SOURCE: https://www.dustinpoynter.com/
Dustin Poynter is the Red Flag/Green Flag Guy. Aren’t familiar with him? A montage of his work is in the YouTube link below. Please enjoy! I discovered him about three months ago, and I am about to purchase one of his merch items, I’m in SO much support of his work!
He is a social media artist who takes trending videos that show narcissistic or “iffy” behaviors and comments on it, by running with a large red flag, back and forth across the screen, warning with commentary on why that’s concerning (almost always injected with humor), or praises someone for doing the right thing, by running back and forth across the screen, waving a large green flag. When I say these are large flags, I mean college football, battlefield, flag over a car lot HUGE!
The concepts of “red flags” and “green flags” in relation to relationships originated as metaphors to help individuals identify warning signs and positive indicators in their romantic partnerships. These terms gained popularity within the realm of relationship advice, particularly in self-help literature, online forums, and discussions about dating and interpersonal dynamics.
The concept of “red flags” typically refers to behaviors, traits, or circumstances that may indicate potential problems or issues within a relationship. These could include signs of manipulation, dishonesty, disrespect, or abuse. Identifying red flags is crucial for individuals to protect themselves from entering or continuing unhealthy or harmful relationships. Many times these are ignored or explained away by the other party in the relationship.
On the other hand, “green flags” signify positive aspects or behaviors that indicate a healthy and fulfilling relationship. These could include qualities like communication, mutual respect, honesty, supportiveness, and shared values. Recognizing green flags can help individuals foster and maintain relationships that contribute positively to their well-being. We often take these signs for granted. I LOVE that Dustin praises them!
While it’s challenging to pinpoint a specific origin for these terms, they have likely evolved over time through collective discussions and experiences within the realm of relationship advice and counseling. As people increasingly sought ways to navigate the complexities of romantic relationships, the concepts of red flags and green flags emerged as helpful tools for evaluating and understanding relationship dynamics. Could be a combination of sports or the old world Navy, maybe? I acknowledge the colors correlate what we perceive in traffic stoplights and/or signage.
On Dustin’s website, here’s what he modestly lists about himself:
Dustin Poynter is a full-time content creator with an 8-year career making poop and fart jokes on platforms such as Vine, Facebook, Tik Tok, YouTube and Instagram. He has a following of over 4 million people and most people know him as Red Flag Guy, or Green Flag Guy, because he runs around in a public park with gigantic flags and reacts to viral relationship videos.
When he’s not creating content, Dustin is usually spending time with his girlfriend Kendra, watching comedy podcasts or playing Halo.
Since I do follow him on all sorts of social media platforms, his post from the other day concerned me:
His work is SO needed, as it seems people today need the “red flags” called out and the “green flags” behaviors praised. He is reinforcing what people SHOULD be taught, but that we are in an overly-tolerant society. Please, please, PLEASE, go to his social media outlets and subscribe, as well as purchase some of his merch. I am going purchase a hoodie to just as soon as I get paid again. He needs our support so he can continue his valuable work. He was banned by doing the same things other content creators do, except that some of the folks that he was “warning” us about got overly sensitive and complained that he was stealing their content. He’s commentary…simply doing what other (not so talented ones, at that) are doing. C’mon Facebook! REALLY!?!?
