We did it. We ranked all the stuff. Look how far we've come. Edited by / @mikecrocker MAIN CHANNEL / @scottcramer INSTAGRAM / scottcramerslife TWITTER / scottstol
@@tylerthompson7461I wouldn’t go _that_ far. It’s a nice flag, but stars are not exactly unique to Alaska. It’s not like New Mexico or South Carolina where you can look at it and immediately know who it belongs to just by the iconography.
@@Narwaffles23 ok, but that doesn’t disprove my point. Plenty of flags have stars on them, particularly in the US. Maybe not the _Northern_ star but that distinction isn’t really all too defining.
I don’t really care about my state other than the usual “yeah this is where I am it’s nice I like it” but whenever Scott starts ranking states I’m immediately competitive
God same. The Nebraskan flag def isn't the best but let me tell you when I got ready to argue with Scott as to why it at least Belongs in Cool In A Historical Way
As someone who's not American and therefore has no stakes in this game, I absolutely love these kinds of videos, they're so chill and wholesome. Every flag that comes up I give my opinion out loud and talk to Scott as if we were just a couple of friends hanging out. Absolutely love it!
As a non American watching (sorry) it looks like someone recreated it in paint with a broken mouse and had also never seen a dollar bill before in their life 😅 It’s such a weird green (ironically the dollar bill green probs would have looked a lot better), and just looks so amateur. I wouldn’t worry though, there’s a lot of not good state flags, although I will admit I do think Washington may be the worst.
As an Ohioan, I’m kind of let down that our flag didn’t make the “bonafide beauty” tier. It’s the only state flag that’s not a rectangle, and that’s a statement.
Here's the backstory on the Alaskan flag: Thirty-two years before Alaska became a state, the Alaska Department of the American Legion sponsored a territorial contest for Alaskan children from seventh grade to twelfth grade to design a flag for the then territory. In 1927, the contest committee chose Benny Benson's design, a fourteen-year-old orphan. Benny was a Qawalangin (Fox Islander) Unangan born to a Swedish-American father and Aleut-Russian mother. Benson's design was chosen over roughly 700 other submissions. He used the $1,000 prize from the flag design competition to enroll in the Hemphill Diesel Engineering School for Diesel engine repair. The blue field is for not just the Alaska sky but also the forget-me-not, the official flower of Alaska. The North Star for what would become the most northerly state in the Union, and the Big Dipper was chosen for its other name, Ursa Major or the Great Bear, symbolizing strength as bears are of course associated with Alaska.
23:31 As an Ohio native...I LOVE the flag and it IS angled like that (not a rectangle) which makes it unique to all the other flags. The circle surrounded by the stars is suppose to represent both the O in Ohio and a buckeye. It's Definitely a bonafide beauty to me and not just because I live there.
If the whitespace wasn't there I think he would've gone bonafide beauty. At least I hope. It's a damn good flag. And most of the time I've lived in Ohio has been pandemic and post pandemic times so....I like it here but I'm not super biased 😂
Scott, the pelican feeding her babies blood is an old, well known symbol. There was a myth back in the day that during famine, pelican mothers would cause themselves to bleed and feed her children the blood so they could survive. It ended up being a big symbol of Christ for Catholics especially because of the parallels with the Eucharist. If you ever go to the Cathedral's adoration chapel in Fargo, the round stained glass window is actually an image of this.
honestly... thanks for the top tier but.....the US doesn't deserve us nor should have us as the US overthrew us . becuase of that, we will show off our history with that flag. because once you know the history of the jack, the stripes, the colors, and representation...oh boy, will you learn a lot about the kingdom of hawai'i from that point on.
I know right? Like usually it’s pushed aside due to the blue (it being with the many other flags of “blue with image on it”) so for it to be in Bonafide Beauty?? Get some good respect for the art on there? …Honestly felt a bit patriotic there like HECK YEAH PA! WE FINALLY DID IT!!!
28:06 it’s funny that you mentioned a redesign with the Utah flag. They actually just had a redesign that leans into the whole honey bee thing. It looks way better! It goes into effect next year.
As an Oklahoma resident it makes me happy that our flag was one of your favorites. 💙 We may be a flawed state, but damn it if we don't have a pretty flag
@@mikedcreative Hell, yeah, I like the Tulsa flag so much I used part of it to make my channel banner! And I agree that the state flag is just OK. Better than most, but not the best. I was not expecting Scott to pick our flag as his favorite. Similarly, a few weeks ago, I watched a video from Joshua Weissman where he made and ate one dish from every state and ranked them like this and then ended up picking Oklahoma's Onion Fried Burgers as the winner!
@@HanaTheRussell The motto it turns out goes back to like the American Revolution, and IIRC was used as a rallying cry against George III and the British Parliament.
Ohio's flag is a pennant, and it is indeed and dorm room stable, MAYBE even a bona-fide beauty! You have to remember the meme, "It's all Ohio?" "Always has been." We've already taken over, no one knows it.
I can't wait to see where oregon ends up! I hope you accounted for both sides of the flag! edit: I agree with the rating for the beaver on the back. It's a beauty
I was really hoping this was recorded after our new flag was was set. I really like it too. I'd like to hear where it falls in the ranking even it it's after the fact
I think Ohio just needs to add a little tree and they’ll make it next time for sure 🌳 Although it’s outrageous that Montana’s doesn’t have at least one pine tree
Yeah Montana and Kentucky were very similar to me so I'm surprised it wasn't on the same tier. I would have put it in cool in a historical kind of way.
Another Montanan here to defend our beautiful flag!! And our license plate got ranked 'uninspiring' in his license plate ranking vid, so we deserved this.
Yes, the Ohio flag is a pennant, the only state flag with that shape! When it isn't stuck inside a regular rectangle, the angles of the stripes don't look that strange.
I was looking for someone to mention this. As a resident, they really redeemed themselves with the new one. A close second had a mosquito on it. I personally think that one was more accurate 😂
@@nikkie3193 I believe secession was lawful in the constitution, and for that I believe the north fought an unjust war. Obviously I don't believe in slavery, but perhaps higher taxation and tyrannically going against their own constitution makes it easier to want to succeed the union.
@@PHSDM104skill issue. The innumerable bumper stickers, many of which are large crabs, was a huge tool to teach me which way was up well before middle school 😤😤😤
I had to draw the Maryland flag for a school project as a kid and lemme tell you all those straight lines with alternating colors were SO satisfying to draw ✨
"Put this on everything. And they do! They do put it on everything." As a certified swamp boy from ol' south cackalacky, I can confirm: they put it on fucking everything. There are like entire stores dedicated to that flag.
i love how you started with "i dont need to apologize to the whole state, you guys will be fine" and still said sorry to basically all of them that you didnt like lmao
As a South Carolinian I’m proud we were in your favorites. The story behind the flag is also really cool. The moon is actually the crescent worn on the hats of revolutionary war soldiers, the blue is their uniform color. The original flag was just the crescent and blue and was used to warn if the British were nearby. The palmetto tree has a whole story behind it. The story goes that Fort Moultrie was built with palmetto tree trunks because it was unfinished at the time. They didn’t know that this was actually a good thing because when the British showed up and started cannonballing the fort, the soft logs caused the cannonballs to just bounce off.
Mississippi- We just voted in that flag a few years ago! So we got to vote to pick out our favorite so I’m glad we did a good job! Lol although our previous flag contained the confederate flag so the bar was pretty low 🥴 but hey, we fixed it!
@thatoneguy7470 St. Louis's flag is top tier... but it's the 2nd most populous city in the state of Missouri, Kansas City is Missouri's most populous city. Which would mean St. Louis wouldn't even be on the running if they did most populous city in each state. Shame because like I said the flag is top tier, chef's kiss, beauty.
@@missouriluv well that actually raises a big problem with this whole thing, because the stl metro area is bigger than kc, but kc proper is bigger than stl proper. So which do you count?
@thatoneguy7470 city proper. Most people wouldn't think to go by metro population, especially if they just pull up a list of "most populous cities". Also even though I live in the STL metro area I don't say I'm From STL, I say I live near STL. Because if I said I am from STL to someone who actually lives in the city they would call me out telling me I don't actually live there. Which is true.
I love how in the drivers license video you loved the Oklahoma license mainly because it had our flag on it and now you’ve certified our flag a bonafide beauty! We may just be an ok state but our flag does kick ass! The symbol is an Osage war shield. Across it is a calumet (peace pipe) and olive branch symbolizing peace among all people (mainly the whites and natives lol).
Alabama's flag is the ultimate Rorschach test of flags. It was adopted during the "Lost Cause" era, but nothing substantially points to it actually being based off the confederate battle flag. And at that time, like Mississippi's previous flag adopted the year prior, they would be more blatant about what it represents either in documentation or design if it were a reference (Speculation starts at earliest, five years later). It's not like the confederate flag was the only thing it could be referencing either (most of the claims of confederate reference were by the Daughters of the Confederacy, a big supporter of the Lost Cause/Solid South myths). The white populated part of Alabama had been controlled by Spain before the US, and the similar feature of the Florida flag is a reference to the Burgundy Cross of Spain. Also, the northern part of the state had primarily been settled by the Scotts-Irish, and both Scotland and Ireland had a similar design.
Love Scott's perspective here. Very refreshing to see in regards to state flags. People these days are too critical of state flags imo, and all want the same boring hyper-minimalism for every state flag. I love the way to examine everything for what it is from a graphic design standpoint as well as just the aesthetic feel, and not some weird set of obscure "flag rules" like other people do. (Speaking as an appreciator of the Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania flags, which usually get too much undeservable slack) That being said, as an Ohioan, putting Montana above Ohio is an unforgivable sin and I hate you forever now
People are too critical of flags nowadays? I've just never heard much discourse about it personally but everybody's got an opinion I guess. I've definitely never heard of any "flag rules" lol
@@donovanfaust3227 I fell down some dark forsaken corner of the internet a few years back and now I can never come back from it lol I've certainly never heard people in normal life obsess over these obscure "flag rules" but people on the internet do it so much it even affected the real world decisions made when Minnesota adopted a new flag, it's wild. And they will HATE on any flag that does not fit their standards perfectly as if it's committing a mortal sin
Despite you thinking you fell victim to the popular sentiment, you actually had some interesting takes that go against the grain that I’ve seen at least. Did also appreciate the shoutout to JJ’s video because that was a cool one. And as a Marylander, thank you for recognizing and appreciating the Maryland flag ❤️ And also thank you for actually zooming in to check out the seals and logos more closely.
Regarding the DC flag: It is an armorial banner based on the coat of arms granted to Lawrence Washington (George Washington's 3rd great-grandfather) of Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire, England, in 1592. This coat of arms was used privately by the president in his home at Mount Vernon. The District Flag Commission was composed of three non-elected federally-appointed members: the president of the Board of Commissioners, the secretary of war and the secretary of the Navy. Since no local group was involved in the selection process, Washingtonians saw the flag as a symbol of their lack of representation, however they have since embraced it. Regarding the New Mexican flag: The flag was adopted in 1925 and highlights the Hispano and indigenous heritage of the state, with the sun symbol of the Zia people in the middle, with the colors of the flag of Spain. The symbol has sacred meaning to the Zia people. Four is a sacred number symbolizing the Circle of Life; the four directions, the four times of day, the four stages of life, and the four seasons. The circle binds these four elements of four together. During the San Diego World's Fair of 1915, they had to create an unofficial flag to be displayed with the other state flags, and the result was the American flag on the upper-left corner, the state seal on the bottom-right, and New Mexico in slanted big letters on a blue field.
Arizona flag IS in fact a dorm room stable... especially BECAUSE, as you pointed out, one of the largest universities is here. Just walk around Arizona State University, you'll see it
I love the Colorado flag! I think the big C in the middle is just so iconic. We put it on everything and find really cool ways to make it look unique and interesting every time. But I agree that it's not a "bonafide beauty." I think there should have been another category for iconic flags that aren't quite a bonified beauty but have ascended beyond just a dorm room staple. I think Colorado, California, Texas, Maryland, and South Carolina should be in that category for sure.
South Carolina resident here, and I can confirm, we put the palmetto tree and crescent moon on EVERYTHING. You can’t shake a stick without finding some kind of tchotchke with that design on it here lol. I don’t mind though, we really got one of the best! (New Mexico and Alaska are the tops in my book though.)
Thank goodness. I thought it was the same blue as the others, but when I saw it amongst the others, I have a visceral reaction. Let's hope we get a dope new flag 🤞🏼
The good news is the state just finished a redesign submission contest and hopefully next year (on May 11th) we’ll see something become the new state flag
Scott, thanks for keep up with this series it’s one of my faves that you do! The Motto of the Virginia State Flag translates to Thus Always the Tyrants which yeah roughly translates to throwing out tyrannical governments which fun fact that’s what John Wilkes Booth shouted after he assassinated President Lincoln
i was hoping someone else who is a latin nerd would translate that flag. i was, however, thinking of sic as meaning yes, so i thought they were saying that they WERE tyrants, which is objectively funnier. 😭😭
I worked for a Minnesota-based company last year, and during one of our meetings, I kept hearing them talk about potential legs in a certain business process. I kept writing down "leg" as they spoke, and when I finally asked what a leg was, they replied, "Oh, no, LAG." And that time it was clear, so it's good to know the ability's there, you just have to put extra effort into some words.
I was shocked to see the flag for Maine. The original pine tree and star flag is seen everywhere there and I didn’t realize it wasn’t the official one anymore. I was excited to see Scott’s reaction to that one, it’s one of my favorites.
I grew up in Arizona and we had to draw the state flag during basically every history class, I’ve always wondered how did you guys who had super intricate flags drew them when you were kids??? As a 10 year old I could not have drawn Florida’s flag
I'm from Oklahoma and I remember getting so upset that I had to draw the flag. None of us liked it. Like I just learned how to spell green and how to draw a triangle you want me to draw a peacepipe?!
From Virginia: the trick is that we almost NEVER did. The few times I remember we had to my teacher that year had a stamp with the Virginia symbol in the middle for us. I don’t remember why we needed it tho
as an oregonian, i completely agree with the backside of the flag being a bonafide beauty, i love it because it’s so unserious. it’s so oregon. i also remember being very disappointed as a small child that not all states had a double sided flag
I love Alaska's state flag so much. The design came from a contest in 1927 for Alaskan school kids from 7th-12th grade with around 700 entries and the winning design was by a 14 year old alaska native boy, Benny Benson, and I love his explanation for his inspiration. "The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the Union. The dipper is for the Great Bear-symbolizing strength" So cool, I love our state flag.
I can't tell if Scott actually thought the Delaware guy's hand was his horn, or if he knew his hand was in his pocket and that horn was just his powder flask/horn, 😂. Wait, I just reached the Kentucky flag part. At least he knows now that wasn't the man's hand or a rhino horn, but it isnt for seeds though Scott. 😂, love the video man!
As a South Carolinian our flag becomes even cooler when you realize that the palmetto tree was used in the Revolutionary war to block cannon balls. Glad you like it!
It's not often we're praised for something great, but to hear Scott say our peach colored flag was a "bonafide beauty", really brought a tear to my eye.
I want a video of the States ranked from best to worst solely due to their flags, license plates and driver's licenses (and whatever else Scott decides to rank in the future....stamps?)
I love the louisiana one! The baby birds are so cute lol i dont love the repetitive blue background (I'm from PA and ours is also the same boring blue) but still I was thinking this wouls def be top tier for me
Had to go watch JJ’s videos and I have a few things to say about the Seals on Bedsheets (SOB’s). My biggest problem with SOB’s has always been the bedsheet aspect. I think a flag should be unique. The 2 “rules” I agree with is “noticeable at a distance” and “minimal words”. I actually really like the crests for nearly every reason you discussed. But the dark blue background is what kills it. From a glance, they all look the same. I think there is a reason why Florida rarely makes its way into these discussions. It’s because it’s pretty much a seal in a background that isn’t blue. Similar with Washington State. And the big, bold, block letters also kill it. I wish the crests could be expanded for more of the flag shape. It is, quite simply, lazy to take a previous design and throw it on a bedsheet. That is dishonoring what it was. That’s like putting a 2x3 sticker of Starry Night on a mug. Expand it out. At the time seals were made, the main inspirations came from canvases. A rectangular shape. Imagine if the crests were a circle with a rectangle in the middle with the real crest. It defeats the purpose of the medium. Let creativity flow from it. To me, flags are a form of art. I LOVE an intricate flag design. Maryland is one of my favorite flags ever. I don’t believe intricacy is the issue. It’s that the intricacy is subjected to a little circle a fifth of the size of the actual canvas and the most generic ocean blue is paint bucketed on the rest. Thank you for reading my TED Talk. Goodnight TriState Area!
You should definitely watch CGP Grey's video on this same topic, he took much more of a 'is this a good flag?' approach as opposed to 'do I like this?' and I find both approaches interesting.
As an Alaskan, I thought you might like to know our flag was designed by a 13 year old boy.
And he outdid every other state flag
@@tylerthompson7461I wouldn’t go _that_ far. It’s a nice flag, but stars are not exactly unique to Alaska. It’s not like New Mexico or South Carolina where you can look at it and immediately know who it belongs to just by the iconography.
@@theplinko9840 agreed, if they add a little bit of snow and northern lights, that would be a sick flag tbh the northern lights are perfect imo
@@theplinko9840 the reason it stars specifically the North Star is that Alaska is the most northern state.
@@Narwaffles23 ok, but that doesn’t disprove my point. Plenty of flags have stars on them, particularly in the US. Maybe not the _Northern_ star but that distinction isn’t really all too defining.
I don’t really care about my state other than the usual “yeah this is where I am it’s nice I like it” but whenever Scott starts ranking states I’m immediately competitive
God same. The Nebraskan flag def isn't the best but let me tell you when I got ready to argue with Scott as to why it at least Belongs in Cool In A Historical Way
i like my state’s flag so maybe i get a bit too competitive about that as well😂
As someone from NC…. I’m disappointed in this video
as a marylander that doesn't really care about maryland, seeing people talk about how cool the flag is makes me happy to have grown up here
As someone who's not American and therefore has no stakes in this game, I absolutely love these kinds of videos, they're so chill and wholesome. Every flag that comes up I give my opinion out loud and talk to Scott as if we were just a couple of friends hanging out. Absolutely love it!
As a Washingtonian, I concur that our flag looks like someone turned the $1 bill into a flag.
Thank God this is coming from a Washingtonian
As a non American watching (sorry) it looks like someone recreated it in paint with a broken mouse and had also never seen a dollar bill before in their life 😅
It’s such a weird green (ironically the dollar bill green probs would have looked a lot better), and just looks so amateur.
I wouldn’t worry though, there’s a lot of not good state flags, although I will admit I do think Washington may be the worst.
@@leea8706 It does look like someone made a dollar bill in MS Paint! 😂
love the state, hate our flag. tis the life
Man, as someone else from Washington, I had no idea people felt this way about our flag 😂
Utah has a new flag that really leans into the beehive thing. I think it’s pretty cool.
As an Ohioan, I’m kind of let down that our flag didn’t make the “bonafide beauty” tier. It’s the only state flag that’s not a rectangle, and that’s a statement.
Damn right
!!!!!
I know but what do we expect? Scott was named after a cheap toilet paper brand 🤪😭😂😂
Yep
Maines is a square
Here's the backstory on the Alaskan flag: Thirty-two years before Alaska became a state, the Alaska Department of the American Legion sponsored a territorial contest for Alaskan children from seventh grade to twelfth grade to design a flag for the then territory. In 1927, the contest committee chose Benny Benson's design, a fourteen-year-old orphan. Benny was a Qawalangin (Fox Islander) Unangan born to a Swedish-American father and Aleut-Russian mother. Benson's design was chosen over roughly 700 other submissions. He used the $1,000 prize from the flag design competition to enroll in the Hemphill Diesel Engineering School for Diesel engine repair.
The blue field is for not just the Alaska sky but also the forget-me-not, the official flower of Alaska. The North Star for what would become the most northerly state in the Union, and the Big Dipper was chosen for its other name, Ursa Major or the Great Bear, symbolizing strength as bears are of course associated with Alaska.
23:31 As an Ohio native...I LOVE the flag and it IS angled like that (not a rectangle) which makes it unique to all the other flags. The circle surrounded by the stars is suppose to represent both the O in Ohio and a buckeye. It's Definitely a bonafide beauty to me and not just because I live there.
If the whitespace wasn't there I think he would've gone bonafide beauty. At least I hope. It's a damn good flag. And most of the time I've lived in Ohio has been pandemic and post pandemic times so....I like it here but I'm not super biased 😂
Scott, the pelican feeding her babies blood is an old, well known symbol. There was a myth back in the day that during famine, pelican mothers would cause themselves to bleed and feed her children the blood so they could survive. It ended up being a big symbol of Christ for Catholics especially because of the parallels with the Eucharist. If you ever go to the Cathedral's adoration chapel in Fargo, the round stained glass window is actually an image of this.
I’m from la and I did not know that at all. Thanks for the info!
"we don't deserve Hawaii" literal understatement of the century
honestly... thanks for the top tier but.....the US doesn't deserve us nor should have us as the US overthrew us . becuase of that, we will show off our history with that flag. because once you know the history of the jack, the stripes, the colors, and representation...oh boy, will you learn a lot about the kingdom of hawai'i from that point on.
As a Pennsylvanian, the immense pride I had when Scott fell in love with our flag was too much 😭
dude same
Oh hey Audra! Me too :)
Same here!
@@kylie.stewart hey girly pop
I know right? Like usually it’s pushed aside due to the blue (it being with the many other flags of “blue with image on it”) so for it to be in Bonafide Beauty?? Get some good respect for the art on there? …Honestly felt a bit patriotic there like HECK YEAH PA! WE FINALLY DID IT!!!
I appreciate that you ranked our Mississippi flag so high. It was recently redesigned and I have been absolutely in love with it ever since.
28:06 it’s funny that you mentioned a redesign with the Utah flag. They actually just had a redesign that leans into the whole honey bee thing. It looks way better! It goes into effect next year.
Although they've started to replace the old flags already
Proudly flying the new flag because I'm a design (and low-key vexology) nerd and I love how it turned it
nah it looks like something out of a video game
As an Oklahoma resident it makes me happy that our flag was one of your favorites. 💙 We may be a flawed state, but damn it if we don't have a pretty flag
Oklahoma flag lives up to its name, it's just OK.
Tulsa flag goes hard, though.
Dude I was blushin and smilin like he was complimenting me directly
and we got that sick statue on the top of the capitol building
@@mikedcreative Hell, yeah, I like the Tulsa flag so much I used part of it to make my channel banner! And I agree that the state flag is just OK. Better than most, but not the best. I was not expecting Scott to pick our flag as his favorite. Similarly, a few weeks ago, I watched a video from Joshua Weissman where he made and ate one dish from every state and ranked them like this and then ended up picking Oklahoma's Onion Fried Burgers as the winner!
As a Virginian, I have to say I was shocked knowing Scott loved our flag and now will most likely be rocking our flag in my room now
@@HanaTheRussell The motto it turns out goes back to like the American Revolution, and IIRC was used as a rallying cry against George III and the British Parliament.
That "horn" you keep seeing hanging from the hip of some characters on some flags is for storing gunpowder for their old-timey rifles.
Ohio's flag is a pennant, and it is indeed and dorm room stable, MAYBE even a bona-fide beauty! You have to remember the meme, "It's all Ohio?" "Always has been." We've already taken over, no one knows it.
Pennant, not pendant. A pendant is something else (kind of like a necklace).
@@MatthewTheWanderer Spelling is not a strong suit. 😂
@@colejames7236funny enough, pendant is still correct, though obsolete. It’s more commonly used for old naval pennants, especially British ones.
I can't wait to see where oregon ends up! I hope you accounted for both sides of the flag! edit: I agree with the rating for the beaver on the back. It's a beauty
That beaver, and only that beaver, is my spirit animal
Actually, the Utah flag was recently redesigned. I prefer the old one, but you should check out the new one for sure. It's very different.
the old one is the most boring flag i have ever seen
@Toomooo the new one brings me so much happiness, I can hardly contain myself
I was really hoping this was recorded after our new flag was was set. I really like it too. I'd like to hear where it falls in the ranking even it it's after the fact
you prefer the old one? come back when your thinking straight
@@zidane8452 literally
the fact that Montana made it into bonafide beauty and Ohio didnt is unacceptable
I think Ohio just needs to add a little tree and they’ll make it next time for sure 🌳 Although it’s outrageous that Montana’s doesn’t have at least one pine tree
ohio doesn't deserve anything positive
As a Montanan I am also enraged. Can't even take the compliment it makes so little sense hah.
Yeah Montana and Kentucky were very similar to me so I'm surprised it wasn't on the same tier. I would have put it in cool in a historical kind of way.
Another Montanan here to defend our beautiful flag!! And our license plate got ranked 'uninspiring' in his license plate ranking vid, so we deserved this.
As an Illinois resident. I have never seen our state flag before, and I am utterly appalled as to what they have flying for our flag.
Right? When I hear of the illinois flag, I just think of the Chicago flag
As a native michigander, I will now be going by Sir Cum Spice
Yes, the Ohio flag is a pennant, the only state flag with that shape! When it isn't stuck inside a regular rectangle, the angles of the stripes don't look that strange.
When he gets to the Texas flag: “The Texas flag is…”
Every Texan: Easy Scott
Mississippi really redeemed themselves. Imagine if it had been the previous flag. 👀
I was looking for someone to mention this. As a resident, they really redeemed themselves with the new one. A close second had a mosquito on it. I personally think that one was more accurate 😂
I don't live in Mississippi, but I do sympathize with the confederacy, but I do think there new flag is better,
Each dixie boy must understand that he must mind his uncle sam.
@@Ricky_the_Georgian sorry. mississippian here. what?? you sympathize with the confederacy? what do you mean by that?
@@nikkie3193 I believe secession was lawful in the constitution, and for that I believe the north fought an unjust war. Obviously I don't believe in slavery, but perhaps higher taxation and tyrannically going against their own constitution makes it easier to want to succeed the union.
Fun Fact: The flag of Tennessee has a strip on the side so that the flag is indentifiable when it is not flying.
I’m from Maryland and while our flag is ridiculous, we’re very proud of it. It… stands out 😂
I didn't learn which part was supposed to be up until 11th Grade.
@@PHSDM104skill issue. The innumerable bumper stickers, many of which are large crabs, was a huge tool to teach me which way was up well before middle school 😤😤😤
@@rowannnnnnnnn Not so much skill issue as not bothering to pay attention until it was necessary in JROTC. 🤣
@@rowannnnnnnnn Also, most of the license plates I saw growing up in PG County were the "Save The Chesapeake" ones with the bird on it.
@@PHSDM104 dawg, it wasn’t personal. It was just a silly joke at the difference in our childhoods.
Honestly Scott's ranking of the state flags I found to be more insightful than 90% of flag discourse that takes place online
As a Marylander I liked this video just because you fuck with our flag (in a good way) and I appreciate that!
I had to draw the Maryland flag for a school project as a kid and lemme tell you all those straight lines with alternating colors were SO satisfying to draw ✨
Dude, it's so funny, when it flashed to your editor, he was eating the same candy that I currently am! Very neat! 😂
As someone from Mississippi… I am so nervous if you are going to be looking at our old flag or new flag
Howdy from Tupelo 👋
ME TOO LMAOO
Thanks for making my Sunday better Scott❤Love from South Africa 🇿🇦
Ngwna ko gae! Fellow South African.
I know you said it was a trilogy, but IF you wanted to extend it to a quartet…it would be fun to rank state quarters!
"I always say that" sent me 😅
"Put this on everything. And they do! They do put it on everything."
As a certified swamp boy from ol' south cackalacky, I can confirm: they put it on fucking everything. There are like entire stores dedicated to that flag.
i love how you started with "i dont need to apologize to the whole state, you guys will be fine" and still said sorry to basically all of them that you didnt like lmao
As a South Carolinian I’m proud we were in your favorites. The story behind the flag is also really cool. The moon is actually the crescent worn on the hats of revolutionary war soldiers, the blue is their uniform color. The original flag was just the crescent and blue and was used to warn if the British were nearby. The palmetto tree has a whole story behind it. The story goes that Fort Moultrie was built with palmetto tree trunks because it was unfinished at the time. They didn’t know that this was actually a good thing because when the British showed up and started cannonballing the fort, the soft logs caused the cannonballs to just bounce off.
To this day I still ain’t got a clue where Fort Moultrie 😂
Mississippi- We just voted in that flag a few years ago! So we got to vote to pick out our favorite so I’m glad we did a good job! Lol although our previous flag contained the confederate flag so the bar was pretty low 🥴 but hey, we fixed it!
You should rate the flags of each state's most populous city
Saint Louis will dominate
@thatoneguy7470 St. Louis's flag is top tier... but it's the 2nd most populous city in the state of Missouri, Kansas City is Missouri's most populous city. Which would mean St. Louis wouldn't even be on the running if they did most populous city in each state. Shame because like I said the flag is top tier, chef's kiss, beauty.
@@missouriluv well that actually raises a big problem with this whole thing, because the stl metro area is bigger than kc, but kc proper is bigger than stl proper. So which do you count?
If he did the 1st and 2nd place cities I'd imagine Tulsa would rank highly
@thatoneguy7470 city proper. Most people wouldn't think to go by metro population, especially if they just pull up a list of "most populous cities". Also even though I live in the STL metro area I don't say I'm From STL, I say I live near STL. Because if I said I am from STL to someone who actually lives in the city they would call me out telling me I don't actually live there. Which is true.
I love how in the drivers license video you loved the Oklahoma license mainly because it had our flag on it and now you’ve certified our flag a bonafide beauty!
We may just be an ok state but our flag does kick ass!
The symbol is an Osage war shield. Across it is a calumet (peace pipe) and olive branch symbolizing peace among all people (mainly the whites and natives lol).
Oklahoma is a very OK state, the most OK of them all.
Scott not realizing that alabamas flag is just a modified confederate flag is wild
Alabama's flag is the ultimate Rorschach test of flags. It was adopted during the "Lost Cause" era, but nothing substantially points to it actually being based off the confederate battle flag. And at that time, like Mississippi's previous flag adopted the year prior, they would be more blatant about what it represents either in documentation or design if it were a reference (Speculation starts at earliest, five years later). It's not like the confederate flag was the only thing it could be referencing either (most of the claims of confederate reference were by the Daughters of the Confederacy, a big supporter of the Lost Cause/Solid South myths). The white populated part of Alabama had been controlled by Spain before the US, and the similar feature of the Florida flag is a reference to the Burgundy Cross of Spain. Also, the northern part of the state had primarily been settled by the Scotts-Irish, and both Scotland and Ireland had a similar design.
*battle flag. Also he didn't notice the GA flag is the 1st national
Brooo I have been waiting for this!!! Yesss
But also.. Utah just redesigned their flag and its adorable.
Love to see my home state of New Mexico doing so well throughout these video rankings!
💙Land of enchantment💛❤️. our state rocks!
I love the Arizona flag! It’s supposed to symbolize a sunset :)
Love Scott's perspective here. Very refreshing to see in regards to state flags. People these days are too critical of state flags imo, and all want the same boring hyper-minimalism for every state flag. I love the way to examine everything for what it is from a graphic design standpoint as well as just the aesthetic feel, and not some weird set of obscure "flag rules" like other people do. (Speaking as an appreciator of the Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania flags, which usually get too much undeservable slack) That being said, as an Ohioan, putting Montana above Ohio is an unforgivable sin and I hate you forever now
People are too critical of flags nowadays? I've just never heard much discourse about it personally but everybody's got an opinion I guess. I've definitely never heard of any "flag rules" lol
@@donovanfaust3227 I fell down some dark forsaken corner of the internet a few years back and now I can never come back from it lol
I've certainly never heard people in normal life obsess over these obscure "flag rules" but people on the internet do it so much it even affected the real world decisions made when Minnesota adopted a new flag, it's wild. And they will HATE on any flag that does not fit their standards perfectly as if it's committing a mortal sin
@@isaacsingleton9187 people are wild lol
Despite you thinking you fell victim to the popular sentiment, you actually had some interesting takes that go against the grain that I’ve seen at least. Did also appreciate the shoutout to JJ’s video because that was a cool one. And as a Marylander, thank you for recognizing and appreciating the Maryland flag ❤️ And also thank you for actually zooming in to check out the seals and logos more closely.
Ohio's Flag is indeed tapered and it is EVERYWHERE in the state. Especially on older Colonial houses.
As a Canadian, I would love to see you rank Canadian provinces flags.
Regarding the DC flag: It is an armorial banner based on the coat of arms granted to Lawrence Washington (George Washington's 3rd great-grandfather) of Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire, England, in 1592. This coat of arms was used privately by the president in his home at Mount Vernon. The District Flag Commission was composed of three non-elected federally-appointed members: the president of the Board of Commissioners, the secretary of war and the secretary of the Navy. Since no local group was involved in the selection process, Washingtonians saw the flag as a symbol of their lack of representation, however they have since embraced it.
Regarding the New Mexican flag: The flag was adopted in 1925 and highlights the Hispano and indigenous heritage of the state, with the sun symbol of the Zia people in the middle, with the colors of the flag of Spain. The symbol has sacred meaning to the Zia people. Four is a sacred number symbolizing the Circle of Life; the four directions, the four times of day, the four stages of life, and the four seasons. The circle binds these four elements of four together. During the San Diego World's Fair of 1915, they had to create an unofficial flag to be displayed with the other state flags, and the result was the American flag on the upper-left corner, the state seal on the bottom-right, and New Mexico in slanted big letters on a blue field.
Taxation Without Representation
Ohioan here; yes our flag is angled. That white bg jpeg did us dirty 😭
Florida: We copied Alabama's homework and wrote our name on it.
Arizona flag IS in fact a dorm room stable... especially BECAUSE, as you pointed out, one of the largest universities is here. Just walk around Arizona State University, you'll see it
Scott is my favorite vexillologist
Scott completely misunderstanding sic semper tyrannis killed me
"Sic Semper Tyrannis"
"Thus, always to tyrants."
It's what John Wilkes Booth shouted after killing Lincoln.
I love the Colorado flag! I think the big C in the middle is just so iconic. We put it on everything and find really cool ways to make it look unique and interesting every time.
But I agree that it's not a "bonafide beauty." I think there should have been another category for iconic flags that aren't quite a bonified beauty but have ascended beyond just a dorm room staple. I think Colorado, California, Texas, Maryland, and South Carolina should be in that category for sure.
I think I feel the opposite way of all of Scott's opinions on these flags so I'm pretty sure we have to fight to the death now
I'm sorry but I hope you lose
Agreed 😂
I'm a minute and a half in and the fact that he put Alabama that high with the most basic, plain flag imaginable is not a good sign 😂
I agreed with a lot of his opinions but... Hawaii!? That flag is so hideous and misaligned omg
@@lyss.heidenWhat do you think makes a good flag design 🤣
South Carolina resident here, and I can confirm, we put the palmetto tree and crescent moon on EVERYTHING. You can’t shake a stick without finding some kind of tchotchke with that design on it here lol. I don’t mind though, we really got one of the best! (New Mexico and Alaska are the tops in my book though.)
i want to know if he actually knows that the Utah flag was redesigned recently or if that was just an incredibly good guess
Ohio's flag is actually shaped like that, only one that has that unique shape
Do Welcome signs next
I'm copying this so that it's floating around the comments more!
YOU HAVE A SECOND CHANNEL???? What an exciting discovery, thanks youtube recommendations!!
I definitely wanna see him react to the states welcome signs on highways.
i second this
Have no fear, Scott. Minnesota is changing their state flag soon 🙏🙌
Thank goodness. I thought it was the same blue as the others, but when I saw it amongst the others, I have a visceral reaction. Let's hope we get a dope new flag 🤞🏼
From VA; I completely agree every house should be flying our flag. You pretty much nailed the Latin translation too👌🏻
As a Minnesotan who has never seen the state flag I wish it stayed that way.
The good news is the state just finished a redesign submission contest and hopefully next year (on May 11th) we’ll see something become the new state flag
Fingers crossed!
Scott, thanks for keep up with this series it’s one of my faves that you do! The Motto of the Virginia State Flag translates to Thus Always the Tyrants which yeah roughly translates to throwing out tyrannical governments which fun fact that’s what John Wilkes Booth shouted after he assassinated President Lincoln
i was hoping someone else who is a latin nerd would translate that flag. i was, however, thinking of sic as meaning yes, so i thought they were saying that they WERE tyrants, which is objectively funnier. 😭😭
Editor Cameo is hilarious 🤣🤣
Love from Wyoming!
I worked for a Minnesota-based company last year, and during one of our meetings, I kept hearing them talk about potential legs in a certain business process. I kept writing down "leg" as they spoke, and when I finally asked what a leg was, they replied, "Oh, no, LAG." And that time it was clear, so it's good to know the ability's there, you just have to put extra effort into some words.
As a lifelong Georgian, I can honestly say I didn't even know that was our flag.
It changed so many times
Basically whenever we need a new state flag someone goes into a civil war museum, and points at a random CS flag and says "that one".
@@Ricky_the_Georgian I remember when the flag literally a combination of all the historical Georgia flags.
Hell yeah Scott! I’m a Louisiana man born and raised glad you love our flag!
Thanks for the love for Mississippi my guy!
I was shocked to see the flag for Maine. The original pine tree and star flag is seen everywhere there and I didn’t realize it wasn’t the official one anymore. I was excited to see Scott’s reaction to that one, it’s one of my favorites.
Utah just redesigned the state flag and it looks so much better now!
So true. Our new flag is way better.
I grew up in Arizona and we had to draw the state flag during basically every history class, I’ve always wondered how did you guys who had super intricate flags drew them when you were kids??? As a 10 year old I could not have drawn Florida’s flag
I'm from Oklahoma and I remember getting so upset that I had to draw the flag. None of us liked it. Like I just learned how to spell green and how to draw a triangle you want me to draw a peacepipe?!
From Virginia: the trick is that we almost NEVER did. The few times I remember we had to my teacher that year had a stamp with the Virginia symbol in the middle for us. I don’t remember why we needed it tho
Omg, thank you for doing another state ranking video!! These are my favorite. 😭 Would you consider ranking state bird/flowers next?
These are my favorite videos of any of your channels. More tier lists!
Jersey finally get some love in this series
as an oregonian, i completely agree with the backside of the flag being a bonafide beauty, i love it because it’s so unserious. it’s so oregon. i also remember being very disappointed as a small child that not all states had a double sided flag
I love Alaska's state flag so much. The design came from a contest in 1927 for Alaskan school kids from 7th-12th grade with around 700 entries and the winning design was by a 14 year old alaska native boy, Benny Benson, and I love his explanation for his inspiration. "The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the Union. The dipper is for the Great Bear-symbolizing strength"
So cool, I love our state flag.
seeing alabmas flag first and you give an opposite opinion to it than me 😅 i guess i gotta strap in for the rest of the video
My husband who was born/lived in North Dakota pronounces ag words like eg and I ALWAYS make fun of him. “What’s a dregon? I know what a dragon is”
I've watched a lot of these rankings, and every time i see something new.
I love the Cali flag! It’s so unique and honestly looks really cool. Yes living here is absolutely insanely expensive but at least our flag is nice 😂
I can't tell if Scott actually thought the Delaware guy's hand was his horn, or if he knew his hand was in his pocket and that horn was just his powder flask/horn, 😂.
Wait, I just reached the Kentucky flag part. At least he knows now that wasn't the man's hand or a rhino horn, but it isnt for seeds though Scott. 😂, love the video man!
As a NJ resident I’m shocked our flag made it that high up but honored
26:00 South Carolina! Hell yeah 👍
As a South Carolinian our flag becomes even cooler when you realize that the palmetto tree was used in the Revolutionary war to block cannon balls. Glad you like it!
You gotta do state capitol buildings next
It's not often we're praised for something great, but to hear Scott say our peach colored flag was a "bonafide beauty", really brought a tear to my eye.
as a kentuckian, i can confirm that it is easy to slice us in half. in fact, that's exactly what happened during the civil war.
pretty pleased about RI's placement. also if you meet a rhode islander in the wild there is a 50/50 chance they have an anchor tattoo.
I want a video of the States ranked from best to worst solely due to their flags, license plates and driver's licenses (and whatever else Scott decides to rank in the future....stamps?)
I love the louisiana one! The baby birds are so cute lol i dont love the repetitive blue background (I'm from PA and ours is also the same boring blue) but still I was thinking this wouls def be top tier for me
You have to rank every state bird next. As a Minnesotan I will be very much personally offended if you don’t rank the loon as the best state bird.
Wow I didn't realize I am here so early! Love your videos!
Had to go watch JJ’s videos and I have a few things to say about the Seals on Bedsheets (SOB’s).
My biggest problem with SOB’s has always been the bedsheet aspect. I think a flag should be unique. The 2 “rules” I agree with is “noticeable at a distance” and “minimal words”. I actually really like the crests for nearly every reason you discussed. But the dark blue background is what kills it. From a glance, they all look the same. I think there is a reason why Florida rarely makes its way into these discussions. It’s because it’s pretty much a seal in a background that isn’t blue. Similar with Washington State. And the big, bold, block letters also kill it.
I wish the crests could be expanded for more of the flag shape. It is, quite simply, lazy to take a previous design and throw it on a bedsheet. That is dishonoring what it was. That’s like putting a 2x3 sticker of Starry Night on a mug. Expand it out. At the time seals were made, the main inspirations came from canvases. A rectangular shape. Imagine if the crests were a circle with a rectangle in the middle with the real crest. It defeats the purpose of the medium.
Let creativity flow from it. To me, flags are a form of art. I LOVE an intricate flag design. Maryland is one of my favorite flags ever. I don’t believe intricacy is the issue. It’s that the intricacy is subjected to a little circle a fifth of the size of the actual canvas and the most generic ocean blue is paint bucketed on the rest.
Thank you for reading my TED Talk. Goodnight TriState Area!
You should definitely watch CGP Grey's video on this same topic, he took much more of a 'is this a good flag?' approach as opposed to 'do I like this?' and I find both approaches interesting.
Next You should rate each states Quarter design!