A Michigan couple lowered a Norwegian flag from outside their bed and breakfast because it was regularly mistaken for a symbol of the Confederacy.
Greg and Kjersten Offenecker, owners of The Nordic Pineapple in St. Johns, said they removed the Norwegian flag and an American flag placed outside their Civil War-era mansion last week following accusations of promoting racism in the city. from Michigan, largely conservative.
The couple made the move after receiving “at least a dozen hate emails” and twice as many comments about it, Kjersten Offenbecker told the Lansing State Journal.
“I don’t see it because I grew up with the Norwegian flag,” he told the newspaper. “For me they are two different flags.”
The couple, who bought the nearly 9,000-square-foot mansion built in 1861 two years ago, began flying the Norwegian flag soon after taking over the property. Kjersten Offenbecker said they were still new to the city when a downtown store owner told him that someone had mistaken the Norwegian for the Confederate flag.
“At first we panicked because we thought, ‘Oh my gosh. This town believes that we are hanging the Confederate flag, ”said Kjersten, whose grandfather was born in Norway.
Both flags are the same colors, although their patterns and symbols differ: the Norwegian flag features a blue Scandinavian cross, while the Confederate flag consists of a blue “X” with white stars.
Greg Offenbecker, a Navy veterinarian who served in Desert Storm, said he was stunned that some people regularly confused the two flags.
“Even the stupidity of people bothers me,” he told the newspaper. Even if the flag is blowing in the wind or limping, there are no stars on it. They do not look alike.
Kjersten Offenbecker announced the move in a July 20 statement on the bed and breakfast’s Facebook page, saying the removal was necessary given the “current cultural climate” and the judgment of others based on its misconceptions.
“I urge people to slow down and see the world through less tired lenses,” he wrote. “When we think about the worst before we have all the facts, we lose sight of all [the] Okay [that’s] out there that we should find. If you knew us, you would see that we are very proud and very patriotic Americans. ”
Offenbecker also noted that she and her husband adopted two black children who were taught “not to judge at first sight or outward appearances.”
Meanwhile, some St. Johns residents have urged the couple to start raising their Norwegian flag again, but are refusing to do so unless there is a way to ensure they are not mistaken again for a Confederate, the Lansing Reports. from the State Journal.
“We have received a lot of support since we withdrew it, but we withdrew it because we were not receiving support,” Kjersten Offenbecker told the newspaper.
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