Are you proud of your country?

[PLAYER57832]

Well, you probably know better, seeing as you live there, but from what I have observed, the cultural differences between Americans who live in different parts of America are far higher than the cultural differences inside any other country.

Yes! this is exactly what I'm talking about, an undeniable proof of culture. Even though a person from California is different from a person from Kentucky they have a lot more to bond over and feel connected about that either of them do with a person from Poland.

This is not really true.
Let me throw out some examples:
Inuit
Amish
Polygamist compounds
Navaho
Seneca
Key West "conch"
Texas ranch hand
hippie
Midwest farmer
multi-generation LA gang member
"Blue blood" easterner
Cajun
Creole
Chinatown

Add in multiple "ethnic" identities -- we have communities of people from virtually every country on Earth. First generation retain most "original" customs. Kids keep fewer. Beyond that.. it depends.

I can go on and on, but those are what I came up with on short notice.

[The Bison King]

Whatever this is all beside the damn point. This thread is called "are you proud of your country" not "yet again Americans have to defend themselves to the rest of the world." Now we have to defend the very notion that we have a culture at all!!!

This is usually when uncle Saxi would step in and say something insightful...

Any way If you're proud of your country say so but don't get on someone else's case for being proud of their country.

[jefjef]

Well, you probably know better, seeing as you live there, but from what I have observed, the cultural differences between Americans who live in different parts of America are far higher than the cultural differences inside any other country.

Yes! this is exactly what I'm talking about, an undeniable proof of culture. Even though a person from California is different from a person from Kentucky they have a lot more to bond over and feel connected about that either of them do with a person from Poland.

This is not really true.
Let me throw out some examples:
Inuit
Amish
Polygamist compounds
Navaho
Seneca
Key West "conch"
Texas ranch hand
hippie
Midwest farmer
multi-generation LA gang member
"Blue blood" easterner
Cajun
Creole
Chinatown

Add in multiple "ethnic" identities -- we have communities of people from virtually every country on Earth. First generation retain most "original" customs. Kids keep fewer. Beyond that.. it depends.

I can go on and on, but those are what I came up with on short notice.

What player fails to promote is even though we (USA) is a hodge podge of ethnicities etc We all have one thing in common and most cherish it.

[duday53]

I love Canada. No offence to anybody, but the only thing that bothers me is the amount of immigrants coming to Canada. If they do work and contribute to the country then its all good. And I guess that is what Canada is about. Its one of the most successful countries to have multiple cultures living together peacefully.

I'm only 16, and barely know anything. So take what I said lightly :p

P.S. G8 and G20 are here in a few weeks I think?

[saxitoxin]

This is usually when uncle Saxi would step in and say something insightful...

LMAO @ Bison King! Hey BK & natty_dread!!!

*tickle tickle*

*Saxi tickles BK & natty-dread* ... TICKLE TYPHOON!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! LOL!



- Uncle Saxi!
Unofficial CC Happiness Ombudsman

[natty dread]

Omg, I go to sleep for a few hours and this is what I see...

we are many cultures.

Exactly. America has a plethora of cultures, it does not have one common culture like most countries. Which was my point all along. Perhaps I should have elaborated more from the beginning, but hey, it was 4am and I was tired.

Saxi, keep your hands to yourself, you dirty old man...

[jefjef]

Omg, I go to sleep for a few hours and this is what I see...

we are many cultures.

Exactly. America has a plethora of cultures, it does not have one common culture like most countries. Which was my point all along.

That is what freedom and liberty is Natty. A plethora of cultures able to co-exist and prosper together in the same land. That in itself is a culture.

[PLAYER57832]

What player fails to promote is even though we (USA) is a hodge podge of ethnicities etc We all have one thing in common and most cherish it.

.[/quote]
Fail to promote? Just failed to mention it in the above post.
In fact one of the things that make me most proud is our sheer divirsity.

The irony is that this same divirsity can, at times, lead to things that definitely do not make me proud. However, as the ACLU says "I may not like what you say, but I will defend your right to say it!"

This leads me to a key point:
The US is not necessarily the most universally tolerant of nations (I would probably put the dutch in there), but we are the most diverse. Ironically, our occasional lack of tolerance is actually a result of our extreme divirsity, plus our size. The size means we are just statistically more likely to have jerks. Divirsity means we have people who have so many varied thoughts that conflict is inevitable. Most older nations have, to one extent or another, somehow worked out more differences or at least set up "lines" between the various groups in various ways. (i.e. they may live peacably together or may be in a state of constant "them vs us", but there are not a whole lot of "new" infusions).

In short, I am proud that we have maintained and continue to maintain our divirsity, yet still remained one nation, albiet one very imperfect nation.

[nesterdude]

Now that's just funny player

"multi-generation LA gang member"

Tolerant does not mean 100 percent accepting. There are central national values in which each individual must decide to submit to in order to survive, or at least be accepted.
If the individual declines, well then they are ostracized.

The social contract of course.

[PLAYER57832]

Now that's just funny player

"multi-generation LA gang member"

Poorly worded, but I meant someone who's grandfather was a gang member.

Tolerant does not mean 100 percent accepting.

This is true, but in the US not everyone understands this. This is part of our divirsity.

There are central national values in which each individual must decide to submit to in order to survive, or at least be accepted.
If the individual declines, well then they are ostracized.

The social contract of course.

Except, the US is young enough and large enough that those forces have not yet taken hold as well as in other countries. This is what I meant when I said that other nations have "worked out" differences between "extremes". Also, in many cases, though those inside the country will look and say "hmm... those xyx are just not like US", outsiders will see a great deal of similarity or, at least as much similarity as difference.

[nesterdude]

Not thinking other countries have worked out their extremes yet, but time will tell I think:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009 ... -far-right

[keiths31]

Yes...of course I am. Past and present.

Ask a Canadian. The fact that they have to so desperately carve out their own culture, and prove to us and the rest of the world that it is different than United States culture is proof of a culture they must fight against.

We don't have to try to prove we are different. We are. We don't like hockey and curling because we need to prove we are different. We don't like universal health care because we need to prove we are different. We don't need two official languages to prove we are different. We don't need to spell words like colour, centre and neighbour differently to prove we are different. We don't need to use the metric system to prove we are different. We don't need to have a more liberal stance on social issues to prove we are different. We don't use "eh" all the time to prove we are different. We are different because we are.

[The Bison King]

We don't have to try to prove we are different. We are. We don't like hockey and curling because we need to prove we are different. We don't like universal health care because we need to prove we are different. We don't need two official languages to prove we are different. We don't need to spell words like colour, centre and neighbour differently to prove we are different. We don't need to use the metric system to prove we are different. We don't need to have a more liberal stance on social issues to prove we are different. We don't use "eh" all the time to prove we are different. We are different because we are.
Image

Sorry, I was just trying to prove a point. maybe saying "desperately carve out to prove" came off... well completely condescending and I apologize. My point was that we are different and have our own distinct, while all be it, very similar cultures.

However, I will say having hockey players on the back of your 5 dollar bills does come off a little desperate.

[Pedronicus]

I'm proud of my country today.

As some returning Soldiers marched through Barking there was an anti war demo by some Muslims. On the other side of the road were the Far right. The far right were chucking frozen pork sausages at the Muslims.

What a mind f*ck. They couldn't even pick up the missiles to throw back.

[keiths31]

Sorry, I was just trying to prove a point. maybe saying "desperately carve out to prove" came off... well completely condescending and I apologize. My point was that we are different and have our own distinct, while all be it, very similar cultures.

However, I will say having hockey players on the back of your 5 dollar bills does come off a little desperate.

Your apology seemed so sincere to the end.

The verse on the back is from "The Hockey Sweater", a great children's book by Roch Carrier. The hockey scene just goes with it.