Patriotism!
- Thread starter Miss C
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Britishness is a load of bollocks. I'm English. 
And in response to the first post, I think that it is us that should be celebrating our independence from the Yanks.
And in response to the first post, I think that it is us that should be celebrating our independence from the Yanks.
I think there has to be pride for the country you live in-or u'll never want to do good by it, but also humility...or you'll be arrogant and the things you do, will not be for the best...
I love my country-as it has shaped me into who i am...i don't know what to say apart from that. everyone has a strong opinion on this subject it seems...and for once, im in a non-opinionated mood
xxx
I will go with that!
Completely agree there, and that's precisely why we DON'T need to shout about it from the rooftops. It's pointless and it's vulgar.
It could be argued that many of these nations who beat the drum so tiresomely about nationality (Americans & Aussies to name but two) do so really out of an inherent sense of insecurity.
Apart from the colour of their passports, most Americans & Aussies who bang on about patriotism have absolutely no reason whatsoever for doing so. In fact they DON'T HAVE a national identity because 300 years ago their "nations" didn't even exist. All this nauseating "God Bless America" nonsense is really just thinly veiled over-compensating for a complete lack of any national heritage or history at all. Or more accurately, the history they do have is really something they should be deeply ashamed of.
Really interesting perspective! I think theres some truth in that. Its not the Citizens that are insecure though...they don't know any better, its the corrupt govt. and people at the top that have drummed this into them since the beginning..
Disagree that they should be deeply ashamed though...although they do need to wake up and realise the rest of the world is seething at them... because goodness me, they reeeeally do not realise that.
Patriotism and Nationalism have been constantly hijacked throughout history to produce an 'us versus them' mentality. And its very very powerful and dangerous. That's my beef with it. It usually ends in the massive slaughter of people manipulated into supporting it. I'm not saying its all bad, just that it needs keeping an eye on.
I also think when you live away from your country, as you are doing now, I tended to get a bit of a rose tinted view of it. When I came back, what came roaring back were the bits that had always pissed me off. In fact it took me a good few years to get the right balance.
Yeah I love my country and am proud of it. But I don't place that above anything someone else could feel for theirs. It's not a cynicism at all, it's cautious optimism
As for Brits being cool, a couple of episodes of Britain's got talent or the X factor, or perhaps a tv show presented by Danny Dyer should temper your extremism!!! Wherever you go there's cool, but there's always a few knobheads to balance it out!
I think living away from England is may well be giving me a rose tinted view of it, and I am aware of that (the countless times i've spent summers abroad and been excited to come home only to resent the place again after 2 weeks) BUT sometimes it also takes getting out of the box to really see whats in the box...and you are currently in the box! So whilst my spectacles may be rose tinted, i'd say yours are also a little jaded.
Theres alot more to Britain than the X-Factor and Britains got talent and, I don't know if you've ever watched the American versions of those shows but I can tell you now, the British ones are about a squillion times better and less cheesy.
Certainly Nobodys saying you have to place your country above anything anyone else feels for theirs, that would just defeat the object. Just being proud of your country doesn't mean you have to take it to extremes.
We just tend to slate our country an awful lot, and I did/do it myself, but now that i've had chance to really thoroughly compare....i've come to realise, it really aint that bad!
Thanks
Well, as you know, America etc have no more history than we do (a lot less in fact), they have no more to be proud of than we do, but they JUST ARE. They have far more problems than we do as a nation, they're just very good at focusing on the good and in a manner thats slightly weird to us, covering up the bad...
Britain is a very much loved and well respected place here in the US, they would be shocked to know that we don't really support it.. its seen as very proper...
I could and will reel off all the things that Britishness is to me at the moment later, right now I am about to get an uber bollocking at work if I stay on here any longer!
Not sure about the 'corrupt government' point, I think it's just a case of cause and effect to be honest.
It stands to reason that citizens of a newly established country will be more keen to assert their unique national identity than citizens of a country which has been around for donkeys years. Of course everyone has a sense of national pride and will want to big-up the traditions & history of their country, but in some cases it seems almost like a defense mechanism - "we don't have much history to shout about, but what we do have we'll shout about louder than anyone else".
America is a good example as a (relatively) young immigrant nation. With few exceptions American peoples ancestors come from the four corners of the globe, and not that long ago either. They essentially don't have a national identity, so they take great pains to construct one, and then are very protective of it. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. In my opinion there's a stark contrast between that, and "Great Britain" (I'll use the term loosely for fear of being dragged once again into the mire of semantics) which has been around largely unchanged for 1000 years or so.
For that reason it makes perfect sense to me that Americans make a big deal about "the good old USA" whereas Brits just don't feel the same need to make a fuss.
Just my opinion...
Britishness is a load of bollocks. I'm English.
And in response to the first post, I think that it is us that should be celebrating our independence from the Yanks.
hehehe
Thats a nice idea, although as you'll know most Americans have never been out of America, they forget that a world outside it exists! Most of them only know their history!
Oh and trust me...after working in a firm thats hired to conduct govt. investigations, having seen the things i've seen, and met the people i've met...i'm in no doubt that the American govt. is not at all what it pretends to be... but I won't go any further right now with that collossal barrell of worms!!!
It really doesn't come as a surprise
And living abroad definitely gives 'home' a rosey tinge too.
Nowt wrong with that though.
Sometimes it's good to miss summat cos then you always appreciate it more.
You must be loving it over there though...
And living abroad definitely gives 'home' a rosey tinge too.
Nowt wrong with that though.
Sometimes it's good to miss summat cos then you always appreciate it more.
You must be loving it over there though...
as soon as I saw this thread
I thought of sirus and mizztickle... PS Im Scottish and proud of being Scottish, but also evenly proud to be British. Rule Eccose and Britannia
I thought of sirus and mizztickle...
PS Im Scottish and proud of being Scottish, but also evenly proud to be British. Rule Eccose and BritanniaIsn't about 80% that have never been outside the US?
Not only that, but they had a President who went to war with Iraq believing he was doing God's work... and something daft like about 50% of Americans believe in creationism... and they have absolute retards like Sarah Palin trying to become Vice President. She didn't even know what the Bush Doctrine was ffs, lol
They're going downhill rapidly I reckon.
It really doesn't come as a surprise
And living abroad definitely gives 'home' a rosey tinge too.
Nowt wrong with that though.
Sometimes it's good to miss summat cos then you always appreciate it more.
You must be loving it over there though...
Oh its just you said you 'don't know bout the corrupt government point.'
Oh god yeah... its like having your cake and scoffing it every day here lol...
Isn't about 80% that have never been outside the US?
Not only that, but they had a President who went to war with Iraq believing he was doing God's work... and something daft like about 50% of Americans believe in creationism... and they have absolute retards like Sarah Palin trying to become Vice President. She didn't even know what the Bush Doctrine was ffs, lol
They're going downhill rapidly I reckon.
Yeah its some ridiculous figure like that that have never left the US lol. Although when you think of the size and diversity of the US, then think of the size of Europe by comparison and how many people have never actually left Europe, it doesn't seem quite so pathetic...
I was talking to one of my bosses about this, and he said he has absolutely no desire to travel, he never wants to leave NY lol, he's just happy where he is and thats it. One day i'll stumble upon that place!
Lol yeah they believe all sorts of daft things like that, actual different breed.
No I meant I don't know what the corrupt government has to do with patriotism. All governments are corrupt in one way or another. Tis the nature of the beast.
One final point. The citizens of the universe thing doesn't cancel out the differences. It just ties us all together. You can still be a proud Scot or American or Japanese, whatever, but feel like you are a citizen of the world. I don't think it is or has to be boring at all.
We are all different. But to quote that often sample Jesse Jackson speech "We are unified, we are together." To me that is what patriotism sometimes misses.
We are all different. But to quote that often sample Jesse Jackson speech "We are unified, we are together." To me that is what patriotism sometimes misses.
What it has to do with it is that the acts of patriotism are somewhat like a cover up for what lies beneath. As well as a brainwashing exercise.
And yeah, some more than others!!!
