I was at the post office the other day. I needed some stamps so I asked for a book of the ones with the frog on them. The clerk said they didn't have them, only the ones with the American flag on them. Fine, whatever, I hate the flag but I needed the stamps so I bought them.
I had some more driving around I needed to do, but that experience got me noticing the flag more. I mean, I know Americans love to display the flag but when you start paying attention you really notice how pervasive it is. It's flying outside of nearly every building. It's incorporated in advertising. So many people include it in their clothing and on their cars. At the grocery store, I noticed how many products have it on the packaging. It's almost stifling when you pay attention to it.
I'm not all that well traveled but I've been to Hong Kong, Germany, Iceland and the UK. I was in HK for a few months and I barely ever saw either their own flag or the PRC flag. Pretty much the same thing in Germany. In the UK I saw a decent amount of Union Jack stuff and the same with Iceland but nothing like it is in America.
But... why? I really want to understand why Americans are obsessed with the flag. Maybe there's nothing more to it than showing others you're "pro-America", I dunno...
Remember, the United States has been growing in ethnic and political diversity for the past hundred years, and it's only speeding up. Having nationalist markers that it's taboo to criticize is a useful way to condition people--and more importantly, their children. The great American process is to distill its immigrants into workers and remove any outside influence they could bring.