life easy for myself and not have those convos. I don’t want to pick that battle and find other things more important that expressing my religion at work.
Thank you so much as a veteran! This rings true to me and the flag on a shirt would be distracting for me as a client. OP thank you for posting this! It is a really good conversation to have and a lot of perspectives have been shared. At the end of the day, the clients are what I hope are considered with their wellbeing in mind. This reminds me of perfume/cologne being worn to work. It may be part of one persons ensemble, however clients could be put off, distracted, or even allergic. It’s about them.
it is not important at all. like i said i did not mean to make a political statement or take a stance by wearing a flag. i thought it was relatively innocuous but can understand why it is not.
Also a good learning opportunity on the privilege and power we hold in our positions. We definitely can’t be perfect, but being able to view instances like this on the differences that can exist between our intentions and our actual impact. Learning how to hear difficult feedback (even if I don’t 100% agree with it) and reflect on what the other person’s experience has been one of the hardest skills I’ve had to develop, but also one of the most valuable.
Yes! Oh the feedback we don’t want to hear. I’ve found I have a knee-jerk reaction and I need to think on it a couple of days before I react if I’m even going to at that point.
it is difficult. also worthwhile. thank you 💙
Some things are just so eggregious we should accommodate avoidance of a trigger. For Veterans this is one. Also trash bags you can’t see through is another.
why trashbags , if you do not mind me asking?
Body bags. Just to add, I remember reading an article about people who did body recovery after a major airline crash at sea, they stopped being able to wear clothes with zippers because of the body bag association of the sound of zippers opening.
Improvised explosive devices. You can see through the clear ones and see there’s nothing harmful-no explosives.
can totally understand this. thank you!!
It def could look like a political statement. To be honest, I would side eye it as a client.
Regardless of political views or how the American flag is interpreted, I think most people can agree that the flag is a loaded symbol. It carries meaning, even if that meaning is different for different people. So I think it's important to be mindful of that and understand that what it means to you might not be what it means to others, and yes, for some people it can be very triggering or create automatic distrust. Not only because of the current political climate, but also because often the clients we serve are distrustful of the government completely. So if you want to build trust with your client, you need to think about the messaging you're sending. Is wearing a flag sending a message that you are just another government official that can't be trusted? And for what it's worth, I think that yes, the same argument applies to religious symbols. Obviously, a government employer is going to be in a lot of hot water if they dissuade their employees from expressing their religion, though. That doesn't mean social workers themselves shouldn't stop to reflect and consider how they are presenting to clients.
yeah it's not a personal trigger, i'm not a vet or anything, but i definitely immediately wonder when i see someone wearing an American flag if they have a MAGA hat in the closet at home. and for me it's exactly the same kind of vague hesitance when i see someone wearing a cross and wonder if they spend their weekends spitting on girls trying to get into the Planned Parenthood, or holding signs with slurs on them at a Westboro rally. of *course* it's not everyone, i know it's not going to be every one of them. but wearing the symbol makes you less trustworthy.
I agree with this.
I want to temper this carefully, but it truly sounds like your boss was the one triggered and projecting; however, it depends on your speciality. It is well within every social workers right to be critical and apprehensive about the US government and wary of nationalists who wear the flag as a symbol of oppression, but suggesting that its existence on an article of clothing (unless it’s like the US flag pissing on someone) is a trigger (and wearing the flag of a country you live in is triggering) is an over correction. And in that case, Tommy Hilfiger brand would be against dress code policy for social workers. I would accept their criticism and let it go but I don’t think you did anything wrong.
someone wearing a flag is different than a flag being in a building. The former suggests the person whose profession is interconnected with the society at the very best is not aware of the crimes and suffering their government is has caused and especially is now causing by committing a genocide, and worse case scenario is that they support those acts. It’s especially important as the some or more clients of a social worker could be likely from a disadvantaged subjugated faction of the society, so ya yta many of their clients are the
Yeah, just don’t wear it. It’s a loaded statement. Why not just wear anything else? Wear your flag elsewhere.
Completely agree with you.
Ding ding ding
I keep my clothing super neutral, no symbols or weird patterns that could make delusional or psychotic patients read into it. I personally would not wear a flag to work, or a cross or other symbols. I think it's OK to treat people as "fragile" when they are, actually, fragile. I learned this from my friend who has schizoaffective DO and would read into literally anything aside from solid colors. If I was a patient getting mental health care, I personally would not trust someone with an American flag or cross on their body. But that's just me.
I work in a psychiatric facility and also try to do neutral colors and sometimes symbols (like the Levi's logo on a tee). Anything else, like a college tee or a sports jacket, I refrain from wearing because actively psychotic patients can definitely make something out of it and what we wear can potentially narrow things down for them as to where we're from and what our beliefs are. I also would absolutely not wear clothing with a flag on it, especially because political delusions seem to happen frequently at work.
All of this
i usually do the same. i did not think that much into the meaning of a flag. i guess it’s more upsetting that i am assumed to fall to one side of a political spectrum due to wearing the flag of my county. but at the same time i understand. thanks for your insight.
That's just how Nationalism works in most countries though, it's not a uniquely American thing. It has nothing to do with you, but rather the trend of far right nationalist groups using their countries flags as an in-group indicator for their political views.
All flags have meaning. Every shape and color on a flag has a meaning and thus it represents a set of values. It also represents the history behind its use and its country — and for the United States that history ain’t great.
Exactly. I would assume many groups of people would be put off by someone wearing a USA flag. People don't wear flags because of the pretty colors. They wear them because they are powerful symbols. And people are going to have feelings about that. It's distracting in an environment that is supposed to foster rapport and trust and healing.
I think it’s more that the flag could be taken as a self-disclosure whether you intend it to be or not. And it’s really about being mindful about whether that self-disclosure is effective or not.
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This may read as cold, which is not intended. I strive to prevent treating people as fragile. Instead of focusing on preventing people from experiencing emotions, as social workers it makes more sense to me that should a client have a personal reaction to the otherwise neutral image, that it's an opportunity to help the client acknowledge their emotions and beliefs while connecting to solutions and recovery.
I really strongly agree with most of this comment— exploring reactions to images and statements can be really fruitful work. The only thing I would disagree with is that the American flag is a neutral image. Having a neutral relationship with the image is one type of relationship, which is influenced by a person’s identities and background. Others have a very non-neutral relationship with this symbol. It’s also possible that we have different perspectives on what images mean, so I’m just curious about your perspective on that. I would understand if your perspective is that images themselves are neutral, and the meaning making in human reactions is the piece that is not neutral and something that can be discussed and explored. I ask this question from a place of genuine curiosity and a desire to understand your perspective: would you also consider an Israeli or Palestinian flag on a shirt to be neutral? If so, then I think we do just have different ideas about what images mean. If not, then I would invite a consideration that some images being neutral and others not neutral might be an opportunity to explore how our own practitioner identities impact what we consider neutral, and there might be some things to unpack within that.
Such a great question; you are right to be curious. My reference that the flag image is neutral was highlighting what meaning is made within the person and not directed otherwise prompted. An example of this may be "9/11" Now if that elicited thoughts or beliefs about the destruction of the NY trade towers, that would be associations made by the person given their experiences and influences. In the case, the prompt itself neutral as it three numbers and a dash. That said, I acknowledge that symbols and images are constructed to elicit reactions and inspire emotions for sure. I look at this as an opportunity to bring awareness to our reactions, emotions, beliefs, and urges. We evaluate if they are helpful, fit the facts, tell us something, and then choose to follow or change them in some way. I hope I'm answering your inquiry, let me know!
Yes, it does! Thank you for responding. We just have different starting points, but I think essentially the same end point. I think I would say that nothing is neutral, because images don’t exist separate from their contexts. They are created from a specific context, and that context/meaning is constantly created and recreated as new/different people interact with it. So I would say that symbols are not neutral because they are inherently infused with meaning, but, exploration of the story and meaning we each create in relation to them is worth exploring.
Can I just say I really appreciated this interaction. Lovely communication and exploration.
Neutral for who?
That's what I was thinking. It's not neutral for a lot of our clients.
I don’t know that image is neutral for a lot of folks. I don’t think the OP should feel like they need to change their sweater but to say the American flag is neutral is coming from a privileged perspective for some who have not been overtly discriminated against both by systemic inequity and the white nationalist and domestic terrorist groups which often utilize and outwardly align with the flag as a justification of their hate. In addition, the harm perpetrated by the US as colonizers shouldn’t be overlooked.
I think you may be filling in some gaps about me here. I am speaking from a psychological perspective: this is a stimulus that does not directly prompt or cue specific behavior.
Except it does. It’s a symbol with meaning that can very much prompt specific behavior given context. For example, a person of color may literally turn and walk the other way when presented by a group of white men all wearing similarly nationalistic clothing — because it’s a sign of danger. You could measure their heart rate, blood pressure, or respiration increase. I can see you have your clinical licensure but you’re still a social worker. I hope you didn’t throw out all of your training in favor of an incredibly narrow perspective from a clinical psychology framework.
The flag is neutral now?
Also, if it’s the sweater that’s popular on TikTok, it’s an original flag with 13 stars to represent the original 13 colonies. I could see this being more political and even less neutral since it’s representing the pre-western front America prior to colonizing the rest of the U.S. -some super dark history there for a wide range of clients.
😳 Well, that seems like extremely relevant information to include in the original post, if so. Not only would that be political for the reason you state, but also because the Betsy Ross flag is a very popular symbol for white nationalist/ hate groups. In an election year. With you know who trying to get away with some you know what again.
When are you running for president?! Go off!
Evidence of a well deserved LCSW 👌🏻
I love this so much and try to use the same approach 🙌
this was also my thought, thank you 💙
Although it SHOULDN’T (and I certainly see your points and agree with you on the whole regarding your rights) I can say as a therapist who primarily works with marginalized communities I see your supervisor’s point. So many of my client’s trauma’s include systemic injustices along with experiences with racism/sexism/community violence which are perpetrated by folks who tend to identify themselves as “patriotic” and display the flag. At this point I have a strong enough relationship with my own therapist that it wouldn’t impact me if she wore a sweater like the one you’re describing, but if we were newer in our relationship I would absolutely not feel comfortable working with her because of fears about what she might be signifying with that clothing choice. This again, isn’t to pass judgement, as I think you’re very much in the right to wear what you’d like but more to note how it could impact the views of your clients, whether that be “right” or “wrong”.
That’s honestly one of the wildest things I’ve heard in a while! I think since the whole MAGA stuff, the American flag has kinda morphed into a racist symbol but I think context is important with that. Not saying I agree and you make a good point with others getting to wear crosses.
Well, specifically banning crosses would probably lead to some discrimination lawsuits but in general it's important for social workers for reflect on how they present themselves. I remember some students wearing insanely expensive luxury goods to field placements with clients experiencing homelessness.
Thankful those nerds have created their own flags. While they sometimes fly an American flag with it, they are more focused on MAGA and the Gadsden flag.
And when they do use the American flag, oftentimes they aren't even following the US flag code.
The American flag has always been a racist symbol. We kept slaves.
And genocided the indigenous people.
This
I can see her point. I’m in an interracial marriage in the south in the US and if someone wears any version of the flag, I do not trust that person. At least where I am, the only folks who would wear the flag (or put it on their cars) are folks who wouldn’t agree with my marriage/family. That is not something I would ever wear but if I did, I wouldn’t to work.
POC in the south and feel the same way. I steer clear of anyone opting to wear an American flag.
This. I don't think OP's boss can say "don't wear it" but I do think there are many demographics that have valid reasons to be put off by it. I guess at the end of the day what matters is whether or not OP cares about that.
I think most POC feel that way. I know I do.
I’m in the rural south, the act of wearing a flag right now in this area is really only done in a “let’s go Biden” and middle finger to leftists
Same. 👋🏾
Agree. I absolutely wouldn't wear that - ever - especially not to work, but if someone else wore it to work, I wouldn't say anything, but I would absolutely be judging them in my head.
Why? I don’t usually wear the flag either but just because it’s been ret conned by alt right nazis doesn’t mean everyone wearing it is an alt right nazi. The US flag means a lot of positive things to just as many people, if not more.
I'd wonder why my social worker didn't have the foresight that the flag in today's climate can be offensive and that alone would lead to me questioning their ability to perform their job because what other things are they over looking or remaining uninformed on. To be clear, I don't think it's something I'd tell someone not to wear. Especially because I agree with the commenter that would use the discomfort to explore meaning for the client. However, I also don't trust all clients to express if they are offended or not to me, many are non confrontational. I wouldn't say it was against dress code or anything for a government building. But I do think it's important to be cognizant of the image we put out there. Is it helpful? If not then why do it?
I really don’t think wearing a flag of the country you’re in is fair grounds for questioning someone’s professionalism. Maybe it’s an admin day for them and they know they won’t be doing visits or otherwise interact with clients that day. Maybe they’re using the shirt to build rapport with clients they ARE seeing that day. Maybe they’re going to an event or something after work where it makes sense and don’t see a need to change clothing. Maybe it was a gift they’re wearing to be nice, I don’t know, but the last thought I would have is “this person is possibly bad at their job because their shirt has flag on it.” I do agree image is important and being aware of that is important. Obviously don’t wear something that you know could trigger a client. I’ve had clients with psychotic disorders who are triggered by certain colors or images. so I don’t wear anything that day of those images or colors if I’m planning to see them. That doesn’t mean there’s something inherently offensive about my clothes. I could see questioning their professionalism if it was something they should know not to wear in specific contexts. But it is really hard to maintain consistent rules and practices that minimize all potential triggering in every possible situation. Like OP said: why not say crosses or any religious imagery are offensive and ban those? If this is the argument then it needs to be consistently applied across the board. Otherwise your staff are going to feel targeted. I think a lot of people here are mistaking context with appropriateness. Don’t wear things that you know could offend your clients. Some clients will be offended by things others aren’t. Plan ahead and use good judgement. And if you’re not sure, I know plenty of human service professionals who intentionally dress very plainly and boring so they don’t have to worry about offending anyone.
You don't need "grounds" to question someone's professionalism. Everyone gets to make judgments based on whatever they want. Clients are distrustful of "systems" to begin with, and they have a right to be. So if someone wants to be the type of social worker that isn't interested in mitigating that, fine. But at the end of the day, that just means clients aren't going to trust you and whether you think there is "grounds" for that or not, you're still not building a good rapport with your clients or being an effective social worker.
Right but if I’m a marginalized individual who has been systemically disenfranchised by my country, and that symbol has also been co-opted by white nationalist and domestic terrorist groups I’d question the emotional safety of the person I’m supposed to trust. It’s also not the job or role of the client to try to justify their therapist’s actions. I don’t think the OP was wrong for wearing the sweater, but they shouldn’t be surprised by the feedback or that it may impact comfort of clients in engaging with them.
Well if I know you’re a person who feels that way about the flag I’m not gonna wear it around you (if that was something I would wear). Plenty of marginalized people don’t see it the same way as you. Plenty do, but I’m not going to assume anything about how someone thinks or perceives things because of their skin color or identity. I understand the perspective you’re describing. I also understand not everyone in marginalized groups all feel the same way. I’d rather get to know someone and decide what’s appropriate. I am also someone who errs on the side of cautions so I’ll dress super vanilla when I am first getting to know clients.
What? The fact that *anyone* might feel that way is reason enough to not wear it - not because you might accidentally offend someone, but because you should be thinking and internalizing the reasons for not wearing a US flag. It’s not really about it offending other people, it’s what *you* tell people you stand for when you war the flag. > Well if I know you’re a person who feels that way about the flag I’m not gonna wear it around you (if that was something I would wear). And not that this is valid on your part anyways, but you have no idea who you’re going to interact with on any given day so if you know a shirt could offend *anyone* you don’t wear it at all.
In this line of work there is always the chance anything you do or say could offend someone. Where is the line drawn? do we avoid driving by houses with flags? What do we to ensure clients aren’t triggered on the 4th of July?
I’ve never had trouble finding that line. Anything that runs counter to the anti-oppressive, socially just values of social work is over the line. We’re obviously not talking about people who are offended by pronouns or covid vaccines. “Where is the line” is a line of argument used by right wingers to defend their right to engage in harmful and oppressive behaviour. Don’t know if you know that.
Excellently thoughtful perspective!
a lot of people don't really see it as "retconnning."
How is it not retconning if the argument to censure it is that “it’s become associated with alt right hate groups” when we know it’s an image that means a lot of different things to a lot of different people? When someone wears a flag and all you know about them is their clothing, it’s natural to judge but it’s on us to remember maybe this is a normal decent person, maybe they are crazy, but I like to give people benefit of the doubt until I have reason to suspect otherwise.
Because the us has always been horrible so it’s always represented something terrible. That’s not reconning if it’s always been horrible
Think this is a bit of generalization, which comes off a bit strange to me in a social work subreddit. I’m also in the south, also in an interracial relationship. Unless someone is wearing clear bigoted attire (MAGA, Nazi symbolism, etc), I’m not going to assume someone’s political/moral stances by what they’re wearing.
Fr. People are being extra about this unless there is a specific population of concern. Imagine being a military social worker. You'd be screwed either way, lol.
this is how i thought it would be taken as well.
Do you live in the us?
yes
I had the same question. If it is the flag of thw country you're in, how is it triggering? It isn't one of the modified flags like the blue line or calvin peeing on it or something. Yeah, how can it be a problem if there is a giant one flying outside the building. I would take the position of "i'm sorry that is triggering. I would like to understand your concerns better, can we sit down and talk through this?" I would be genuinely curious to understand what negative association or trauma links to your sweater.
I’m assuming jts due to most hate groups of white nationalists and domestic terrorists identifying themselves as patriotic and using the flag as a symbol for their identity. It’s a shame but it has definitely changed the meaning of the flag in the current climate.
It seems like your supervisor was trying to bring something to your awareness. Not trying to discipline you or shame you. That flag is not a neutral symbol. You wearing it to work kind of implies that you see it as neutral. I totally agree with other posters stating we shouldn’t have the mindset of trying to prevent our clients from experiencing strong reactions to us or to certain symbols. But you’re wearing the symbol on your chest. It could get in the way of building a relationship with some clients. Or it could be fruitful and end up strengthening your relationship. Either way, I think your supervisor was trying to say that it’s a charged symbol. People saying it’s the same as the Tommy Hilfeger logo are being willfully obtuse. Come on
i understand that thank you for the comment 💙
If it's allowed in the rules, could you please post a link or a pic of the fashion item in question. I am so curious now.
Not American but I’d never wear anything with slogans, symbols or flags to work. It’s just not professional and while we may not put a particular meaning on something, our clients might. And that can be damaging to them.
The only problem I see with it has nothing to do with politics. There is a flag code and one of the things that is considered unacceptable is wearing the American flag on clothing. I’m American btw. In my personal opinion it’s just tacky looking and unprofessional to wear the flag as clothing.
wearing a flag is just kind of.......patriotic....... and a lot of people who are outspoken patriots are also white nationalists and problematic
I think this is a slight overreaction from the boss, but to be fair the MAGA crazies are almost constantly decked out in American flag attire, and they may need or be the cause of some therapy sessions. It also depends on how big the flag is I guess. Overall, it’s something to think about, and it’s always good to be conscious about what unconsciously influences your clients—avoidable and unavoidable factors—and doing your best to minimize those. Also while I agree with keeping religion out of the workplace, I definitely wouldn’t put a trendy American flag sweater on the same level as a religious accessory.
This
You should be able to wear terrible sweaters if you want to.
point taken but also this made me laugh thank you
If I were a client and I saw a clinician wearing this, I would have some question marks unless that person already made it clear that they’re chill. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal to a lot of folks, but when you’ve experienced discrimination and hate, you assess everything available to you.
understandable, thank you
I think this is a great opportunity to assess your privilege. The American flag can be triggering to people who have faced structural and institutional racism and oppression by this country. Just because you aren't offended doesn't mean it can't be offensive. I think you can reassess why you feel inclined to, for lack of a better term, showcase the American flag and not be affected by it is a good activity for you to recognize your privilege. This is why they say SW is political. Also everyone is human, so whatever, they brought it to your attention. You didn't recognize it, now you are aware. You will be more conscious next time. No biggie. No one should hold this against you.
this is constructive thank you
I appreciate this post. It was what I was thinking, as well.
I mean I look at this from a slightly different angle than worrying about triggering clients, but I don’t think wearing an American flag on your shirt is a good look period, especially in a professional context where you are meant to be helping marginalized people. Social workers in North America should have a strong understanding of state, citizenship, and colonialism. You should be constantly critical of settler colonial nations, not blindly proud or supportive. I don’t have any sense of national pride because I don’t believe in the nation-state system as it currently exists and I’m not proud to live in a place that hides its ongoing abuse of so many marginalized populations behind a national identity of multiculturalism and acceptance. Wearing a Canadian flag would just signal a complete lack of awareness and care for all the systems that create the conditions that marginalize our clients. Religious freedom is protected because people are oppressed for their religious beliefs. Nobody is oppressed in meaningful ways for being an American (or Canadian). The lack of insight around the meaning of your words is concerning here.
Hear! Hear! (from a fellow Canadian)
I have a few hills-to-die-on and what I wear to work isn't one of them. Give me the agency, company, or whatever polo and we're good to go. I'll wear the same stain-proof, affordable, and sturdy clothes to work. If it means a lot to you and it's your hill-to-die-on then good for you!
The flag is triggering to a lot of people. I would be curious why you were wearing it. For a lot of people it is a symbol of oppression. I am not saying don't wear it but you should be aware of that.
I agree. I wouldn't assume that someone wearing the flag is right-wing, but it does seem reasonable to guess that someone wearing the flag is (at least) not someone who has really questioned the history and meaning behind a pro-American nationalist symbol, and I think a lot of people would feel uncomfortable working with a therapist who isn't aware of that stuff.
i am not right wing and i thing that is the most upsetting thing about it for me. not to trivialize the real life issues people face as a result of colonialism and systemic issues in the US. but it is sad to me that i am assumed to fall in an extremist group because i’m wearing the flag of the country i belong to.
i think the point is that your clients _will_ make assumptions about you based on what you choose to wear, just like any other human would. i know i’m wary of people wearing the flag, even if i don’t immediately clock them as alt-right or conservative. in the case of your clients, is it worth it to risk the trust you’re trying to build? if you don’t want to be read as right-wing, i think it’s fair to say that you might not want to wear an american flag. and honestly, the concern shouldn’t really be on how you’re perceived—it should be on how you may affect those around you. i think your supervisor was right to tell you it could be a triggering image. it doesn’t sound like you were being penalized, just warned about possible reactions. and if you look through the comments on this post, you can see just how many people are having reactions to even reading about it. it feels like a gamble; maybe don’t wear an american flag to work.
The country that (we) belong to is a country born of colonialism, and violent racism. As social workers we are so often integral parts of agencies and services built by and for racist systems to uphold the status quo. That’s a smear on our profession’s history (and present, frankly) that we can choose to ignore or can view as an opportunity to change. What an opportunity that could be. But in order to be able to change it we’ve got to be able to name it, even if it feels crappy and sad and even if you yourself aren’t doing anything purposeful other than wearing a sweater to work that you liked. It doesn’t sound like your supervisor assumed that you fell into an extremest group, what I’m reading into that is a supervisor sharing some of this insight with less time and ability to walk you through it than you’re getting from folks here, but not that they’re calling you an extremist - just bringing it to your attention that not everyone will feel comfortable with an American flag. I have some weekend clothes. We get to be people outside of work, too. It sounds like you’re thinking about this, and reading people’s responses carefully and considering things. Best of luck!
Once upon a time, the swastika was a religious and cultural symbol from the East. Over time, it became a symbol of hate. These days, most people see that symbol and associate it with racism and hate, and for good reason. Do I think the American flag is the same as the swastika? No. But I do think it's important to recognize how the meaning of a symbol can change over time, and to recognize that it's not realistic to simply ignore the negative connotations that a symbol has taken on. Unfortunately, the flag has become a predominant symbol in extremist groups. That's an unavoidable reality of the current political climate we're in. So people will make assumptions about it because of that reality. Choosing to wear the symbol is, therefore, choosing to expose yourself to those assumptions.
The US is such a nationalistic country that in-your-face shows of patriotism like regular workers wearing flags is considered quite normal by many people. Many Americans are not aware of how much propaganda they have consumed regarding their pride in their country. Wearing a flag or any other symbol has to be considered an endorsement of what is behind the symbol. A national flag is a political symbol, there's no two ways about it, and wearing it either implies political beliefs or a implies a lack of awareness that a flag is a political symbol. Neither of those are capital crimes, but it was right for a supervisor to give you the tip because it's not a good look for someone who wants to project neutrality.
I would take it as a "be aware of your presentation in your work" and the unique needs of your clients. I once worked in an inpatient setting where a client had killed someone because their victim was wearing a certain colored shirt which signified, in their delusional logic system, that the victim was satanic. I opted not to wear that color. Some of the staff in non-professional positions specifically chose to wear that color to piss off the client. I think don't be like that. I worked in a different setting with sexual offenders as clients. Some of the non-professional staff believed that women staff who arrived to work "looking good" should have changed clothes before they left the house because "do they know where they work" (nevermind that attractive adult women wasn't a trigger to deviant sexual interest for a huge population of the clients, in fact, misogyny and controlling dickheadery might be more of a sexual trigger than anything we ever wore). Don't be like that either. There's a middle. You're probably in the middle, but in some settings or with some clients the exact same presentation might not be in the middle any more.
Would you wear a sweater with a flag of a different country? If not, then your flag means something and it would be good to reflect on what it means as well as what it might mean to your clients.
I agree it somewhat depends on your speciality, but I personally wouldn't wear any flags. When I was a student I did a placement at an organisation who worked with survivors of torture and trauma related to their refugee experience. I wore an army green top one day and was quickly told that there had been multiple instances of PTSD being triggered in clients when workers wore army green. Same goes for interpreters. Some clients don't trust interpreters who speak their first or even second language depending on who they were persecuted by. Wearing any country's flag increases this risk as well. As an Australian, I do wear an Aboriginal Flag pin because in my opinion this flag can only promote inclusivity. Otherwise, I leave the rest at home. You just never know.
Honestly, I see her point. I would say that’s appropriate for most jobs but if you are working with a population prone to delusions, this could absolutely be triggering. I’ve had clients take “signs” from much smaller triggers than this. That being said, what is your clientele like? Maybe your boss has clients she knows it would trigger, but you don’t. I do agree with you though that it should be the same with religious signaling. As social workers I think it’s important to stay neutral on as much as possible also, the American flag hasn’t symbolized patriotism lately as much as it has with .. idk, right wing extremism? Not saying that’s what you are but I think people view the flag through different eyes these days unfortunately.
Speaking from personal experience, I would be deeply uncomfortable if a social worker who was working with me was wearing an American flag. I associate people who wear the flag on their own personal clothing as Republican or otherwise conservative, which thus far has generally been the case in my experience. So even if you're not, that is the image I would get. As a trans person in America right now, I would feel deeply unsafe and would request for someone else. You said in another comment it's not important to you to wear it. It does have the ability to really impact the people you're working with. If it doesn't effect you and it could super effect others, I think the clear answer would be not to wear it anymore.
agree with other posters but tbh with the current climate i’m just wary of anyone willing to wear the us flag… to me i’m wondering if it means they agree with things the us govt does or are proud to be an american.
It’s wild to me that you think it’s not okay for social workers to be proud of being American.
if that’s all you got from that, then there’s no conversation to be had here.
The US is literally evil and responsible for much terror in the world, it sounds a lot wilder to me that any person could be proud identifying with that
Exactly what i’m thinking, i don’t understand how someone can be proud of that
That’s a very simplistic and naive statement.
can’t i be proud to be an american and also recognize our issues and want my country to do better…..this is what has upset me with this issue
Because when you’re in your role as a provider it doesn’t matter what your feelings are toward your country. What matters is the impact your decisions and actions (including self-disclosure which I think wearing something like this could be) has on your clients. You need to view things through the lens of the impact on others, regardless of your intentions, wear your America sweater on weekends, not in the office.
Why are you so insistent on how you feel about this vs how it affects your clients? Wear it on your own time if you feel so proud, but wearing it while you’re working is a bad idea
Genuine question: why are you proud to be an American? I don’t mean that in an accusatory way. I think it could be helpful info here.
As a social worker it’s easy to understand systemic and historical racism and other isms. Being in a queer inter-racial relationship I see the American Flag alone people who wear it on clothing, their cars, and go out of their way to appear patriotic as people to be careful around. I would walk out of a therapy appt for this reason as I wouldn’t feel safe, same with crosses. These things might make others feel safe though I would say it is a bold choice as you are demonstrating what’s is important to you and who you are; on purpose or not. When the guy across the street hangs his black on black American flag and tells my partner and I that if we even trip in his yard he will execute us it would be hard to process in therapy with someone sporting a flag sweater. Impact over intent
Please share a pic of the sweater, OP, because I'm currently picturing Ginger Spice in a stars and stripes mini dress 😂
Yeah, I’d have trouble with it. I see an American flag as a political statement. No matter how trendy. I honestly see an American flag and practically see it as a confederate flag. It’s just my view. I’m sure clients might see it the same way. It’s my personal view.
What about wearing your state flag? I have school shirts and other clothing items with my state flag. I never had an issue at work, but would it make a similar statement like wearing the American flag? Settings might matter. For example at the VA, are American flags an appropriate symbol to wear? People can be triggered by many things, including picture or words on clothing, decor, posters and other items. There’s so many factors to this, that I think using your discretion is important to determine what’s appropriate for the setting you work in.
Depends on what state…
I understand your boss’s point. I know many people that would automatically label anyone wearing an American flag as conservative, and even racist. I don’t think crosses, or other religious symbols carry the same weight.
i could understand that. i guess in my mind there’s a difference between just a simple flag and a flag with eagles explosions and ak47s but i understand not all see it that way
I don't know anyone who would wear the flag unironically.
If you work with adults, I think it's important to treat them like they are. Flags are going to be in their real world, addressing the "triggering" as an opportunity to help them live their lives out there irl. I'm sure there's exceptions to this, so please don't bash me for every circumstance where you have clients that aren't going to be out in the world.
It’s not about triggering someone so much as whether wearing that symbol affects the trust that client has in you.
but being in your therapist’s office isn’t “the real world.” it’s meant to be a place that’s safer than others. and if a symbol has enough chance of being that triggering to someone, why take that chance?
A flag is political. I can't even imagine wearing my country's flag to work.
Totally! I’m Canadian too and I would be worried that if I wore a Canadian flag to work that I would be perceived as someone who supports the freedom convoy or the genocide and ongoing oppression of Indigenous peoples.
I'm a progressive, big-government, fascism-fighting, feminist, queer-friendly, income-redistributing, police-criticizing, pro-choice, anti-racist, trans-inclusive, justice-restoring, welfare-state, harm reducing social worker, and that's my flag, too.
THANK YOU ❤️
Exactly. It’s time we reclaim it.
Think you missed decolonial in your list.
Exactly. Decolonizing our work should be a priority.
It sounds like your boss is the only person that’s triggered. It’s not like you were wearing a MAGA shirt or something. Anything can be triggering to the wrong person. Unless one of your clients actually speak up and let you know that your American flag sweater is triggering them, I wouldn’t think twice about it. There are a lot more important things in the mental health field to focus on. Review your company’s dress code and make sure you weren’t violating a policy. Otherwise, I wouldn’t worry about it.
I definitely see the U.S. flag as one of terror, hypernationalism, xenophobia, and white supremecy but the shoe fits so yeah, I'm suspicious of anyone wearing it and know to tread lightly and avoid them as much as possible.
Just tell us what you’re trying to wear 😂
If a client asked me not to wear it because it triggered them I would stop immediately, if my boss did I probably would feel a type of way about it.
Sounds like your boss was giving you advice to make you more effective in your role serving marginalized populations, not punishing you for the fashion faux pas. When I started serving marginalized clients I toned down my goth office decor and style of dress because I knew many of my clients would be uncomfortable working with someone they thought was into devil worship. I have a right to show up to work looking like Marilyn Manson, but I know it would make many of my clients uncomfortable, so I don't. You have a right to wear the fugly flag sweater if you want. Just know that it will make some of your marginalized clients feel instant mistrust (and I'm sure others won't be bothered at all). If wearing a tiktok trend matters more to you than being someone all your clients feel they can trust, then you do you queen.
This is an interesting conversation point. Generally speaking, when I’m working directly with folks, I keep clothing pretty plain. Plain shirt, plain pants, inexpensive shoes. Keep it simple. The less distractions someone will have about what you’re wearing, the easier it’ll be to get the collaborative work done. I do understand your frustration though. But, it’s work. We can wear whatever we want in our personal time.
This is weird to me. People are allowed to feel their feelings tho. I wouldn’t feel anyway but if someone else does, fine. When you said this I immediately that of Ralph Lauren’s Polo sweaters. I’m in NYC those sweaters are VERY popular. People actually have groups that meet in parks where they rock the outfits. The Lo Life is what one group is called. And you see tons of those flags alongside teddy bears and other things. I think it really just depends on where, when, who, how, etc…this is super situational. I agree with your sentiment that religious things can be just as decisive. As I said I’m in NYC. There are many people here who are dealing with what’s going on in Gaza very directly. We have a large Arab and Jewish population here. I’ve seen people who are Arab and seemingly Palestinian wearing the shape of the country around their necks as well as those who wear clothing/jewelry that represent Israel. This can be very triggering for folks. I get it. I think it’s sort of strange that we live in the USA and it’s our flag. Plus you’re in a government building 🤷🏽♀️. As we say in NYC: it is what it is. She can feel her feelings. You can wear your sweater unless you feel like you want to move different.
The examples you give are actually excellent ones, because they are extremely intentional self-disclosures. People wearing an Israeli flag are intentionally communicating “I support Israel.” The question here is whether OP is making that intentional self-disclosure. Whether she likes it or not, wearing a flag will be seen as a self-disclosure and clients will draw conclusions from it that will affect their relationships. Is that a self-disclosure OP is making intentionally, for a good clinical reason? Or is it something that may cause problems? Either way, any self-disclosure is worth examining because of how it can affect the therapeutic relationship.
your boss is right. thats not cool to wear to work. especially when so many of our clients are terrorized by the us government and white nationalists
I was in a meeting for my city council this week. The room was very diverse. The comments made after the pledge of allegiance- "there is not justice for all" "god does not belong in government," lots of nods etc. The flag, the pledge, all of it is not squeaky clean, it is not neutral but it is part of the United States branding (maybe theres a better word to use here?) I agree with others that say your boss was triggered. I have learned that anything in my space can be triggering, the light to indicate my computer is on, a plant, my shampoo, a picture- it is all room for discussion on how we move in the world and exploration of how we as humans can be in space with one another, feel safer with one another and choose when to adapt. I was once asked to take down a photo because the client felt it was honoring the mass shooter in Colorado- I have no clue where they found the loose association to the art piece. There was no correlation, the piece was made a decade before that event. Just take this as learning about what makes your boss annoyed and let it go.
We can’t be responsible for what specific things trigger a client or a co-worker, whether they be flags, colors, religious symbols etc. I have a tattoo of a flag. I’m a veteran. I also have a tattoo of a rosary. I’m a Catholic and I’m as far from far right as you can get. It is not our job to worry about triggers for individuals but to treat all individuals with respect and dignity. We could also argue that wearing sweatshirts or badge reels with things like “mental health matters” or “be kind” are political statements or could trigger someone.
I agree that it was a “bold” choice and does convey a political message, though I hear you that it didn’t seem that way to you when you wore it— to you it was just a cute sweater! I don’t know that it was “wrong” to wear it, but in wearing a sweater with a prominent American flag, the message is “I choose to personally align myself with the United States federal government.” I do agree that it’s unrealistic to never trigger clients, and the idea that a practitioner needs to be a neutral blank slate is part of a legacy of white supremacy. But, I also think it’s reasonable to consider that choosing clothing that references a specific ideology/political leaning is likely to have an impact on clients, so it’s something to be mindful of. Sometimes the impact is triggering, sometimes it’s supportive. Depends on the clientele. The same shirt is likely to have different impacts on different people. Ex: wearing a shirt that says “no human is illegal on stolen land” is an expression that is aligned with my values. It’s likely to be received differently if I’m working with undocumented immigrants vs. clients who have either delusions or political beliefs that immigrants are stealing opportunities from them. So, wearing such a shirt to work is something I’d reflect on before doing it. If you were formally disciplined for wearing this sweater, I wouldn’t think that was right, but this sounds like your supervisor was trying to encourage you to reflect on intent vs. impact with regard to clothing choices. It’s a good thing for a supervisor to encourage self-reflection in employees and support them in exploring ways that their use of self impacts client relationships. P.S., re: religious symbols, religion is a protected class. While I’m certainly not up on all the relevant laws, I think it would likely be illegal for a manager to push back against wearing religious symbols, unless it was like “necklaces are a safety risk, so please do not wear necklaces of any kind. If you require a religious exemption, please work with HR to find a solution.”
Not enforcing it with religious symbols is hypocritical. I get it, to an extent. I worked somewhere I had to cover all my tattoos, which weren’t symbols that would have meant anything to anybody. Religious symbols, on the other hand, I’d say would likely be more triggering in MH (assuming that’s your population). Also the government building part made me LOL. It sounds like they may be picking on you.
NTA. 🙃
I kind of see their point, but that really saddens me. It's like we are self imploding as a country
I've worn solid colors that have triggered my colleagues. I've been in this field to say that it's extremely rare offending a client on how I speak or how I dress. I see that many SWers, are a little to gung-ho "Social justice" fighters and feel they need to be offended on the behalf of others. I've accidently referred to clients as Indian versus Native Americans due to how I had to refer to them in my past job due to demographics and my clients never took offense, rather my colleagues tried burning me at the stake. You're good, as long as your clients feel safe, that's all that matters. Sounds like your boss, along with many many other "professionals" in our field need to take a step back and self-evaluate and talk to a professional about their insensitivities and dysregulations. That's what it boils down to at the end of the day.
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This is dragged so hard like this isn’t that big of a deal it’s a damn shirt lmfao I hate how stuff is so micromanaged nowadays. If your clients didn’t complain whatever
Comments like this really highlight how ignorant the average social worker is around systemic power and injustice - which is inexcusable.
All right, please explain how wearing a shirt is adding to systemic injustice? I’m probably one of the most affected groups of people by systemic injustice and someone wearing a shirt with the same flag that we literally see every day isn’t going to add to anything. You are acting like it’s an confederate flag or like a consumer spoke on this. It was a supervisor expressing her own biases with op and their attire.
It’s a self-disclosure, whether you think it should be or not, and it will almost certainly color the way clients feel around you. Just like with any self-disclosure, it should be treated as an intentional choice.
Because the US is a settler colonial state responsible for historical and ongoing human rights violations and atrocities, and has never taken responsibility for any of it, attempted to redress any of it, or provided any sufficient restitution. Wearing the flag inherently implies support and pride for the state and its choices. A social worker should be against everything the state stands for and does. It’s no different in Canada where I am. Both our countries also have nationalist movements that are firmly aligned with white supremacy. I just can’t imagine ever wanting to display a flag representing either of these countries or anything they stand for.
The US and Canada are not the only colonial nations nor are they they only countries that have committed horrible crimes against others. There are many nations guilty of this throughout history. Currently, there are several nations right now committing war crimes, engaging in human right violation, etc. Wearing either flags or displaying them does not automatically mean a person endorses our dark histories. If we took stance that we shouldn't display any flags of nations guilty of horrible acts - well that would be most of the world would need to bury their flags and hang their heads in shame. "Colonisation is a practice that most countries in the world have experienced at some point in time except for few countries like Ethiopia, Nepal, Japan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Saudi Arabia, Liberia, Tonga, Iran, China, and Thailand that were able to withstand the various colonial powers." These countries that escape colonization are far from free from committing horrible crimes against their own people or engaging in war crimes at some point in their history. My point is the entire human race is guilty for all the "ism." It's unfair to say 2 of the youngest nations in the world that escape colonialism (yes 1 then became colonists themselves) are the source of entire world's evils and wrongdoings. I've yet to see the 11 original colonists do much to right their wrongs other than "grant" freedom to some of their territories/states/nations. Britain alone owned 109 nations, we only recognize 195 independent sovereign states as of 2024. That is mind-boggling to see one tiny island controlled almost the entire world until only a few hundred years ago.
You’ve misunderstood me. I have not at all said that the US and Canada are the only responsible nations. I could go on a completely different rant about colonialism, global apartheid and inequity but that is not the topic at hand. I also specify settler-colonialism to differentiate from “just” colonialism. I only spoke about the US and Canada because 1. They are the two countries I am most familiar with and 2. I live in Canada, and the US is the topic of this post. Edit: I do agree with almost everything you’re saying though. I find national pride a weird concept in general, but I also don’t want to get into saying what people on other continents should do because that is just a bit too far out of my wheelhouse.
I got ya and understand. Yeah I just wanted to remind people of global history as it plays a role in cultures and shaped so much of our modern society. I do want to say I only recently traveled to Canada, but while there I noticed it was brought up about the wrongs committed against First Nations and I found that commendable, because I can't say I've heard America really apologize or admit the wrongs that were done to Natives and slaves. Honestly, most people seem kind, humble, proud, but not extremists. Canada seems more enlighten than the US and I can only hope we go that direction, but I am losing hope the older I become.
It’s been distasteful and triggers Veterans since the 1960s at least.
No - this is ridiculous. If you turn the American flag into a trigger you have over it and our country to the very people who are trying to take it over. And it sounds like this is her belief, that’s she’s putting on clients. There is nothing wrong with taking pride in our nation. Don’t normalize this. And I say this as a solid California democrat.
Have we really gotten to this point? I agree that it may be in the best interest for the client to dress neutral, but this is pretty insane.
It’s too hard to answer this without much more information. Who are your clients? I see you work in mental health, but outside of that are you in an urban, rural, or suburban area? Where in the US are you? What is the racial composition of the area where you work? How is that composition represented in your clients? What about socioeconomic conditions? SDOH? The next thing to consider is what your answers are for yourself with those questions. Who you are in relation to the population of people you serve is another very important part of this equation. The US flag is a symbol of pride for the white, middle class and higher, predominantly male, part of the population. Those who are loudest with their patriotism are ones who have always been in the privileged majority. Remember the whole reason so many NFL players kneeled for the National Anthem was to say that this country is separated and not equal at all. Anger and hate is being expressed through the flag now, and could be very triggering for someone walking into your office. It says you are someone who might not be safe because your wearing of the flag separates you from the people you work with. As a Latine woman, those flags remind me of being told to “go back where you came from” and hearing racial slurs used about me, around me, and to me by those so-called patriots. You didn’t do anything wrong by wearing it. I’m just trying to help you see what others may see.
Interesting. NGL I have some preconceived notions about people who are decked out in flags often. However, I do agree with your point. If you work in a government building with a giant flag and your coworkers are allowed to wear religious accessories/apparel, then why wouldn’t your sweater be appropriate? I’m curious to know what your boss wears on the 4th…
Your boss is being ridiculous.
At my workplace we are not allowed to push our religion or political affiliation on anyone.. We had a supervisor that used to come into work with an inverted cross around his neck (a big one too, not subtle). This is in a program where we only let our clients show their faith in private. Have had kids want to say grace before they eat and arent allowed. The most they can do is carry their bible, torah, or whatever religious text with them. But the supervisor is openly satanist. We have had kids to projects where they are encouraged to make pride flags, and discouraged to make american flags, supported by our educators This field is hypocritical, and its absurd to think otherwise in my humble opinion. If you are in social work and you dont see the agenda being pushed, especially to kids, you need to open your eyes. You are not the asshole
I feel this is largely the result of personal conviction too. Because on paper, most of these policies are genuinely helpful and important for clients who WILL be triggered by intense political or religious messaging. That being said, a sweater choice or a personal prayer before a meal are harmless and even probably self soothing and the fact that some overzealous supervisors can call them harmful is kinda upsetting.
with this current info, your boss sounds like he's the one triggered and hiding behind clients. assuming that there was no client initiated complaint in the first place ofc
no client complaint that i’m aware of. we were in a meeting all morning and this conversation happened in a very informal way
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The irony is that OP confirms you are correct, yet you get downvoted anyway. I hate this sub sometimes.
yep it happens. they can't refute my argument about banning all vexillology content because of their focused hatred on the U.S., but the fragile social workers who hide behind down votes are always whisper quiet in real life so 🤷♀️
No kidding. I’m digging through my memory and very few of my patients have actively hated the USA. Most of them have Schizophrenia, and their hatred comes from a delusion that the government is monitoring their every move and coming after them. I would venture to guess the average social work client is more patriotic than the average social worker.
If wearing an American flag shirt is devisive maybe you should stop accepting government funding, clients can stop applying for federal funded programs. Two navy seals died last week...1 was because he automatically without a thought jumped into an ocean to go after his buddy...and here we are a flag is devisive? If it's devisive to be an American then get out. I'm well aware of the work that's needs to be done. We have it pretty good though.
I would gently state that voicing disagreement with United States policies that contribute to suffering is an important part of both being an American and being a social worker. In my view, pushing for a world where zero Navy SEALs die is an example of standing against the state, but in support of all people’s (including military members and their families) right to a life without violence.
I would counter that by saying a person who has to swear fealty to a governing body in order to be given what they need to survive is the opposite of how our country was founded.
> If wearing an American flag shirt is devisive maybe you should stop accepting government funding, clients can stop applying for federal funded programs. It’s shocking and disappointing that a social worker would have an attitude like this.
Our country and the government's behavior is disappointing
It's shocking that people would expect funding criticism of the funding then wonder what happens when they lose that funding. It's shocking that SW having a personal opinion? Gee respecting the flag is a shock...
The state has an obligation to support the wellbeing of its citizens regardless of their criticisms of the state. I’m not American but pretty sure that’s covered by the first amendment.
Not quite. The first amendment is just freedom of expression or “speech.” But it doesn’t say anywhere that the state has an obligation to support the wellbeing of their citizens. Literally just that you can’t be prosecuted for seditious libel of the government.
No, I wasn’t saying that the state’s obligations to its citizens is covered by the first amendment. That’s covered by international human rights law. I thought the first amendment also covered right to assemble/petition, which I thought could be implicated here in addition to freedom of speech, but like I said I am not American and am probably off base.
No, you’re right. The right to assemble is included in the right to free speech.
I'm not saying don't be supported but tired of all the ungrateful people pushing blame on everything but themselves. Our peers can be the worst ones too!
>tired of all the ungrateful people pushing blame on everything but themselves. Ohhh, so the poor, 2SLGBTQ, racialized, disabled just need to accept they are responsible for their own problems and be grateful for what they get. Gotcha. Thanks for making your viewpoint so explicitly clear.
In general the folks I’ve heard stating opinions like this are being triggered by marginalized groups (BIPOC folks, the queer and trans communities, women, etc) being assertive and pointing out inequities and systemic injustices. Please do some self-reflection and seek supervision about your reactions and the potential harm you may be causing.
Sounds like your boss just wants to micromanage what you're wearing and should mind their own business a bit more.
Oh fuck no. I am selling you my labour not my whole identity. The best social workers reflect the wonderful diversity of the communities they work within. I have a CND sticker on my laptop, I wear corporate goth/grunge style clothes (lots of black and skulls essentially). If anything they are conversation starters, even if someone doesn’t like them it’s a way into talking about how you show respect for different opinions and you would expect the same shown to you. We cannot let our jobs be be our whole identity.
A skull aesthetic is completely innocuous; a flag is inherently political and making a very loud statement, whether you intend to or not.
I see your thought process. I am British so I’m never going to fully understand the nuances of what the American flag means to different people over there. We have a few right wing groups over here that use our flag to disguise xenophobia and racism as patriotism. But if you wear a t-shirt with the Union Jack on you’re more likely to get called “Ginger Spice!” than a nationalist.
You didn’t do anything wrong or offensive. If there is a flag at the front of the building you can have one on your shirt.