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So let me get this straight. 15 insepctors

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xyle_one:
I have very mixed feelings about my country (usa). It is my home, and I will defend it, but a good percentage of the population are mindless drones with no direction. I don't like the people. They take everything for granted, the fact that their parents can buy them 5 new cars during high school, or that they have food, a home. We have it very good here, I just wish that we could see it. Americans seem very selfish to me. Narrow minded.

voidmain:

quote:Originally posted by flap:
I don't stand during a national anthem because I *do* understand how utterly screwed up and dangerous (to use your own apt words) "national pride" is.

As Bertrand Russell put it: "Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons."

[ December 05, 2002: Message edited by: flap ]
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Maybe that's your patriotism but it isn't my patriotism. One small element in my patriotism is the willingness to kill or be killed protecting non-trivial things. But patriotism to me is much more than that as I mentioned in my previous post. A bigger piece of it is having respect for your neighbor and helping/supporting them in times of need. Here's what my Linux dictionary says about it which is the definition I  personally respect:


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voidmain:

quote:Originally posted by Xyle: Mac Commando:
I have very mixed feelings about my country (usa). It is my home, and I will defend it, but a good percentage of the population are mindless drones with no direction. I don't like the people. They take everything for granted, the fact that their parents can buy them 5 new cars during high school, or that they have food, a home. We have it very good here, I just wish that we could see it. Americans seem very selfish to me. Narrow minded.
--- End quote ---


Many of them are that way. And it is usually that percentage that don't understand that you find sitting during the anthem. There are a percentage in that category that stand during the anthem but they don't know why they are standing. This is the part that saddens me. I just wish that percentage of America would be able to see just a small percentage of what I have seen. And of course there are many who have been through a lot more than I and I am thankful for and respectful of those people.

Calum:

quote:Originally posted by lazygamer:
Tis funny how shit works in other countries. I always thought England was one big happy family.    
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maybe england is one big happy family (actually it isn't, but we'll get to that in a second) however scotland (which is certainly not, never has been and hopefully never will be, part of england) is not one big happy family. england has obliterated our population, and it was only a couple of hundred years ago. this is the sole reason why there are twelve times as many english than there are scots. the ancestors of many canadians and australians (might i point out that both of those countries are still part of the 'commonwealth') were scots who had no choice but to leave their country or be killed or starve because of england. i might add, most scots who were forced out of their homes did die. the few who made it abroad were most likely the lucky ones, even though they had to work hard to get any sort of living out of the new, unfamiliar and often hostile lands.

now, as to england being one big happy family, they should be one, shouldn't they? after all, they are getting money from selling scotland's oil (yes, the english helpfully sell our oil for us), their economy profits from scotland's various industries (such as tourism and scotland's various high quality exports) and their overpopulation problem is eased somewhat by the fact that they can go and buy property cheaply in scotland without having to worry about passports or anything of that sort.The english despite all this, do not seem to have a very happy country. many english people don't even admit to being english at all. most of the people in the northern half of england like to distance themselves from the south for many reasons, the welsh maintain they are not english even though they don't want independence on the whole, and even the cornish claim they are not part of england (which is justified i suppose).

It seems that many english people are ashamed of their englishness, and in my opinion rightly so. England, sadly, is one nation i could not be proud of if i came from there. Their country has been responsible for too much injustice and hurt that it has never repented for. Unlike many other countries who have commited atrocities, england has never attempted to make amends, and it still retains the air of aloofness that makes it think it is somehow better than the rest of europe and by extension the rest of the world.

Again, nothing against the english personally, just i think their nation and government have a lot to answer for, and also i like to say these things since awareness brings change and since i think many international readers may not be as aware of the history of 'britain' as perhaps i am.

KernelPanic:
I have alot of respect for my country, but I also have equal amounts of disrespect for my country. I am not overly patriotic, but most brits tend not to be. I try not to do it, but I still feel that sense of superiority because i'm britsih. It is ridiculous though, because most of this comes from the empire, which i dont agree with , but also never experienced it. I do like the contributions we have made to scince and technology. Unfortunately we don't do much of this anymore due to various things, including beurocracy but mostly the ease of finding capital elsewhere like america and thee difficulty of finding it here. I suppose venture capitalist have reasons to be reserved lately due to the current political and ecomomic climate, but after that is over I hope britain starts to live up to its reputation that we pompously pride ourselves on.
I dont think that patritism and jingoism is wrong, but unfortunately some people let this cloud the reality of their nation (not you void main).
I am very glad that the government has forced British history onto the national curriculum, now at least people can make a fair jusgement of their country.
I would never join the British army, firstly because I dont like the idea of death. But secondly because I have looked at my country and realised that I would not like to sign myself up to do the will of governments that I generally don't like.

Also, I will probably change my views in a few years time. I am only 16. I have much to be corrupted in me yet....

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