to be clear, I don’t care about the rules surrounding the flag
Oh I agree. As a Canadian we have our fair share of people who do the same weird and wacky shit with our flag. The only difference being I don't see (most of us) idolizing the flag itself as much as our southern neighbours (proper spelling) seem to.
To me (and most Canadians...and I presume at least some Americans) it's just a piece of cloth. Respect the country...but don't idolize a piece of cloth...