AUSTIN (WBAP/KLIF News) — In case you never noticed the national flag of Chile is very similar to the state flag of Texas.
Republican State Rep. Tom Oliverson of Cypress wants to make sure Texans know the difference and to that end he has introduced a resolution “urging Texans not to use the flag emoji of the Republic of Chile when referring to the Texas flag”.
It may sound silly for a state lawmaker to focus on emojis but Oliverson has seen a problem and as a proud Texan he aims to fix it.
As the resolution explains: “Most major electronic messaging applications provide a number of flag emojis, including that of the Republic of Chile, but the official flag of Texas, also known as the Lone Star Flag, is not included in the selection.”
“All too often,” Oliverson wrote “the Chilean flag emoji is used as a substitute for the Lone Star Flag in text messaging and on social media platforms; the Chilean flag proudly represents its country but, despite its similarity to the Texas flag, it does not represent the State of Texas.”
Visual similarity aside, Oliverson explains that the red, white and blue in each flag represent different historic values.
“The colors of the Chilean flag depict sky, snow, and blood spilled while fighting for freedom, but the blue, white, and red of the Lone Star Flag stand for the Texan values of loyalty, purity, and bravery,” he wrote.
Oliverson’s resolution concludes: “That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas hereby reject the notion that the Chilean flag, although it is a nice flag, can in any way compare to or be substituted for the official state flag of Texas and urge all Texans not to use the Republic of Chile flag emoji in digital forums when referring to the Lone Star Flag of the great State of Texas.”
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