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I don't understand why people say their proud of their country, I mean what exactly are you proud of? The soil, politics, economy, the people living there, it's history, the weather?

1. What makes a country a country (or YOUR country) for you?
2. Are you proud of your country?

Originally posted by Parmaniac
I don't understand why people say their proud of their country, I mean what exactly are you proud of? The soil, politics, economy, the people living there, it's history, the weather?

1. What makes a country a country (or YOUR country) for you?
2. Are you proud of your country?

I might be a bit off on this one because I have more than 2 countries that I call home or ''my countries'', so it is kind of hard to pick one country that is mine and I identify with just that one country.
Bit of a different point of view here, but hear me out.

I don't really know what makes any particular country a country for me - they're all really different. I am sure I would be able to adapt to many countries in the world, if I had to, or was really in love with the place and culture, and as such, those countries would probably become my countries or countries for me.

As for being proud - hmm, that is a difficult one for me. I am proud of all my countries and not proud at the same time. All of them have had some retarded, ridiculous bullshit in them, about them and things they did.
Equally, I am protective over all of them in terms of culture, sovereignty, right to exist, habits..etc.

I am critical of their ridiculous governmental structures, internal policies, foreign policies and the horrible habit of getting on a bandwagon external policies that ''other people are on'', instead of preferably staying neutral (where possible).

There are stupid, ignorant, ridiculous people everywhere - without any doubt. So of them, I am also not proud.

Originally posted by Parmaniac
1. What makes a country a country (or YOUR country) for you?

2. Are you proud of your country? 1. It has a sense of home; I admire its principles.

2. Yes. But I'm not proud of everything it does.

United States>all

/thread

I dunno.

No.

Originally posted by Colossus-Big C
United States>all

/thread

agreed, the US has more

more guns
more weapons
more tech
more idiots
more homeless
more poor
more crime
more hate
more bigots

and less money than just about any other 1st world nation. Grats!




j/k

Originally posted by Colossus-Big C
United States>all

/thread
Based on what?

I'm honestly curious to hear that from you.

Its a tribal thing, where people like to feel they "belong" to somethng and therefore are not lonely.

If people want to be proud, then they should be proud of what they have achieved, after all we are all born as a single unit. Where we are born and what country we are "slaves of" is just luck.

It is a life goal to leave my country and go somewhere less stupid.

That about sums up my feelings.

Originally posted by Autokrat
It is a life goal to leave my country and go somewhere less stupid.

That about sums up my feelings.
I feel similar...

Originally posted by Parmaniac
I don't understand why people say their proud of their country, I mean what exactly are you proud of? The soil, politics, economy, the people living there, it's history, the weather?

1. What makes a country a country (or YOUR country) for you?
2. Are you proud of your country?
Thre are 2 countries id call "my", so ill respond twice.

1. The fact that people are so united here. Unfortunately it only means they all hate each other but will all fight as one when someone insults them or their country.
2. Of its hystory. Not of what it is today.
PS. Also damn those cold winters.

1. It's culture, particulary the way people treat each other, friends or strangers, foreigners, people of other faith or other races etc doesnt matter.
2. Id say yes.

Originally posted by Parmaniac
I don't understand why people say their proud of their country, I mean what exactly are you proud of? The soil, politics, economy, the people living there, it's history, the weather?

1. What makes a country a country (or YOUR country) for you?
2. Are you proud of your country?

I suppose it's either having a united government or a majority of citizens considering themselves as a group.

Sometimes, though I do see that it is irrational, really.

Originally posted by Parmaniac
I mean what exactly are you proud of?

-The food.

-The regional diversity; I can drive 200 miles in a given direction and see very different terrain without needing a passport to do so.

I find that it's popular to hate one's country simply because it seems to be part of some rebellious zeitgeist in the populace. Horrible, horrible things and people exist in every country in the world. I think people don't separate the two.

Because the US's governmental style, intention, and system of economic and personal freedom/control are different than, say, rednecks. As such, it's hard to find too many countries throughout history that have enjoyed such prosperity and freedom. They can be found, and I do not make a blanket statement that is proud of everything my country is and stands for, but yes I'm proud to call myself an American.

The flip side of this is too much nationalistic pride, to the point of marginalizing other forward nations. Ask many Americans what they think of France, for example. It won't be pretty, and the root of such bias stems from overzealous nationalism. Nietzsche's "state is the new idol" is an occasionally pertinent warning. So I'm proud, but not at the expense of other countries.

Canada is best.

I'm proud to be an American because:

We have food

We have electricity

We have freedoms (limited as they are)

We can have a happy life, if we choose to pursue it.


I am ashamed to be an American because:

We are the bullies of Earth

We may be "a melting pot" but this "pot" is full of bigots, racists, and liars because we have too much freedom.

We have no culture to call our own, except, maybe, that we founded this nation upon genocide of the Indians to invoke "our rights".

We founded this nation on the belief that" all men are equal", yet "indians, n*ggers, and women cant vote" and only white males who are land owners should be allowed to vote.

This country was founded by slave owners who wanted to be free. Yeah. It's kind of embarrassing.

i love my land i love some of its ppl and i respect and was proud of what my country once was and stood for in the context of history. but, i cant say i am proud what my country has currently done, how it treats other nations and ppl.. how it treats its own citizens.. and definitely not proud enough to say i am proud of my country as a whole there is too much to be ashamed of and disappointed for to be proud. beside prides an abomination a sin.

One can have the same freedom in Australia, France, England, etc;, that they love to brag about in The United States.

we are a not really free now.. i have to say good bye the ATF and FBI will come to kill me or make me disappear and plant weapons and criminal charges soon..

I'm born in the USA but at the end of the day, that doesn't hold too much significance.

I'm Armenian by heritage, and my values are that from my ancestry of being an Armenian.

I have pride in my heritage, values and history, not my country.

Originally posted by Rogue Jedi
One can have the same freedom in Australia, France, England, etc;, that they love to brag about in The United States.
I definitely agree... many of those countries have much better social systems as well.

Originally posted by Impediment

We are the bullies of Earth


You honestly think that? Whenever there's a natural disaster somewhere on the planet, America always lends the most aid and relief. Did China or Russia do nearly as much as we did to help Haiti? Not even close. Russia sent a pathetic 20 doctors.

If you look at other powers through out history like the Romans or the Mongols, they never did anything generous for foreign nations. They'd loot and rape them like there's no tomorrow, but if an earthquake wiped out a neighboring tribe or empire, they would celebrate.

Originally posted by Dr. Leg Kick
I'm born in the USA but at the end of the day, that doesn't hold too much significance.

I'm Armenian by heritage, and my values are that from my ancestry of being an Armenian.

I have pride in my heritage, values and history, not my country.

What if the Soviet Union still existed? Where would your loyalties lie then? The Armenian SSR?

Originally posted by King Kandy
I definitely agree... many of those countries have much better social systems as well. Thing is, the United States has a bigger penis.

Originally posted by Rogue Jedi
Thing is, the United States has a bigger penis.

A while back I was watching a documentary on the History Channel, and a map of North America from the 1800's given to the King of Siam purposefully omitted Florida, because it was considered too "profane". (They thought it might offend them because FL resembled a penis too much)

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
A while back I was watching a documentary on the History Channel, and a map of North America from the 1800's given to the King of Siam purposefully omitted Florida, because it was considered too "profane". (They thought it might offend them because FL resembled a penis too much) haermm That's kinda loco.

Penis...Peninsula.....wuuut?

pretty sure we have US marines in Saudi Arabia kingdom to help maintain order and keep the royal family in power even though the majority of the countries ppl dont want them in power and would kill them all if they werent protected.. IIRC if that is true dont seem something to be proud of and sound like abuse of our power to fight against the good and well being of a ppl..

kinda how we as a US impose embargos in order to starve the civilians in hopes to goat them into actions against their government or even to pressure government to meet certain demands at the cost of their suffering ppl.. this tactic is routinely used it was used in iraq prior to desert storm for years many ppl died from poor medical aid, lack of food, water and equipment not many ppl know this but this was the US goal to force saddam to submit to US pressure.

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
You honestly think that? Whenever there's a natural disaster somewhere on the planet, America always lends the most aid and relief. Did China or Russia do nearly as much as we did to help Haiti? Not even close. Russia sent a pathetic 20 doctors.

If you look at other powers through out history like the Romans or the Mongols, they never did anything generous for foreign nations. They'd loot and rape them like there's no tomorrow, but if an earthquake wiped out a neighboring tribe or empire, they would celebrate.
That is true, but it is very misleading... we only have the highest aid because we have the most spending, period. There are lots of countries who give more foreign aid on a per capita basis.

thats not the point, though. no one is going to invade us or stop trading with us or something if we dont give any aid...

Originally posted by Quiero Mota

What if the Soviet Union still existed? Where would your loyalties lie then? The Armenian SSR?

I can't tell if you're joking or if you really missed my point.

Originally posted by Parmaniac
I don't understand why people say their proud of their country, I mean what exactly are you proud of? The soil, politics, economy, the people living there, it's history, the weather?

1. What makes a country a country (or YOUR country) for you?
2. Are you proud of your country?

1. A sense of beloging, shared history and priciples etc.
2. Yes, I'm very proud of Norway. I'm proud of living in a welfare country.

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
You honestly think that? Whenever there's a natural disaster somewhere on the planet, America always lends the most aid and relief. Did China or Russia do nearly as much as we did to help Haiti? Not even close. Russia sent a pathetic 20 doctors.

If you look at other powers through out history like the Romans or the Mongols, they never did anything generous for foreign nations. They'd loot and rape them like there's no tomorrow, but if an earthquake wiped out a neighboring tribe or empire, they would celebrate.



What if the Soviet Union still existed? Where would your loyalties lie then? The Armenian SSR?
1) China & Russia didn't do nearly as much to help Haiti: They are on the other side of the world, so the emotional impact is much lower. Geographicaly speaking, the disaster was "in the USA's backyard". I'm sure that if something happened in Mongolia for instance, China and Russia would do more. (Plus, as said, it is better to look at the aid per capita instead of just the numbers but I do not know who "leads" there.)

2) It's nothing personal but people should stop harrassing history. Yeah, the Romans and Mongols have the name of being aggressive rapist who enjoyed burning down cities, just as every Irish is a drunk and agressive midget.
First off, by saying such things you are very cocky, even arrogant. The past is the past and you can't judge it by your subjective standards. Furthermore, you do know that such arrogance you have displayed here have led to numerous amounts of wars, right?
Second, I would love to know which university you teach at because you seem to know the entire history of both the Roman empire as the Mongol empire. Now, I know barely anything but the basics from the latter, but I do know my way around the Roman empire and I don't even have to dig deep into my memory to find examples of Romans helping out foreign tribes. (Whether or not you'll now discuss the difference between foreign tribes and foreign nations is another matter.)
Third, besides all this you also seem to enjoy the "what if histories", which as you probably know is completely stupid and unncessary for one simple reason: You cannot know anything about the "what ifs" so it is pointless to fantasize about it.

I understand that while demonstrating how great the USA is, you have to generalise and ignore certain facts but at least make sure you write that you base yourself on generalisations as there will always be one person who knows more about the Romans/Mongols or at least one wise-ass who will comment on how much better he/she is at understanding and knowing about history.
It's up to you to deceide which one of the two I am.

Originally posted by Parmaniac
I don't understand why people say their proud of their country, I mean what exactly are you proud of? The soil, politics, economy, the people living there, it's history, the weather?

1. What makes a country a country (or YOUR country) for you?
2. Are you proud of your country?

1. It's my home.
2. Yes, due to our history.

Originally posted by yvonnekarate
1. A sense of beloging, shared history and priciples etc.
2. Yes, I'm very proud of Norway. I'm proud of living in a welfare country.

And proud of the mighty warriors who brutally raped an pillaged certain tribes, and reached the Americas before the Spaniards.

Hundreds of years of colonial enslavement, monarchys crushing down anyone who spoke out against them, capitalist power creating division amongst the working class.

I don't really see what I can be proud of in my country.

Originally posted by Quiero Mota

What if the Soviet Union still existed? Where would your loyalties lie then? The Armenian SSR?

Armenia existed loooong way before USSR. It was one of the oldest Kingdoms in the Region, so yeah, he has a lot to be proud of.

Ottomans sure as hell didn't do a hell didn't do a whole lot for anyone in the area ermm

Long live Armenia...and apricots!

Originally posted by Wild Shadow
pretty sure we have US marines in Saudi Arabia kingdom to help maintain order and keep the royal family in power even though the majority of the countries ppl dont want them in power and would kill them all if they werent protected.. IIRC

Wait, did someone hack your account?
Just kidding mate, it's just rare we concur with each other.

Originally posted by King Kandy
Based on what?

I'm honestly curious to hear that from you. sooner or later (one world government or not)
everyone on the planet is going to speak english, and forget about every other language there ever was

Originally posted by Colossus-Big C
sooner or later (one world government or not)
everyone on the planet is going to speak english, and forget about every other language there ever was
...
...
...

I'm going to give you a minute to think about how english relates to america, and then you get back to me.

Originally posted by yvonnekarate
1. A sense of beloging, shared history and priciples etc.
2. Yes, I'm very proud of Norway. I'm proud of living in a welfare country.

1- A feeling to be at home
2- Yes and no: I'm proud to live in Quebec, I think that even if our government suck right now, we do great things and we are on the road to finally define ourselves, which is awesome. On the other said, I'm absolutly NOT proud to be canadian at the moment, because god, how douche do we look like with the Cons in power right now! Bring back Libs or even better, NDP, but no more Cons, please!

I'm glad I was born here. I wouldn't call that pride though

Originally posted by RedAlertv2
I'm glad I was born here. I wouldn't call that pride though would it be relieve?

i wish i were canadian.. aye.

Originally posted by Colossus-Big C
sooner or later (one world government or not)
everyone on the planet is going to speak english, and forget about every other language there ever was

Despite the fact that English is not the most widely-spoken language in the world?

i hear that chinese would be the preferred language to learn.. at least from the movies i watched.

Originally posted by Wild Shadow
would it be relieve? I suppose so, I certainly feel lucky in a sense.

I prefer to be proud of certain individuals that have come out of this country. Like Guy Fawkes.

Originally posted by Liberator
I prefer to be proud of certain individuals that have come out of this country. Like Guy Fawkes.

Yes, do be proud of a proto-terrorist that wanted to murder a bunch of people with explosives over religious reasons.

Idiot.

I've never quite figured out why he's so celebrated other than because Alan Moore created an anarchist character that wears a Guy Fawkes mask and acts vaguely like him.

because it is cool to kill people who don't agree with you, duh!

The senseless murder of otherwise innocent people with families is always justified by the end

i am proud of the forklift tank guy who took down 7 homes or so also the courthouse... he stood up to injustice and handed his own form of justice that doesnt always fit in what we consider to be lawful.. i wish i knew his name

lol

maybe someday we will be proud of the people who save lives

Originally posted by Wild Shadow
i am proud of the forklift tank guy who took down 7 homes or so also the courthouse... he stood up to injustice and handed his own form of justice that doesnt always fit in what we consider to be lawful.. i wish i knew his name

Yeah, there's no one you can respect more than a guy with a tank and a hitlist.

how about good honest polite cops who do their jobs the right way and put their lifes on the line everyday..

or fire fighters whose sole job is to safe lifes and property..

paramedics and nurses who also save lives and dont get enough credit like doctors do..

these ppl we should be proud of and be treated with respect maybe give them better money and insurance..

also soldiers although we may not agree how our government uses them.. basically ppl who put their lifes on the line and save lifes

ya, generally, and the fact that my nation has those, and good doctors and teachers, are what would make me proud of it

Originally posted by Wild Shadow
how about good honest polite cops who do their jobs the right way and put their lifes on the line everyday..

No such thing. Cops exist only to shoot black people and stop college kids from smoking pot.

Originally posted by Wild Shadow
or fire fighters whose soul job is to safe lifes and property..

Sounds like protectionism to me. When you put out fires and save people's lives and stuff you do nothing but encourage them to set their houses on fire later.

Originally posted by Wild Shadow
these ppl we should be proud of and be treated with respect maybe give them better money and insurance..

Okay "comrade" we'll think about that.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Sounds like protectionism to me. When you put out fires and save people's lives and stuff you do nothing but encourage them to set their houses on fire later.

damn, that is true...

if people just learned how to put out their own fires, this unconstitutional regieme of firefighting could be ended...

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos



Okay "comrade" we'll think about that.

why comrade was it too communist for your taste. most government jobs get as communist as you can get inside a capitalist country

edit

Originally posted by inimalist
because it is cool to kill people who don't agree with you, duh!

The senseless murder of otherwise innocent people with families is always justified by the end

Its not the violence but the goals that confuse me.

If Guy Fawkes had been some kind of freedom fighter against the monarchy trying to liberate the "man" I could understand why people would romanticize him.

But he wasn't. His motives were religious in nature, so the admiration confuses me.

Originally posted by Autokrat
Yes, do be proud of a proto-terrorist that wanted to murder a bunch of people with explosives over religious reasons.

Idiot.

Sorry I was trying to be sarcastic.

WS I agree to your post in some aspects, there's nothing wrong with those who risk their lives to save others everyday but it's just that some of those positions are abused for personal gain. But you're right, we shouldn't discredit those who don't.

If I were Chinese I'd be quite proud of 'Tankman'.

what did tank man do?

anyways found the guy marvin heemeyer aka killdozer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Heemeyer

this will be the next tank when someone else snaps
http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs31/f/2008/230/d/7/Killdozer_Mark_II__The_Marvin_by_kratheus.jpg

Is that a modified Lenman Russ?

the hell if i know it sure as hell not a modified bulldozer like the last one
http://www.everydaynodaysoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Killdozer.jpg

Here y'go WS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV-tk8CrqCQ

Stood up to the Chinese army, I'd buy this fellow a drink if I didn't think he was probably dead or rotting in a Chinese prison.

i'm ashamed that i didnt know who it was you were talking about...

but i have seen painting and seen videos of the guy b4. i didnt know the full history of what had bn behind that moment. mad props to that guy but also show same respect for the tank driver who did not run him over..

i know some tank drivers from various nations and even american that have ran over or attacked their own citizens ...

i am looking at the history of this, some of the soldiers also deserve respect for listening to the ppl and refusing to kill citizen since their purpose is to protect them and do them no harm..apparently an entire convoy refused to enter the city and kill the ppl b/c of a woman with a baby stood up to them and lectured them.. that takes brass and these soldier kids realizing what they had bn doing or were ordered to do was wrong

Originally posted by Wild Shadow
the hell if i know it sure as hell not a modified bulldozer like the last one
http://www.everydaynodaysoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Killdozer.jpg

You realize that the picture I was responding to was a miniature, right?

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
You realize that the picture I was responding to was a miniature, right? now i do sorry