Sense and Sensibilities

During the months of FlagWalk preparations we had numerous concerns thrown our way... many were purely operational like Coefficient of Friction (say that 3 times really fast) or approvals required from VANOC and the City. Then there were United Nation types of concerns.

What about Palestine? (The last time we checked they do not have a Winter Olympic team). What about the GLBTQQ flag? (For those who are as daft as I was… it stands for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning) We got that question put to us from a current city councillor who shall remain nameless. For the record, GLBTQQ is not a country. Which way should the decals point? We decided the top of the decal should be parallel to the curb so the flag depiction is rarely viewed upside down. What about the concerns of who should be placed beside whom? This is about friendship… right? Just in case we followed IOC protocol – alphabetical order.

Now that the decals are finally on the street we have a new round of concerns. Some people think they are entitled to help themselves to our decals and take them home for souvenirs. Thanks a lot for disrespecting our community project that celebrates friendship! Then there are folks that have decided that they don’t like what we have done to a picture of their national flag. You can make flip flops and underwear decorated in flags but not sidewalk decals. Sigh. We have received more than one nervous email from city officials who think we should respond immediately to this concern or that concern.