Category: Let's talk
How patriotic are you, does the national anthem bring you out in goose bumps and a lump to your throat...or do you feel ambigious towards your country..do you agree with everything your country has achieved bearing in mindthe human cost of that succes. I have always been proud to be Scottish, I think most Scots are, as we were for so long, browbeaten into believing we should be ashamed of our nationality... until in defiance we refused to comply...
Firstly, I can't stand the UK national anthem, and would join with foreigners in booing it at sporting events. It doesn't reflect everybody and the nation in general, it's out of date. As for my country as a hole, well I think there are good things and bad things about it as there is with most developed democracies. I like my country. I'm not patriotic though. I just happen to be English, but if I was of another nationality, I don't think it'd bother me. Afterall I'm only English because I was born here and my parents were English. I had no choice in he matter. There are countries though that I like and dislike. England is one of the best countries a person could possibly want to live in though.
I am certainly proud of my country and I would do a lot to defend it or aid its course if I truly felt it was being unjustly threatened and/or disrespected. I'm proud of the people who fought the elements and the harsh weather and terrible seas and winter storms and volcanic erruptions to bring up their children and carrying on and build a legacy of stories and literature. But I don't think that my nationality is superior to anyone else's, I don't pretend Icelanders are the best at anything or our ideas or ways of life are the right ones. I've found it so irritating about the news in the U.S. and the presidential speeches that everything has to be better "the greatest nation on earth" etc, somehow everything that is not the U.S. is inferior and barbaric and wrong whereas the U.S. way of life is the ideal perfect home of the free etc. There's something good and bad about everything and the U.S. is in many respects a great country to live in and they can be proud of their country/nation for many of the achievements, however I hate the thought that anyone claims their country to be anyting better than someone else's.
cheers
-B
Dunno. I'd say I'm kind of indifferent. I have no real right to say Amer ica is better than this or that country because I've never been outside the country, plus I recognize that both our people and our government are not perfect and are going to make some self-serving but bad moves. People are people prety much.
The uk national anthem is extremely insulting to the Scots and Irish with the line rebellious Scots to crush...that il be right...
It is refreshing to hear from an american who doesn't blindly follow the nonsense that the world begind and ends in america..I'd almost given up hope
I like hearing the U.S. national anthem, and would have to say I'm happy living here, as I've only been outside the States to visit Mexico a few times. But I don't think I'd fight for my country just because it's where I'm from. Also, I can't say I believe in everything that happens here either, I don't believe we are more or less supperior to any other country. And I definitely don't thinkg that the world began and should end with America. Everyone has had and is having their own history's, and although I'd have a hard time accepting another way besides democracy if I had to live it because again that's all I know, I don't thinkg we should be forcing others to do that just because that's what America wants. Democracy is good, but I don't believe in the whole Americanizing thing.
Leilani
I don't think all Americans are that way. Some of your more liberal-minded Americans are the ones most critical of at least our government and its policies, while the conservatives are more vocal about their patriotism, although my cynical mind thinks it's more of a feel-good thing they do for themselves than anything else. And of course there are some real true-blue patriots as well. Depends on the individual in the end.
I think that is the crux of problem many americans have not been any further than Mexico, or the next state,the close minded need to travel and explore the world, not just believe what they are told by government.If you listen to our government, you would believe, that the french are Satan's own...Leilani the americanation of Scotland is in full swing the teenagers talk with psuedo american accents, and long to be american, cultural suffocation has become a new trend and I'm sorry to say that being american seems far more attractiveto these disaffected teenagers than being Scots..but we are wholly to blame for this, however its easier and less painful to shift the blame
Alex, in defense of at least some people, some of us can't afford to travel very far, even if we wanted to. A lot of us, well, I would think from Texas anyway, can travel to Mexico because we have relatives from there, and that's likely the same with other states. It doesn't cost much to do that when you can just take the car or bus to those places. *smiles* As for the Scottish youngsters talking like Americans, I do think that is sad that they would probably sound as if they were from here rather than Scotland, and that's exactly what I meant by other places being Americanized. As I think I've mentioned once before, I have a friend from South Africa who likes all these American bands and TV shows and he also told me how there are similar restoraunts to the ones here. So if I ever had the chance to travel and visit with him, to me it'd be boring just knowing that I could easily find things to make me feel like I was home. That could be a good thing at times, but I wouldn't doubt it if I heard people there talking like Americans also. And you'd probably find similar things in other countries. That's what would get to me, the fact that you could find American stuff, or at least stuff you'd find here, in many other places. Of course, the places themselves, the languages, and most of the customs would be the places' own, but not the American clothing, music, shows, and other things like that.
Leilani
I am aware that travel is expensive and that americans are understandably reluctant to fly,but there are some fantastic deals now with cheaper airlines, trying desperately to out do each other...Scotland well Glasgow, is very slowly being turned into a mini america..you hear fake accents wherever you go,the food is becoming more transatlantic..theme pubs have sprouted like excited mushrooms, and a while back we changed over to the american police siren..what really bothers me the most is the lack of concern with this cultural suffocation..the powers that be seem oblivious to the problem....I have found less of this in Europe particularly Italy where they are fiercely proud of being Italiano,and will not allow any culture to override their own...A friend Simon from Nice did say once I think if you want to see an unaffected culture you should go to France,the French are billigerant and defiant towards outside influences at the best of times..smile...