As nation turns 250, many Americans say the Stars and Stripes is now a red flag

To fly or not to fly an American flag? That was never a question for Bruce Watson, who has put his national pride on display for years — and nudges neighbors in his small New England town to do the same.

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“I’m very proud of our flag,” the writer said. “It’s the symbol of ‘We, the People.’”

But as the polarized nation marks its 250th birthday, Watson, 72, worries his Stars and Stripes may now need an asterisk. “If we do fly the flag, we will also put out signs to make it clear that we are not MAGA,” he said.

Bruce Watson, at his home with his dog, Mavis, in Montague, Mass., says he plans to put a disclaimer next to his flag. Hannah Beier for NBC News

The American flag is a symbol striped with many meanings, whether it’s hung on front porches, waved in parades, protests and World Cup matches, or stamped on lapel pins and boxing trunks. Like so much else in American life, it has also been tangled up in politics and the policies of President Donald Trump.

NBC News asked readers to share their feelings and practices around the flag in a moment, polls suggest, when patriotism, national pride and optimism for the country’s future are all fraying. Like Watson, some say the flag can be taken as an endorsement of the current administration. For others, it isn’t tied to any one party but is a way of life.

Rather than not fly the flag, several readers said they plan to show their patriotism — and protest Trump — by flying it upside down to signal that the country is in distress.