Thread: Are you proud of your country?

Some say that you should have pride in your country, others say it's ridiculous because you never chose which country you were born in/live in.

I'm half and half. I am proud of my country, in the sense that being Canadian is part of who I am and I should be proud of myself (to a degree). On the other hand, I would be just as proud as if I were born in another country, so really it shouldn't matter much.

In the words of Immortal Technique:

"Try to minimize the issue, but I'm keepin' it large. I love the place I live, but I hate the people in charge."

We killed thousands of Indians, yet we also killed thousands of Nazis.

I'd say about half and half.

Originally Posted by mini0991

We killed thousands of Indians, yet we also killed thousands of Nazis.

I'd say about half and half.

What are you talking about? We didn't kill any Indians, our ancestors did.

I meant to convey a point about our imperfect history as a nation. This and a bunch of other stuff conviently goes unmentioned when listing what we've done throughout our over-200-year history.

America is fairly decent, but about 50% of the people in it drive me bananas, and a nice chunk of the politics involved is maddening. Half-and-half.

Originally Posted by Black_Eagle

What are you talking about? We didn't kill any Indians, our ancestors did.

well, not my ancestors.


what does it mean to say you are proud of your country?

if it's based on heritage, i don't identify with being 'american.' like many other people here, i have no ethnic connection to this term, aside from a small amount of native ancestry.

if it's based on governance, absolutely not. the american system of government replaced indigenous forms which i believe to be ideal. the relatively short history of the united states to me is an exercise of manifest destiny.

but i am proud of how there are so many opportunities for many different people here. i am fortunate to live in a place where my life is relatively easy.


other.

Not that i'm american,but i find this song relevant to the topic.

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

In the words of Immortal Technique:

"Try to minimize the issue, but I'm keepin' it large. I love the place I live, but I hate the people in charge."

Haha, I'm so glad you posted that.

I personally love the US of A, and I hate everyone who lives here and talks shit about it.

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

I love the place I live, but I hate the people in charge.

yea, that just about sums it up for me as well. Great country. Great potential. Shitty leaders.

Originally Posted by Oneironaut

In the words of Immortal Technique:

"Try to minimize the issue, but I'm keepin' it large. I love the place I live, but I hate the people in charge."

Fuck yeah.

But yeah, I'm not "proud" of America, But I love where I live.

No, but it's mine.

I chose half and half

I'm proud to be an American, and I could really care less in what other contries think of the US. I think, like with racism, a few bad eggs gives the majority a bad name Many find us rude and stuck up. Maybe because you were in the city or a largly populated area, of course they're going to come off as rude (maybe, I've have met a lot of nice people in cities). Get out of the cities and downtown areas and even in cities with 100,000 people, you can still run into many nice people who are courtious

The reason for the other half? I'm proud of my ancestry. I'm a mutt when it comes to where my ancestors came from: Eng, Ire, Fr, Ger, Sweed, Hung, Canadian-Fr

Having visited Eng and Ger, it was really cool to be in those places and think, "Man, hundreds of yrs ago my family lived here," and is a cool feeling

Whether or not it counts as pride, I definitely feel more loyalty, attachment and common cause with...let's call it "emerging indigenous" and indigenous peoples all over the world, than to the sum total of people in my nation. By "emerging indigenous" I mean people like mestizos (what my family would be if we had a word for it in the North--Italian/Irish/Sioux/Amish/Welsh) and African Americans who can't trace much of their culture back to a place other than the one they're in, and share many traits with indigenous cultures (largely due to widespread poverty): close-knit communities of necessity, underground economies, and often some degree of living off the land (in an urban environment this includes things like scrap collecting, squatting, and even panhandling, as people and buildings are the main elements of the urban 'land'). I might add elements like non-traditional and/or multi-generational households. It strikes me as a way of life distinct from the middle and upper classes who tend to be more ethnically homogeneous with less geographically-defined social networks and rely more on the nuclear family.

So while I'm loyal to my nation before any other nation, the order of priorities goes something like:

1. all beings
2. humanity
3. family
4. community/friends
5. indigenous/ish peoples
6. nation

with each taking precedence only so long as it doesn't conflict with anything above.

I'm proud to BE an Australian, because, well, we've got a pretty ace economy, we've got some pretty ace schools, we're second in the HDI, and it's generally on the whole just a nice place to live.

Am I proud of all Australians? No. But that'd be impossible.

Pros:

1. Vital roles in stopping Nazi and Soviet expansion and liberating various nations
2. Relatively capitalist system that has led to major prosperity for ourselves and stimulation of world technology and economy
3. Leading the world in the giving of foreign aid, including more than half of the world hunger relief food. (Are you ready for a shock? George W. Bush did more to fight hunger and disease in Africa than any other person in world history. Yep. )
4. Pioneering space travel
5. Lots of excellent movies and musical acts

Cons:

1. History of imperialism
2. History of slavery
3. History of genocide
4. Stupid moron laws such as drug prohibition and the illegality of gay marriage
5. A socialist president, during a major financial crisis, who was elected because he sounds good when he talks
6. Too much Christian dominance of society

Am I proud of my country? In some ways, yes. In some other ways, absolutely not.

I think saying the Pledge of Allegience and singing the national anthem with hand on chest are ridiculous things to do. That song by Lee Greenwood about being proud to be an American is about the worst song I have ever heard.

I am more concerned with Earth than I am with any one land within made up boundaries. Strangers in foreign lands are just as important to me as strangers in my country.

I am very patriotic about being Scottish.

I am proud too, William Wallace, Rabbie Burns etc. Tons of great Scottish heros of history.

And a song written by Rabbie Burns (famous Scottish poet) is well known (never realised it was well known in America till just recently), "For Auld Lang Syne"
It's great that you guys know the song, but for fuck sake, it pisses me off when you pronounce it "old lang syne".



And there is also the inventor of the telephone, he was Scottish.
And of course, another Scottish inventor inventor the television.

They are two of the biggest things ever created, and they were invented by Scottish people.

Originally Posted by Universal Mind

Cons:

1. History of imperialism
2. History of slavery
3. History of genocide

5. A socialist president, during a major financial crisis, who was elected because he sounds good when he talks

I think saying the Pledge of Allegience and singing the national anthem with hand on chest are ridiculous things to do

1 and 2, what country didn't (other than those in Af)? lol

3, well, we know that there are more than just us that did that

(I'm not ragging on you, I'm jsut stating)

5. Now I know you're going to want to jump all over me for this, but I honestly think people just wanted to "make history" and voted for Obama. I'm in no way racist. I have a color TV

I don't put my hand over for the Anthem. However, I think that they are both proud songs of our country

Originally Posted by Universal Mind

Pros:

Am I proud of my country? In some ways, yes. In some other ways, absolutely not.

I think saying the Pledge of Allegience and singing the national anthem with hand on chest are ridiculous things to do. That song by Lee Greenwood about being proud to be an American is about the worst song I have ever heard.

I am more concerned with Earth than I am with any one land within made up boundaries. Strangers in foreign lands are just as important to me as strangers in my country.

I am very proud to be an American!

well i'll get to the bottom of this quick and fast, being native i dont really feel i'm a part of this country its all just settings around me that were established by other non native people groups.

being proud of your country is a strange thought o.O

I'm proud of being a human being, that's something more physical and objetive.

proud of a country is veryyyyy subjetive.