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Pride in your country?

josh125a

Bluelighter
Joined
Apr 10, 2002
Messages
111
Location
NC
Personally, I've never thought that being an American was something to necessarily be "proud" of? Did I earn my citizenship? Was it something that I worked to achieve? I've always thought that pride should stem from one's accomplishments, not mere chance. I see someone who says "Proud to be an American" (or any other country) kind of like an NBA star saying that he's proud to be tall. In my book, nationalism is a modern form of incest and only further divides people into various factions, stemming violence and aggression. So, is patriotism a good thing like we've been raised to believe or does it need to be eradicated for the collective human good?
 
^^ that's a "cute" way to not respond...and who told you that you have to pay taxes? the government of your COUNTRY...and why do you feel the need to be part of a country or any other conformist group at all? just being yourself not enough, kubenzi boy?
 
josh125a said:
Personally, I've never thought that being an American was something to necessarily be "proud" of? Did I earn my citizenship? Was it something that I worked to achieve? I've always thought that pride should stem from one's accomplishments, not mere chance.
Accomplishments? Have we forgotten about the thousands of people that died for our freedom over the years in wars? People that fought bravely for yours and mine freedom? I wish there were some old war veteran to come on here and give you a thousand and 1 reasons why we should be proud and to address the issue of "accomplishments".
As far as the taxes go, thats just a part of life. Not everything can be *peachy sweet* in order to live in a free society. I suppose if you hate paying taxes so much you can run off to Siberia or some other remote location and live by yourself, tax free. But that's completely off topic, shame on me for saying that..
Im not slandering you, merely your comments. But somehow I believe humans *need* to be proud of something, why not their homeland?
 
I completely agree with you josh
I don't give a shit about the accomplishments of britain - I haven't done anything towards that.
I support the english football team a bit more than anyone else, but I can see that is stupid of me. I don't affect it in anyway what is there for me to be proud of.
If you're gonna be proud of your homeland don't be - be proud of all of humanity imo.
And additionally - I guarantee you whatever you can find out to be proud of of your homeland (whatever that might be) or humanity you can find just as much to be ashamed of, if not more.
"we have taxes. we pay for our country" - that is true, but on the other hand thousands of people around the world don't even have the opportunity to live a reasonable life (by any standard of the word reasonable) because of how the wealth is distributed round the world (which has a lot to do with this) . And if you respond that the third world countries (and the people in them) deserve to be poor and in those circumstances , well, i'm just not gonna bothering arguing with you
By the way josh - you obviously read as well as you write ;)
[ 16 May 2002: Message edited by: Setarcos ]
 
I am so proud to be an american I am proud to live in a country which jails more people than china and for lesser offences (at least political dissent could actually be viewed as a legit direct threat to power). Proud to live in a country whos federal law enforcement community rewards and promotes murdering children (like they did at Waco Texas) Proud to live in a country where the head of the FBI can openly admit on national TV to inflicting bodily harm and the use of tear gas specifically directed at children and infants (which in my humble opinion could be mistakenly called felony Child Abuse I must be wrong and gassing children must be a good thing to do to infants After all Louis Fhree Director of the FBI did it and even said he aimed it at the kids specifically in the waco compound and it was NOT directed at the adults, so it must be something to be proud of....Right? I am proud to live in a country where justice is a lost cause..where the people obey their masters and get all upset when people do strike back at the aggressor...Proud to live in a country who screams for the blood of terrorists and not also for the blood of policy makers and big business who are really the instagators of the worlds anger at america...proud to live in a country where we tolerate elected leaders who use our rights for toilet paper... A nation who fails to see that even our founding fathers realized that violence must sometimes be used to force governmental powers to yield to the people "Liberties tree must be constantly refreshed with the blood of tyrants and patriots" We the people have only one recourse to violence and that is to use our advanced technical knowledge to create a better system to remove and elect our leaders A system we can use to boot them at will via popular vote at any given moment electronically. To those who will flame me and say if you hate america then leave I say I love america but am wise enough to know there is a vast difference between loving ones country and hating ones government but on many websites i have seen most folks tend to take a vicious attack at whats going on in america to be a sign that the individual hates this country when if fact I bet many terrorists would love america but how can they when our government oppresses them?
 
Originally posted by DoubleRoller:
I am so proud to be an american I am proud to live in a country which jails more people than china and for lesser offences (at least political dissent could actually be viewed as a legit direct threat to power). Proud to live in a country whos federal law enforcement community rewards and promotes murdering children (like they did at Waco Texas) Proud to live in a country where the head of the FBI can openly admit on national TV to inflicting bodily harm and the use of tear gas specifically directed at children and infants (which in my humble opinion could be mistakenly called felony Child Abuse I must be wrong and gassing children must be a good thing to do to infants After all Louis Fhree Director of the FBI did it and even said he aimed it at the kids specifically in the waco compound and it was NOT directed at the adults, so it must be something to be proud of....Right? I am proud to live in a country where justice is a lost cause..where the people obey their masters and get all upset when people do strike back at the aggressor...Proud to live in a country who screams for the blood of terrorists and not also for the blood of policy makers and big business who are really the instagators of the worlds anger at america...proud to live in a country where we tolerate elected leaders who use our rights for toilet paper... A nation who fails to see that even our founding fathers realized that violence must sometimes be used to force governmental powers to yield to the people "Liberties tree must be constantly refreshed with the blood of tyrants and patriots" We the people have only one recourse to violence and that is to use our advanced technical knowledge to create a better system to remove and elect our leaders A system we can use to boot them at will via popular vote at any given moment electronically. To those who will flame me and say if you hate america then leave I say I love america but am wise enough to know there is a vast difference between loving ones country and hating ones government but on many websites i have seen most folks tend to take a vicious attack at whats going on in america to be a sign that the individual hates this country when if fact I bet many terrorists would love america but how can they when our government oppresses them?
Will you marry me?
 
LOL I really got on a roll on that one. I just get so pissed to see people waving the flag blindly and basking in the pride and glory of our former country instead of spewing the anger and rage they feel deep down as a result of the sad state of affairs we are in. It seems so true that men will continue to suffer evils as long as evils are sufferable but I wonder at what point we will wake up and realize things are no longer sufferable? There are 2 million of us in prison and god knows how many more on probation or with records for drugs and if thats not bad enough They who are no longer in prison cannot vote to change the thing that so wronged them. Why can felons no longer vote? Have they not paid thier debt? What we need is online voting A system connected to the main Social Security mainframe which can validate our SS number to our age and voting district and be used with SS number and password confirmation to file votes online and with the ability to pass a impeachment vote at will. This system would operate at local state and federal levels and would also include a meta-forum which would allow "voting" to determine public opionion on any given subject and the "voting" tally would be visible on your local representatives "public opionion" page. For instance if you wanted cocaine legal then vote YES on the given forum and your congressman and senator would instantly know how you feel by actual numbers in his/her district. if he/she voted against you vote impeach! This would surly give us back the power! Not to mention that many many fence sitters would begin to get involved some because they would now find it so easy to do and others because you would find hope in our electorial system as would stay so active! What do you all think?
 
Great post DoubleRoller...
Nationalism disgusts me.
If, as BlueAdonis says, humans need to be proud of something then be proud of your accomplishments, your kindness, and your humanity.
I'd hardly call thousands of people dying, or going to war and killing other people to be a great accomplishment; in fact, I think it's a cowardly action to be despised, not venerated.
 
I must say, there is no reason whatsoever to be proud or patriotic toward my country. I live in South Africa, and if i could have American citizenship right now, i would take it.
Be grateful to be living in the country that you live in. You dont want to live here.....
 
I too live in South Africa, and am not to proud. Our goverment and its policies play a large part in how we and others view a country and lets face it most goverments are full of shit. I think Holland and its people have a lot to be proud of.
 
I love Australia, I love our parliamentary system, and our democratic structure. The flaws are the fault of voter apathy. But as for my nation, I am proud to be part of it.
The priority of all Nation-States is self interest and power. Yeah world peace blah balh, until everyone is willing to sit down and get rid of all weapons, internationalism has to take a back shelf.
 
BlueAdonis, you seem to forget that this country and the people that died for it were escaping the oppression and tyranny of the British Empire. You seem to be under the misconception that the US is still the same fledgling, radical country that it was in 1800. It's not. Hell, we're practically the equivalent of the British tyranny that they were trying to escape. America is an empire that uses its huge sphere of influence to try and dominate the world. So, if you wanna be proud of that...
[ 17 May 2002: Message edited by: josh125a ]
 
..sigh...
Yet another thread of idealistic hippy wanna-bees who slag off everything as oppressive and evil, then go pill popping at the next weekends rave to show how much they are willing to do about it.
Disgusting.....
By the way, if this offends you, then good. Get off your asses and really do something to change the world.
[ 17 May 2002: Message edited by: Exx_head ]
 
Yet another thread of idealistic hippy wanna-bees who slag off everything as oppressive and evil, then go pill popping at the next weekends rave to show how much they are willing to do about it.
...funny how some people pretend to know what strangers do in their daily lives...i think your assumption is arrogant and completely without foundation other than perhaps your personal experiences with "hippy wanna-be's"....
 
Originally posted by hAppEplum:
I must say, there is no reason whatsoever to be proud or patriotic toward my country. I live in South Africa, and if i could have American citizenship right now, i would take it.
Be grateful to be living in the country that you live in. You dont want to live here.....

Excellent. I couldnt of said it better myself.
Also..
If things are So terribly wrong and oppressing, than why not try and change things instead of infecting others with the negativity? Start off small, run for mayor, then governor, then Senator or whatever, do something constructive that would have an impact if things are so gloom in the good ol U.S of A..
 
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