Are you proud of your country???

a reply to: Christosterone
I am proud, but am not happy that it seems Russia has destabilized it somewhat.

The USA has had its ups and downs through out history as have many other countries.
The achievements in open/secret space 1 finds amazing. And how the USA tries to help other nations in times of need.

The way the country is so at itself after the recent elections and so distracted with side taking, name calling and immature bickering and whining to 1 is providing opportunity or fertile grounds for hidden agenda based deception to interfere and possibly take over. Later?
It seems Russian leaders to stronghold elections to stay in power why inflicting fear on the people there to do as told or else (is that what some want here)?
So 1 finds that type of attitude negative if it somehow is influencing the USA now... Noticed Russian press covered the recent visit, alone? wonders would Russia do the same.
Anyway watching, reading & hearing how Americans are at each others throats seems to echo the possibility that a hidden agenda may be at play to destabilize. But denial is blocking many from seeing, until its too late.
Be well

a reply to: Dem0nc1eaner

Hmm, I guess so with that dictionary definition.
Bit of a stretch to claim ancestors from generations back as close associates though.
Do you feel shame for how Britain treated Australian aborigines or other imperialist horrors as well?
I don't, it was nothing to do with me.

I love my country. The Rockies and the Desert Southwest are places that elevate the soul. Out under the big sky, you can think big thoughts. It's like being on the ocean that way, but with more life visible.

The continent is shaped by the fact that its two major ranges run north-to-south instead of east-west. Compare the biological diversity here with, say, Europe, where a great deal of lifeforms died out because of glaciation. The Alps were a major cul-de-sac during the ice ages; and humans probably had to repopulate Europe multiple times because of this.

I love the East as well. The Appalachian chain has even more biodiversity than the Rockies. But they are also more populated, and I'm not a huge fan of humidity for humidity's sake.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: TonyS

Wasn't Texas supposed to have secede from the union? What's taking so long?

Nobody there can spell succeed...

PS. I love America very much and will defend her with my life.

Too many contradictions
II

a reply to: Christosterone

Like Britain the USA has had less than ideal moments, slavery, war for conquest, the evidence is there...you just refuse to see it. Why are you so hell bent on putting a different spin on grainofsand's words.

Blind nationalism is describes your flavour of your American exceptionalism

And "importance" is a word that may not be sufficient to describe Britain's impact on this good earth.

The Earth is good without Britains or the USA's warmongering actions.

a reply to: Christosterone

I am an American

and the atom splitting

Oh look, Rutherford who was the first to split the atom was not actually an American - at least get your facts straight

en.wikipedia.org...

Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson, OM, FRS[1] (30 August 1871 – 19 October 1937) was a New Zealand-born British physicist who came to be known as the father of nuclear physics.[2] Encyclopædia Britannica considers him to be the greatest experimentalist since Michael Faraday (1791–1867).[2]

www-outreach.phy.cam.ac.uk...

1932 was a great year for Rutherford and the Cavendish. Early in the year James Chadwick finally found proof of neutral particles inside the nucleus. Chadwick could produce these 'neutrons' by bombarding beryllium with alpha-particles. A few months later Ernest T.S. Walton and John D. Cockcroft, who had been working on high voltage accelerators for several years, successfully 'split atoms' of lithium using accelerated protons. This was the first nuclear disintegration that was completely under the control of the experimenter. Both experiments gave firm support to Rutherford's belief that nuclei are made up of smaller particles.

en.wikipedia.org...

Ernest Thomas Sinton Walton (6 October 1903 – 25 June 1995) was an Irish physicist and Nobel laureate for his work with John Cockcroft with "atom-smashing" experiments done at Cambridge University in the early 1930s, and so became the first person in history to artificially split the atom.

a reply to: Christosterone

I'm glad that I am an American and that there is still a level of freedom and prosperity here, but what exactly should I be proud of? We've been going in the wrong direction for at least 40 years. The last thing we should be doing is patting ourselves on the back. We need to be admitting that our progress just isn't good enough. We can have more liberty, less federal rubber-necking, more buying power per dollar, more respect for individuality, more respect for sovereign nations.

Yeah, we walked on the moon.How much did that cost taxpayers?

Pride comes before the fall.

a reply to: TheConstruKctionofLight

Lol, I don't think the honourable member and myself have ever found agreement in any thread.

His national pride is interesting though, as he holds emotional investment in his nation's history I wonder if he equally feels shame for how natives were treated.
It must be a heavy burden to carry the actions of one's ancestors to the point it creates an emotional response.

I carry pride or guilt for my own actions alone.
The noble or #ty things carried out by Britain were # all to do with me so I have no personal emotions invested whatsoever.
I hold opinions to praise or condemn of course but pride and shame are redundant as it was nothing to do with me.

No.
"Pride goeth before a fall"
Cultural affiliatons based on geographical co-location seems archaic.
Nationalism (for me) is obsolete. People and planet are more strongly connected than "nations".
Sorry, I can't see pride in one's country as a positive value given the conflicts such values seem to generate.

ganjoa

a reply to: ganjoa

Well said.
Perhaps the people with an emotional investment in national pride struggle to find anything to be proud of in their personal lives, almost a comfort blanket if you like.
Either way, every nation has its good points and dirty shameful past.
The more we instead focus on our own personal contributions to the world then the better the world will be.

originally posted by: whyamIhere

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: TonyS

Wasn't Texas supposed to have secede from the union? What's taking so long?

Nobody there can spell succeed...

PS. I love America very much and will defend her with my life.

I'm not willing to die for the billionaires. Since they put the 60 vote rule in the Senate I'm not 100% sure America as an idea is worth dying for. I would have to think about. The corporations have too much power at this point.

But I thought your "succeed" comment was pretty funny.

I would die protecting my children. I would die protecting other people's children. I would die for even protecting some black kid. How about you? Say yes and make me proud.

a reply to: TheConstruKctionofLight

This may be the best post I've ever seen you make.

a reply to: dfnj2015

You lost me after 'even protecting some black kid', personally I'm colour blind when it comes to protecting kids.

Being very proud of your country may be an indicator of immaturity and a tendency to view other countries from your perspective, based on the idea that your country is greater or better than others.

Unlike individuals, groups and cultures are abstract and ever changing.

originally posted by: BELIEVERpriest
I'm glad that I am an American and that there is still a level of freedom and prosperity here, but what exactly should I be proud of? We've been going in the wrong direction for at least 40 years.

What are you talking about? Everything is going great in American. The Republican agenda is firmly intact. Every year the billionaires get richer and richer. Taxes are very low. The ACA taxes are about to be repealed. The lobbyists have force the politicians to pass laws creating cartels and monopolies. Analytics and data mining are keeping wages in check. Every year the middle class is being driven deeper and deeper into debt. There's no real competition for most corporations. Banks are too big to fail. The bank bailouts are a huge win. Corporations control every level of government. Things cannot be going any better after 40 years. Republicans have never had it so good.

What do you mean we're going in the wrong direction? Are you some kind of pro-labor liberal?

I was very proud to be Canadian, thought it was a good thing and maybe weren't as "bad" as the rest. That bubble popped when my freedom of speech to speak against the islamification of my country was made illegal without any real democratic process. There was no vote by the people or any consultations with constituents at all. That the law was pushed through for higher political reasons is obvious. I lost all confidence in the integrity of my countries adherence to democratic ideals.

It's sad and so very frustrating

I think in general - pride and conceit are not good qualities.

It is just that - pride in ones country that makes everyone blind to all the problems and corruption in our govt.

It may even stir up notions of prejudice and separation from other peoples, again which is not a good thing. Actually it is ridiculous when you consider that the people here mostly came from different places/countries and now they feel pride and separation. The only Americans here, well you Europeans pretty much wiped them out and stole their land, just like large parts of the rest of the world. I guess you feel proud about that also.

As it stands the majority of Americans are German (of German ancestry).

originally posted by: surnamename57
Being very proud of your country may be an indicator of immaturity and a tendency to view other countries from your perspective, based on the idea that your country is greater or better than others.

Unlike individuals, groups and cultures are abstract and ever changing.

There's the idea of false pride which is immature. I think someone could be proud of their country. If I were an Icelander I would be pretty proud of how my country recovered from the banking crisis:

They nationalized the banks:

en.wikipedia.org...

They put a ton of people in prison:

en.wikipedia.org...

And GDP is now back to pre-2008 crisis levels.

a reply to: Christosterone

To tell you the truth I follow the Jedi Philosophy/Light Side of the Force first before nation. Nations can be corrupting but with the Light Side of the Force as your guidance at least you can try to do good in the world.