I'm Proud To Be an American!!! - Page 2

Sergeant Stinger1 · 10-20-07, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dragonfly

Including America.

That doesn't mean that you can't be proud of your country.

Yes, of course I would be proud. Hopefully, in a humble manner.

There ya go!

Sergeant Stinger1 · 10-20-07, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thelost1

Yes, but I don't choose whether they go to support the war (hich I dislike), or to help starving children in Africa. So the responsibility is not mine.

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The responsibility is not yours but if you pay taxes you still own it!

bub · 10-20-07, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thelost1

Do we have to go through this again?

Pride in a nation is pointless, as most of the prideworthy actions perpetrated by members of the nation are not perpetrated by you. That I should have pride that Ben Franklin, George Washington, or Albert Einstein lived within 3,000 miles of where I live now is ridiculous. I did not write the theory of General Relativity, nor did I establish a nation based on freedom.

I have my own personal achievements that I am quite proud of, but having been born in one part of the world as opposed to another is not one of them. Anyone can do it, and it is randomised (though you could argue that I have to have been born in America, because otherwise the unique occurances that formed me would not have occured, but my point stands regardless.), so it is worthless in terms of pride.

Also, I believe that excessive national pride (the idea that our country is the best by virtue of being our country, and that we are the best people by virtue of being in it) causes all sorts of problems. I prefer to recognize that
we are not the best, but we can certainly work towards it (though, "best" is relative...).

"National Pride" is propoganda, though not a bad kind of propoganda. it is useful in stirring up patriotism.

If you say "I'm proud of my country" with the sense "I like my country", it's ok.

But you're right, if when your pride means "I think my country is the best because I'm born in it", it sucks, since you haven't contributed to it.

Hatuey · 10-20-07, 08:56 PM

I'm just grateful that I was lucky enough to have been born here and not in some third world country.

mikhail · 10-20-07, 10:50 PM

The truth is some countries are better than others i know this from personnel experience.

Thelost1 · 10-21-07, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikhail

The truth is some countries are better than others i know this from personnel experience.

Yes, but that doesn't have anything to do with pride.

Unless, of course, the country is only good because of you.

bub · 10-21-07, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thelost1

Yes, but that doesn't have anything to do with pride.

Unless, of course, the country is only good because of you.

It's like being proud of your color of skin/heritage VS your personnal achievements, what you've done with your life.

You may like your heritage/country and be proud of what you've done for you and your country.

Being proud of your country does not make any sense! Bulgarians/Albanians/Serbs/Turks are extremely proud of their country, while I'd never choose to live there. Everybody thinks its country is the best, the French, the Serbs, the Turks, the Americans...

...and exacerbated pride leads to the reject of the others. That's what happens now in my country, where a part of the Flemish are "overproud" of their history, are more and more nationalist, and want to split up the country.