Patriotism

I personally believe that patriotism is totally unnessecary. I mean. wherever you're born, you are born. You can't choose where to be born, so I feel being proud of what nationality you are quite idiotic. I've never been proud of being american or german. I can understand being proud of your own looks and stuff like that, because you have to maintain your body's shape or how your skin looks. But being proud of your nationality? I just don't understand it. Maybe I'm a bit closeminded about this, so if someone would like to enlighten me, please do so.

(I decided to make this thread, because turkey is playing germany in soccer / football tonight and everybody's going fucking nuts over who's better and some turks and germans are really going at it in the streets. I don't know...walking around with the flags of your country shouting: "We're the fucking best!" is kind of...blech.)

 

It makes sense to be proud of your culture, memes that have been passed on to you and so on, but nationalism in that context is generally fucking ridiculous.

 

Being proud of your home country is nice, but taking it overboard is another thing.

Patriotism? Yes.

Acting like a total idiot and saying your country is better than everyone else? No.

 

I pretty much have the same feelings on this as you do. Race, nationality, what region you're from... all of these things are incidental. I had no hand in making myself Caucasian or American, so I feel no pride from it.

 

Yeah I don't understand it either, I am sometimes harassed by my family, because I take more interest in Japanese Culture than American Culture, it's strange. I didn't say, hey! let me be American. But what ever, I will study what ever interest me.

 

Thank you...I've been waiting for someone to say that.

 

I'm not proud of being Dutch, but when Holland plays (when they used to play) I was really proud singing the national anthem Dont know, just the feeling that everyone supports Holland during a game and singing the national anthem, it has something.

I think the patriots are closeminded. Sure, I can be proud of our freedom of speech where Holland is known for, but in fact there's almost no freedom of speech.

 

Yeah...patriotism is all about the talk...*sigh*

 

See, I've always been taught to be proud of the country you live in, and that's patriotism, being proud of your country, and supporting it. If that makes me misguided, then that's what it makes me, but that's what I've been taught. It's not a crime to support and be proud of your home country, last I checked.

 

But then you have wank outfits like the BNP and National Front.

 

My thoughts summed up in a nutshell.

 

I'm proud to be an American. I've lived here my whole life, and I'm probably going to live here for the rest of it. Why not be proud of that fact? Sure, the fact that I was born here and live here may be incidental, but why not be proud of the fact that I'm an American? I don't see what it could possibly hurt, unless I started going over the top with it, which will never happen.

If you're a military brat who was born in Italy when your parents are from the United States and you're proud of "being Italian," then yes, you're an idiot, because you're probably not Italian at all. That's not patriotism, that's just stupid.

 

Sarcasm?

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

I think pride and patriotism mean different things to different people, which makes it such a sticky issue. Especially these days.

 

Personally, I don't understand you at all. Does that also mean that it's ridiculous to love your parents and siblings because you didn't choose them? Just wondering..

I'm proud of being from Serbia, proud of my unique culture (don't get me wrong here, I didn't mean that just my country has unique culture, every country has its unique culture), proud of the centuries and centuries of its history, proud of my ancestors etc. Yeah we've had our ups and downs and we made some mistakes, but who hasn't?
And I' proud of all that because it all made me the person that I am today. I'm sure that in no way would I be the same if I were born and grew up somewhere else. So in my interpretation, being proud of your country kinda means that you're also proud of yourself.

And yeah we're the best and we'll win the next football World Cup motherfuckers!!!!11
(if we manage to qualify of course )

 

That's pretty much my view as well.

 

Even the part about Serbia winning the world cup?

 

Thank you.

 

Obviously, there you replace Serbia with England. No wait, Scotland.