Where I work, on our anniversary of employment, we get a lovely laser-printed certificate saying CONGRATULATIONS! on your whatever-year of service. It costs them probably 25 cents in colored ink, and most of us throw them away, BUT -- how is that any different than what's happening here? I don't know of anyone who gets upset because they didn't get a certificate for only being there 9 months or something. It's recognition of a milestone. So are these flags.

I have to confess, it's because of the fact that milestones are recognized here, even in the otherwise-meaningless titles (poohbah, etc) that I don't understand why people get their knickers in a twist over it. It isn't meant to be exclusionary, just like giving someone a 25-cent, laser-printed certificate on their employment anniversary of more than 11 months isn't exclusionary.