How can you be proud to be an American?

[jobycom]

I never quite understand that. My parents happened to have sex here and never left, and I'm supposed to proud of it, like it is something I've achieved? Would I therefore have to be ashamed if I were born in Canada, or on a flight between Botswana and Morocco? Are people less worthy of being alive because they were born in Afghanistan, or Iraq?

It's more closet racism, is all it is. Some poor product of the post-Reagan educational system who has never really had to work hard but has never really suffered has to find a way to feel good about himself. His job is meaningless, he'll never contribute more than a new combination of profanity to world's culture, and his worst struggle with the burden of life is whether to eat popcorn or potato chips while watching his favorite television event. He watches people on five other continents struggle against odds that he can't imagine, and realizes somewhere down inside that he'll never measure up, that he was just lucky enough to have parents in the right place at the right time, and that he deserves none of what he has. So, he decides to trick himself. "I'm proud of who I am," he says. "Proud to be an American."

We are the luckiest people in the world because of the material wealth of our ancestors, the hard work of our founders, the pure brazen thievery and bloodlust of those who expanded our lands to include all the natural resources we could ever need. We have nothing to be proud of. It is not any of our doing. We are not rewarded for being better people, we are just lucky.

Our bumper stickers should read "HUMBLED to be an American," and it should inspire us to pass some of that good will along to other nations, not to steal their wealth and blow up their kids.

Sorry. Bad day surrounded by morons. Uncontrollable rant. I'll recover.

[TXlib]

1. I've never really understood nationalism, either.

Then again, I never got into pep rallies in high school, and I think corporate cheerleading rallies are a collosal waste of time & money, and a horrible bore, to boot.

[GOPisEvil]

2. I'm lucky to have a parent born in another country.

During a fascist, warmongering regime, to boot. I'm also adopted from another country where things aren't always so rosy (there was a coup about a year before I was born). I know how lucky I am, and when I forget, I get a good reminder from mom.

Americans by accident of birth should reflect on their good fortune and resolve to make the world better for all. I think the people here understand that. Those folks on the other side have nary a clue.

[jobycom]

4. Yeah, that's why I said it here instead of to the people who pissed me off

I wanted understanding, not that look a pig gives you when you tell him to wash his snout.

[nini]

5. Well said..

:-)

[jobycom]

6. BTW, you going to the meetup thingie at Egan's tonight?

[GOPisEvil]

7. I think I might have to check that out.

If only to see what's what. Mondays are bad for me with NXNW. But, Wednesdays work much better. :-)

[jobycom]

10. You've missed a lot of excitement

Liberal Democrats versus the big bad Democrat machine in Austin. The good thing is the big bad machine is pretty liberal here, the bad thing is that we've had titanic tempests in our little teapot. Even made the Austin Chronicle over it all.

Sorry for the side discussion, ya'll.

[GOPisEvil]

12. LOL! I saw that.

But hey, at least y'all got the increased membership funds.

Makes for a nice victory party slush fund. :party:

</hijack>

[jobycom]

16. That was the sanitized version

You should have seen the actual mood of our members the night of the endorsements. I've made an enemy of an Austin liberal icon (maybe three)and a judge, and one of our members applied a verbal beat-down to a young campaign worker of that icon that will live in infamy.

And for an encore, wait til you see what we're doing next!

Hijack away, the original topic ran its short course, anyway :-)

[Skittles]

20. I absolutely agree

and David I definitely know that those of us with parents from other countries aren't such closeted Americans, ya know? We had to acknowledge very early on that America was not the only country on earth and we are better for it!!!

[grannylib]

3. "Humbled to be an American..." much more appropriate, to be sure!

Can you just hear the Freepers screaming in pain as their knickers get in a twist over the very notion???

"Why do you hate America??" (heavy sarcasm....)

[StClone]

8. My Republican Mexican Brother-in-law

He is a Rightwing nutcase Conservative that carefully watched for a young American girl to swoon and marry. Once here he never became a citizen (Does he pay Social Security?) used Government aid to get through Engineering School and does not want to pay taxes.

Is he proud to be an American? He calls us stupid and listened to Rush until the drug thing pushed him to Savage. He has one goal getting rich at nearly any cost.

[billybob537]

13. If not a citizen

can he vote?

[Free_Thinking1]

9. I am not saying you are a hater

of America, but I will say that I do love my country and am proud to be an American. I have been to somewhere in the ballpark of 30 countries, all of them were beautiful in their own way, but at the end of the day I am always happy to return to the US. As bad as things have gotten, we still have more freedom and more opportunities than any other country I can think of. There is a lot of room for improvement (as there is with anything)and yes we could do a lot more to help out others, but overall I think we, as a nation, have done pretty well.

[jobycom]

11. Um, that's nice, but rather misses far wide of what I said.

In fact, I said the opposite of what you think I said.

[Free_Thinking1]

17. Sorry,

Didn't realize I was misinterpreting what you said.

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. There's a big difference between loving one's country and being proud

to be an American.

Being an American is, for most, an accident of birth. This is where our parents lived. For some, it's an immigration choice. But for me I cannot say I am "proud" to be an American because i've never been anything else and I didn't get put here for any divine or special reason other than that this is where my parents were. To say that I am "proud" to be an American is to say that I am, in essence, proud that I am not anything else with a sense that all other countries are lesser and bad. But for pure chance, I wouldn't be an American.

But I can love my country, and appreciate my country (and also at the same time detest some of its policies and it's Clown In Chief and his evil cabal, etc.) and be glad that I live here and that I was, I think, rather lucky to be have been born here.

Pride is very self-focused.

[TXlib]

22. Very nicely put.

[Solon]

15. False Pride

That's my term for it. Taking pride in something you did not accomplish. Its like saying you are Proud to be White, or any other race or ethnicity. I find it to be stupid at best, dangerous at worst. Immigrants who actually struggled to emigrate here are the only ones who can say they are Proud to be American, for the rest its hypocrisy.

[Free_Thinking1]

18. I don't agree at all

There is nothing wrong with being proud of who or what you are. Sure, I was born here and therefore I did not have to "accomplish" anything to be a citizen. But I do choose to stay, I did choose to serve for my country and I do choose to love it and be proud of the freedoms I have because I live here. I don't see how any of that makes me a hypocrite or stupid.

[jobycom]

19. You use the word proud where I would use the work honored.

[SammyWinstonJack]

21. I don't understand it either.

:shrug: And frankly, that saying, irks me to no end. Especially these days, with the Murder Inc. administration. Just seeing a "Proud to be American" bumper sticker pisses me off! I have the urge to roll down the window and ask just what the proud American is so damn proud of?

[Karenina]

23. I'm proud that my American education

(it's GONE FOLKS unless you go through GREAT LENGTHS to reinstate it) gave me a LOVE for seeking out our commonalities rather than highlighting our differences. I'm proud that it taught me to SHUT UP AND LISTEN. I'm proud that I can reflect to those I meet from the 4 corners of the earth a reality of the ideals of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" that have become a WORLDWIDE JOKE coming from most Americans.