A Republican in the Texas House of Representatives has decided to address the most important issue facing the state: people using Chile’s flag emoji when they mean the Texan flag.
A bill titled HCR 75, submitted by Republican Rep. Tom Oliverson, concerns people’s usage of the flag emoji of the Republic of Chile and urges “Texans not to use the flag emoji of the Republic of Chile when referring to the Texas flag.”
According to the text of the bill, although Chile has “a nice flag”, it cannot be substituted for the official Texan flag:
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.
The bill points that most “electronic messaging applications” don’t provide a selection of “the official flag of Texas, also known as the Lone Star Flag.” This, apparently, causes many users to use the Chilean flag instead.
“All too often, the Chilean flag emoji is used as a substitute for the Lone Star Flag in text messaging and on social media platforms,” the bill reads. “The Chilean flag proudly represents its country but, despite its similarity to the Texas flag, it does not represent the State of Texas.”
“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,” the bill continues.
