I don't see how I can be proud to be in a country when everyone else is a country. If my country is anyway better than any other country then what has that got to do with me? What have I got to be proud of? I was just born here. It was an accident.
I don't get proud of accidents no matter how 'great' they are. Especially when they have absolutely nothing to do with me personally.
I'm happy to be in the UK. But that's not patriotism - at least by my definition anyway.
I despise patriotism. I don't see how you can be a 'bit patriotic' either you are proud of your country or you are not. If you are - I think that's stupid, it doesn't make any sense. And the prouder you are and the more serious about it - the stupider it is, in my view.
If you aren't proud of your country but just 'like it' or 'feel grateful' or are "Happy to be here" - then I don't define that as patriotism.
I compare patriotism with my own experience here in the UK with people hating people because they are 'southerners' 'northerners' and vice-versa. It's a sheer accident and people can't help where they are...
I mean country is one thing - and then when you start breaking down small parts of the country so patriotism isn't just about the nation but it's also about the region[/i[] within the nation - I think that's just so stupid and it shows that it's the whole underlying stupid meaningless bullshit idea that an accident that has absolutely nothing to do with what you do - a sheer accident of birth - is something to be proud of - that whole underlying idea - is [i]bullshit.
How can you be proud of your country when you could have just easily been born somewhere else? And if EVERYONE should just be proud of the country they happened to be born then what's the point in that? If everyone is proud of a sheer accident - and guess what; everyone's born SOMEWHERE! - then where's the meaning in that? No where! That's because the whole idea is stupid. How can you be proud of an accident? You don't choose where you are born! So how can you be proud of your country? Happy - yes, Glad - yes. Proud - how exactly? Seems just stupid to me.
I don't get it.
It's like if I genuinely thought "I'm proud to be English. I'm proud that I was born here rather than another country - I mean it was a real achievement for me. I'm telling you - a real achievement. I'm proud that I was born in England too rather than Scotland or Wales. I was born here and I'm proud of that. And because I was born here then that means that England is also clearly better than Wales and Scotland too - because I wasn't born there. I'm proud to be born here. I was born here and not somewhere else and that makes me proud - real proud. I am proud that I was born here because I like it here and I like it here because I was born here. I'm proud of that."
What exactly is there to be proud of? Where does the genuine, deserved, fitting proud go exactly?
It sounds like really stupid thinking to me. Doesn't mean the people are always stupid - people vary. But the idea, the concept - the habit, this patriotism thing itself - I think is really stupid thinking. It just doesn't make any sense.
And once again - if you are not 'proud of your country' and are simply 'happy' or 'grateful' then I'm not defining that as patriotism. I mean that would make me a patriot! I like the UK! But I am certainly no patriot! I am not proud of anything that 'my' country has done or whatever. I wasn't even born for a start!
Besides if I was to actually feel proud for my country (and I think it would be stupid to do so anyway as I have said) then what about all the things NOT to be proud of that went throughout history? Have I got to be all ASHAMED of them? Once again - I had no part!
EvF
I don't get proud of accidents no matter how 'great' they are. Especially when they have absolutely nothing to do with me personally.
I'm happy to be in the UK. But that's not patriotism - at least by my definition anyway.
I despise patriotism. I don't see how you can be a 'bit patriotic' either you are proud of your country or you are not. If you are - I think that's stupid, it doesn't make any sense. And the prouder you are and the more serious about it - the stupider it is, in my view.
If you aren't proud of your country but just 'like it' or 'feel grateful' or are "Happy to be here" - then I don't define that as patriotism.
I compare patriotism with my own experience here in the UK with people hating people because they are 'southerners' 'northerners' and vice-versa. It's a sheer accident and people can't help where they are...
I mean country is one thing - and then when you start breaking down small parts of the country so patriotism isn't just about the nation but it's also about the region[/i[] within the nation - I think that's just so stupid and it shows that it's the whole underlying stupid meaningless bullshit idea that an accident that has absolutely nothing to do with what you do - a sheer accident of birth - is something to be proud of - that whole underlying idea - is [i]bullshit.
How can you be proud of your country when you could have just easily been born somewhere else? And if EVERYONE should just be proud of the country they happened to be born then what's the point in that? If everyone is proud of a sheer accident - and guess what; everyone's born SOMEWHERE! - then where's the meaning in that? No where! That's because the whole idea is stupid. How can you be proud of an accident? You don't choose where you are born! So how can you be proud of your country? Happy - yes, Glad - yes. Proud - how exactly? Seems just stupid to me.
I don't get it.
It's like if I genuinely thought "I'm proud to be English. I'm proud that I was born here rather than another country - I mean it was a real achievement for me. I'm telling you - a real achievement. I'm proud that I was born in England too rather than Scotland or Wales. I was born here and I'm proud of that. And because I was born here then that means that England is also clearly better than Wales and Scotland too - because I wasn't born there. I'm proud to be born here. I was born here and not somewhere else and that makes me proud - real proud. I am proud that I was born here because I like it here and I like it here because I was born here. I'm proud of that."
What exactly is there to be proud of? Where does the genuine, deserved, fitting proud go exactly?
It sounds like really stupid thinking to me. Doesn't mean the people are always stupid - people vary. But the idea, the concept - the habit, this patriotism thing itself - I think is really stupid thinking. It just doesn't make any sense.
And once again - if you are not 'proud of your country' and are simply 'happy' or 'grateful' then I'm not defining that as patriotism. I mean that would make me a patriot! I like the UK! But I am certainly no patriot! I am not proud of anything that 'my' country has done or whatever. I wasn't even born for a start!
Besides if I was to actually feel proud for my country (and I think it would be stupid to do so anyway as I have said) then what about all the things NOT to be proud of that went throughout history? Have I got to be all ASHAMED of them? Once again - I had no part!
EvF
