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RE: Its Good to Be Here
January 22, 2018 at 4:47 pm
Being an Aussie among Kiwis is like being a wolf among sheep. And not just any wolf or sheep, but a rabid dire wolf among brain-dead, zombie sheep.
Only a couple of hours from home by plane. Or, in some parts of the country, only a couple of hours from home by phone).
The fear I induce in the population.
- New Zealand.
Playing Cluedo with my mum while I was at Uni:
"You did WHAT? With WHO? WHERE???"
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RE: Its Good to Be Here
January 23, 2018 at 6:45 am
Oh yeah and...
Shakespeare
Wordsworth
Eddie Edwards
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RE: Its Good to Be Here
January 23, 2018 at 6:56 am
Although it rains a lot here, I like the fact that the temperature stays quite stable thanks to the surrounding ocean.
It's peaceful here. Very little crime and most people are down-to-earth stable people.
I like the mountains here.
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RE: Its Good to Be Here
January 23, 2018 at 11:29 am
If you had asked me five years ago I would have said fuck yes I love my country, I'm the most patriotic bitch here. Five years ago though I was still learning to let go of racism and hadn't met anyone outside of my culture bubble.
I've been living here in Austin Texas now which is deemed the hippy city and is blue among an ocean of red and I've become someone else. Now all I can see is the racism in others, the close mindedness of everyone that isn't a "hippy", imaginary lines that people will die to get across and others will kill to not let them, and how countries are only needed because a world government isn't feasible.
I don't care that I'm American. I'm not embarrassed and I'm not proud. I did nothing to become American except be born to my specific parents. I won't leave because my family and life are here but I could have easily have been from another country and been just as happy. If somehow my life required me to move (my family coming with) I would be ok living anywhere else as long as I had common freedoms (nowhere women are second rate or religion is forced)
“What screws us up the most in life is the picture in our head of what it's supposed to be.”
Also if your signature makes my scrolling mess up "you're tacky and I hate you."
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RE: Its Good to Be Here
January 23, 2018 at 11:48 am
(January 23, 2018 at 11:29 am)mlmooney89 Wrote: I don't care that I'm American. I'm not embarrassed and I'm not proud. I did nothing to become American except be born to my specific parents. I won't leave because my family and life are here but I could have easily have been from another country and been just as happy. If somehow my life required me to move (my family coming with) I would be ok living anywhere else as long as I had common freedoms (nowhere women are second rate or religion is forced)
This is essentially my outlook as well.
I'm happy that the USA (for now, at least) is still a first world country with the freedom and privileges I currently enjoy. And I'm well aware of how fortunate I am to have been born in the West.
But, the location of my birth was luck. I could've been born in many other countries and had just as loving a family and friends. So, I can't see the point in taking pride in something I didn't have any control over, especially when it's impossible to determine exactly how much of an impact it's had on my life. I mean, yeah, if Iwas born in Somalia I'd likely be dead now. But England? Germany? Japan? A bunch of other places? I'd be fine.
I'm not much of a patriot, I guess.
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RE: Its Good to Be Here
January 23, 2018 at 9:18 pm
(This post was last modified: January 23, 2018 at 9:27 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
If I were born anywhere else I'd have joined the service to secure citizenship, lol. For me, being proud to be an american and acknowledging our flaws goes hand in hand. The one informing the other. I feel deeply disappointed and ashamed when we return to an old mistake (or when we discover a new one) -because- I've got strong patriotic leanings. It's not the satisfaction of having an unblemished record or even of achieving our goals, really...but in the fact that the story of the US is a story of working towards those goals, and they're good ones. Here we are, chugging along..starting and stopping, sometimes going down the shittiest rabbithole. One foot in front of the other, lef....riiiight a left. If we were wiped off the map tomorrow we'd already be much more than a footnote in history, they don't call it the american century for nothin.
I hope we last longer than any other nation, last man standing territory, the United States of Earth...and even though we have a long way to go (and not just in time)..and even if, after all that time we still haven't achieved our goals..and even if we get ourselves into a seemingly endless list of shitty situations from this day to that day....so long as we're still trying......still putting that foot in front of the other one, I'd still be waving that flag and grinning like an idiot.
But hey, I'm a clueless dope..I mist up when people stand up and sing the anthem, lol. There's that rising feeling in my chest. I can understand, completely, why other people don't have the same experience and response.
(it's because they're commies who hate all goodness in the world, obvs  )
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Its Good to Be Here
January 23, 2018 at 10:02 pm
America: Meh...it's alright, sometimes.
In some ways.
On some days.
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RE: Its Good to Be Here
January 23, 2018 at 10:06 pm
I could go on and on and on for dayz about my country and how awesome it is.
First and foremost the freedom is AMAZING.
The people are even more amazing.
I love that communism has a place in everyone's heart.
I Love the diversity, you have all kinds of people from every walk of life living together in harmony. I think it's amazing.
I love the rivers, I love the hill stations.
I love that this place is full of life, like you will always find that something is happening everywhere.
I love the rich history.
I love the women, like good God, the women are absolutely amazing.
I love that while the police have adequate power but it is not absolute.
I can't think of much of any negatives because nobody is making my life crappier or happier, i have complete control over it and I think that's really cool.
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RE: Its Good to Be Here
February 4, 2018 at 2:35 am
The diversity of people and cultures that happen to make their way here. Its not uncommon for me to be riding on the train and here 4 or 5 different languages being spoken at once.
There are plenty of different places to explore. Each places having its own unique beauty to it.
The opportunities presented here. I can go out and do the things i'm passionate about. I've been to countries where people struggle just to get water and food for their family. So i'm grateful to be surrounded by stores and technology where i can get almost anything i want.
American born.
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RE: Its Good to Be Here
February 4, 2018 at 2:40 am
1.) Innocent until proven guilty
2.) A fairly complex but effective legislation system. With rigid checks and balances.
3.) A polarizing but diverse clash of ideas and opinions.
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