British And Proud.

As the thread title says, i am proud to be a Briton.

The land that gave the world, Newton, Darwin, Shakespeare ( among many others but to long a list to mention)

The land that gave democracy to much of the developing world.

The land that gave the world The Industrial Revolution. To quote Economic Historians " The Industrial Revolution is the most important event in the history of humanity since the domestication of animals, plants and fire."

English is the official language of 56 countries around the world.

True, Britain has had and still does have it's " Dark Side " However i feel that the good probably out weights the bad.

Many other members of ATS are from different nationalities. So what are your reasons for being proud of your nationality ?

This is suppose to be a fun topic so lets try be civil.

I am British and am proud of our heritage but I despair for our future.

Well i am italian, lived most of my life in Sicily, while i don't have much pride in being italian, i do admit to some pride in being Sicilian:
we have been conquered by Arabs, Romans, Greeks, Normans, and probably a few others, all of them leaving traces of their existence, creating a land that jumps from one style to another, some buildings got started by one empire and finished by another, giving life to buildings, like the cathedral in cefalu' that have two styles in the same building.
Two years ago they found the ruins of a temple at about a 5 minute drive form my house, you can't throw a rock without hitting some historical building (probably the rock has some archaeological significance too)
Then there is the weather, always beautiful, always sunny, the sound of the sea at night, and of course the food, all of it, rich and alive, just like the people and their incredibly mixed heritage.
We are loud, we are passionate, we take too many coffee breaks and eat too much and love to sing, and i love it.
And none of you can disagree with me because mafia ;P
I am waiting for the politicians to pull their heads out of their butts and the economy to recover, and will move back there in a heartbeat.

a reply to: alldaylong





I saw some British TV shows when I was 7 yrs old, and I was hooked. The Avengers and Secret Agent(Danger Man)

I lived in the midwestern U.S., but I "became" a Brit.
I put a map of Great Britain on my wall.
I called my classmates 'blokes' and 'chaps'.
I called my mother 'me mum".

I am proud to be who I am ... so many countries are multi cultural (including Britain) and over time cultures mix and this is a thing that should be embraced.
Proud to be British? jury is out out .... Proud to be Rob Diamond? Hell Yes!!

a reply to: ColeYounger
You mean Emma Peel got you hooked.
Yes, I thought it might have been her.

I'm proud to be a Yooper. We have the funnest hunting camps around. Good pig roasts and other social gatherings too.

Boy, I guess I should raise my standards just a tad. Nah....that would be boring

a reply to: alldaylong
Against the encroaching "sameness" to the world in the name of multiculturalism that strips people of their identity and declares it a sin most grievous to find pride and love for ones people and culture, I refer you to the words of a greater man than myself.

"It is the dissimilarities and inequalities among men which give rise to the notion of honor; as such differences become less, it grows feeble; and when they disappear, it will vanish too."

"Nothing seems at first sight less important than the outward form of human actions, yet there is nothing upon which men set more store: they grow used to everything except to living in a society which has not their own manners."

"Every central government worships uniformity: uniformity relieves it from inquiry into an infinity of details."

"As the past has ceased to throw its light upon the future, the mind of man wanders in obscurity."

"After having thus successively taken each member of the community in its powerful grasp and fashioned him at will, the government then extends its arm over the whole community. It covers the surface of society with a network of small, complicated rules, minute and uniform, through which the most original minds and the most energetic characters cannot penetrate, to rise above the crowd. The will of man is not shattered, but softened, bent, and guided; men are seldom forced by it to act, but they are constantly restrained from acting. Such a power does not destroy, but it prevents existence: it does not tyrannize, but it compresses, enervates, extinguishes, and stupefies a people, till each nation is reduced to nothing better than a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd."

Alexis de Tocqueville

Never lose your identity. Not only does your love of your peoples story allow you to understand the love others have for their own story, but your identity is a safe guard against the loss of freedom itself. There is no greater joy or rally call for a people than its pride in and defense of its virtues.

Freemen everywhere find solace in the stand of other freemen no matter the degree of separation. There is no greater unity to mankind than the celebration of its diversity and in such, its common ground in love.

More power to you sir.

Hold it down.

originally posted by: ColeYounger
a reply to: alldaylong





I saw some British TV shows when I was 7 yrs old, and I was hooked. The Avengers and Secret Agent(Danger Man)

I lived in the midwestern U.S., but I "became" a Brit.
I put a map of Great Britain on my wall.
I called my classmates 'blokes' and 'chaps'.
I called my mother 'me mum".

Diana Rigg. The heart throb of many a young lad back in the 60's ( especially when she was wearing the leather gear)

Patrick McGoohan ( Danger Man) as you may know was an American, but moved to England age 7, and spent most of his life here. My fave McGoohan TV series was " The Prisoner "





Glad to hear that you think quite highly of Britain.

a reply to: tadaman

Fine words indeed and very though provoking.

originally posted by: alldaylong
Diana Rigg. The heart throb of many a young lad back in the 60's ( especially when she was wearing the leather gear)

I think the leather gear was mostly her predecessor, "Cathy Gale".
But Mrs "M" Appeal certainly holds top spot.

originally posted by: IShotMyLastMuse
Well i am italian, lived most of my life in Sicily, while i don't have much pride in being italian, i do admit to some pride in being Sicilian:
we have been conquered by Arabs, Romans, Greeks, Normans, and probably a few others, all of them leaving traces of their existence, creating a land that jumps from one style to another, some buildings got started by one empire and finished by another, giving life to buildings, like the cathedral in cefalu' that have two styles in the same building.
Two years ago they found the ruins of a temple at about a 5 minute drive form my house, you can't throw a rock without hitting some historical building (probably the rock has some archaeological significance too)
Then there is the weather, always beautiful, always sunny, the sound of the sea at night, and of course the food, all of it, rich and alive, just like the people and their incredibly mixed heritage.
We are loud, we are passionate, we take too many coffee breaks and eat too much and love to sing, and i love it.
And none of you can disagree with me because mafia ;P
I am waiting for the politicians to pull their heads out of their butts and the economy to recover, and will move back there in a heartbeat.

Sounds like the kind of place you could while away the day without a thought for the world.

a reply to: alldaylong
that's why we are famous for never getting anything done

A massive case could be made from "British sense of humour" alone.
Arthur Askey
Tony Hancock
The Goon Show.
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
[Eric Sykes! How could I leave him out?]
[Tommy Cooper!]
Monty Python
Peter Sellars
John Cleese
Morecambe and Wise
The Two Ronnies
et cetera

a reply to: DISRAELI

I think 'Fawlty Towers' with John Cleese is the funniest show ever produced.

When I was kid, I remember seeing these travelogue films on public TV. They would run them on Sunday nights.

This was one of my favorites:

I am proud to be British and I used to be proud of our nation, but as I have got older that has dwindled somewhat..

The country has gone backwards compared to what it was and there is a much more greater divide between the people that have a great deal and the people that have absolutely and totally nothing...

I really feel for the future generations, not just in our country, but across the whole of the globe...

But one thing that we as a nation can hold onto is our history of comedy and sense of humour, some of which doesn't make much sense to other nations, but to us it is our way of flipping the bird in the face of the s**t times...

Please stand for the great comedian and surreal nutter that is Charlie Chuck.....

originally posted by: DISRAELI
A massive case could be made from "British sense of humour" alone.
Arthur Askey
Tony Hancock
The Goon Show.
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
Monty Python
Peter Sellars
John Cleese
Morecambe and Wise
The Two Ronnies
et cetera

Ah yes Tony Hancock.
Born in the same road as i was born. Southam Road Hall Green Birmingham.

You can add to the list Sid Field. Regarding as Britains greatest ever comedian. Also born in Birmingham. Sadly there is nothing on film to show how talented he was. He was the favourite comedian of President Eisenhower, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye amongst others. Bob Hope called him " The Best Comedian Of All Time "

The celebs who attended his memorial service was stupendous. They included, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, Vivien Leigh, Douglas Fairbanks Jr Orson Welles Noel Coward and many more. In fact a total of 240 celebs in all.

en.wikipedia.org...

originally posted by: DISRAELI
A massive case could be made from "British sense of humour" alone.
Arthur Askey
Tony Hancock
The Goon Show.
I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again
[Eric Sykes! How could I leave him out?]
[Tommy Cooper!]
Monty Python
Peter Sellars
John Cleese
Morecambe and Wise
The Two Ronnies
et cetera

Gotta love some Benny hill!

a reply to: IShotMyLastMuse
I'm half Italian and loved your post. Bravo caro amico, bravo.