Happeh 4th everybody! This is the one day that people wont get on my back for being a pyro!! I do hate the celebrate our country part…but…yeah FIRE!!! FIRE!!! FIRE!!! MUAHAHA!!
Celabrate our country!!
Pyro! I blew my pants pocket off the other day by accident!! (I guess those "do not carry in clothing labels are there for a reason…)
happy pyrotechnics day!!
Re: Happy 4th!!
Just curious, why?
Re: Re: Happy 4th!!
I can’t answer for Klown, but I would like to say that in the past I enjoyed celebrating our country’s birthday.
However.
It seems that for the past 3 or 4 years, there has been a total overload of American flags EVERYWHERE. Suddenly, (OK, since 911) we are all somehow made to feel that we are obliged to “celebrate” our country 24/7, all year long, and if we don’t behave like overt patriotic cheerleaders, there are those who suggest that we are indeed “not patriotic” are therefore on the side of the terrorists.
When EVERYDAY becomes the Fourth of July, then the real Fourth of July loses its meaning, except as a day for bar-b-que.
In an environment like the current state our nation is currently in, please forgive the roughly 50% of citizens who just don’t feel up to “celebrating” because to a lot of us, it does not feel like the old USA we grew up in any more. It feels like a strange place where everyday is the fourth of July, making it null and void once the real day comes around…
You put my thoughts into words so well, Mr. Zorro
I owe you a beer too
Americans Are World’s Most Patriotic People
Clearly that creates a conundrum for those who live by the ideals of political correctness. It is not right to be number one. It hurts the feelings of those countries who cannot achieve that standard. It would be far better to lower our standards and thus bring all the other countries up. It is not good to be better than all other countries because it causes them to dislike us. If we lowered the standards then all other countries could be just as great and they’d feel better about us. The US should strive to be more like Italy, East Germany, Russia, Latvia, and Slovakia.
For me I’m proud to be proud of my country. It’s just like being proud of your family and being proud of who you are.
Go US! 
[QUOTE]
Originally posted by john_childs
[B]Americans Are World’s Most Patriotic People
But that is totally irrelevent. So what if we have the highest number of “patriotic” people in the world. We also have the highest number of obese people in the world too. I also think it is the meaning of Patriotisim itself that has been skewered–just because a person will shout out “GO USA” and hang an American Flag outside their home and stick god Bless America and Support the troops magnets on their cars does not indeed make them “Partiotic”–its just a lot of jingoistic yapping – it makes them think they are being patriotic when in fact they are just being consumers if they do not back up these declarations with deeds that are truly patriotic–like becoming more involved with local politics for example, or somehow contributing to the community for another. Or joining the army instead of just cheering from the sidelines as so many on the right seem to do.
In case you have not noticed, the stererotype of “Political Correctness” you are complaining about has been out the window for at least a decade. In fact, the new political correctness is indeed this consumerist form of false patriotism that is literally in our face 24-7.
Sorry John, but this is total rubbish. In all my life of a left-winger in New York, I have never heard a single person on my side of the political spectrum utter such nonsense. Oh, I have heard plenty of right wingers “claim” that these are the feelings of those on the left, but it is just a fantasy, an easy distraction and it has nothing to do with genuine left-wing conserns about social services, education budgets, medical affordability, etc…
Were you just as proud during the Clinton era?
There are PLENTY of things about this country that make me proud and most of it has to do with American art and music and America cinema, (mostly things past) but quite honestly the policies of the president do make me less than proud because I do think the guy is an absolute zero.
But yea, if you like Bush and you think the country is going in an excellent direction, sure, enjoy yourself and be proud.
I just think that simply being “Proud to be American” is just too easy in the political climate that exists today, and yes, that in itself is a form of political correctness.
I’m just guessing, DB, but from what I know of JC, I read this as posted with a bit of tongue in cheek. I could be wrong.
Bruce
Ouch! I goofed!
Sorry John, Sorry Bruce! I meant to quote (and then answer) John this way!!
So–here it is again–my friendly answer to John in a more clear, (and this time I pressed the “preview Reply” button.
Cheers all, (and sorry again for the typically left-wing unpatriotic goof-up!
)
But that is totally irrelevent. So what if we have the highest number of “patriotic” people in the world. We also have the highest number of obese people in the world too. I also think it is the meaning of Patriotisim itself that has been skewered–just because a person will shout out “GO USA” and hang an American Flag outside their home and stick god Bless America and Support the troops magnets on their cars does not indeed make them “Partiotic”–its just a lot of jingoistic yapping – it makes them think they are being patriotic when in fact they are just being consumers if they do not back up these declarations with deeds that are truly patriotic–like becoming more involved with local politics for example, or somehow contributing to the community for another. Or joining the army instead of just cheering from the sidelines as so many on the right seem to do.
In case you have not noticed, the stererotype of “Political Correctness” you are complaining about has been out the window for at least a decade. In fact, the new political correctness is indeed this consumerist form of false patriotism that is literally in our face 24-7.
Sorry John, but this is total rubbish. In all my life of a left-winger in New York, I have never heard a single person on my side of the political spectrum utter such nonsense. Oh, I have heard plenty of right wingers “claim” that these are the feelings of those on the left, but it is just a fantasy, an easy distraction and it has nothing to do with genuine left-wing conserns about social services, education budgets, medical affordability, etc…
Were you just as proud during the Clinton era?
There are PLENTY of things about this country that make me proud and most of it has to do with American art and music and America cinema, (mostly things past) but quite honestly the policies of the president do make me less than proud because I do think the guy is an absolute zero.
But yea, if you like Bush and you think the country is going in an excellent direction, sure, enjoy yourself and be proud.
I just think that simply being “Proud to be American” is just too easy in the political climate that exists today, and yes, that in itself is a form of political correctness.
It was a bit of a tongue in cheek reply but apparently too much truth for some. The link to the article was real though and the serious part of the reply. Americans are more patriotic than people from other nations. People from countries that scored low on the list probably view our patriotism as a character flaw. They don’t get it.
The article does ignore countries like North Korea and China where national pride and “patriotism” is indoctrinated and not voluntary. There is a big difference between patriotism in countries like North Korea and free countries like the USA, Great Britain, Japan, etc.
Yes. Patriotism is not a euphemism for political partisanship. You’ll note that the survey that I linked to was done during the Clinton era. We wouldn’t have scored very well if all of the Republicans decided that they suddenly hated their country because their party was not in the White House. Patriotism has nothing to do with who is in the White House or who your congressman is or whether or not you dedicate your life to public service or what political party you support.
Not sure what you mean by that, or what you may have been implying, but I’ll just assume you were not being condescending and continue on my merry way.
Anyway, I know one thing–If I were a conservative, I would be pretty happy with the way things are going. With Sandra Day O’Conner vacating her seat, we are in for some extremely conservative times ahead–and that’s not counting Renhquist’s seat which will be up for grabs in no time.
So, congratulations, Conservatives and right-wingers! You have won!
Us lefties have been totally marginalized. I will be the first to admit that. Your side controls both houses of Congress, the Presidency, and now, without a doubt, the Supreme Court. Within the next couple of years we can expect abortion to be criminalized, school prayer to be re-instated, flag-burners sent to prison, all remaining shreds of our already weak social system to be scrapped, union busting like you wouldn’t believe, anything on the conservative agenda is possible. Even the draft–and I think this won’t be met with much opposition because no one really cares, is possible. America is, after all, an EXTREMELY conservative country, an extremely religious country, an extremely patriotic country, but patriotic in a way that has little to do with actual deeds of citizenship, but with “feelings” and buying of flags and magnets and other objects that are made in china but are printed with stars and stripes.
So instead of the usual Bush Bad/Bush Good debate on these forums, perhaps we should assume that the conservatives have all they want, and we should discuss how the conservatives will govern, and what are their options. For example, questions like should doctors who performed abortions in the past, as well as women who had abortions in the past, should they be arrested? Executed as punishment for murder? These are questions the conservatives are obliged to answer–they run the show now. They must provide the necessary solutions and answers to our country’s problems.
Us wussies and wimps and weasels on the left have about as much to say on the future of our country as a stack of old vinyl records. We have lost. The sooner we accept this, the better. We can still be as left as we want, but let us stop imagining that America is not an extreme right wing entity. It is. We will be consigned to the basements and attics where history has put us.
So, congratulations, my conservative friends! Well done, well done! It is your show now, you can’t blame us Liberals for anything any more. What is next?
It was a play on the ideals of noncompetitiveness so that you don’t hurt anyones feelings. I think there are some who are embarrassed by displays of patriotism because they don’t want people from other countries to see that and think that we think we’re better than them. That wouldn’t be polite.
I think it’s ironic that we use the phrase “proud to be american” sicne the last time I checked the seven deadly sins were:
ENVY
SLOTH
GLUTTONY
WRATH
PRIDE
LUST
GREED
See, some people are either embarrassed, ashamed, or too proud to be patriotic and proud of their country.
I’m going to have stop being proud of being a unicyclist. I’m going to stop riding anywhere in public. I’m going to stop wearing any shirts that have unicycling designs on them. My love of unicycling is starting to cause me to despise bicyclists because they’re inferior.
You can be proud of your country and be patriotic without feeling hatred or contempt for other countries. There is no sin in pride. There is sin in feelings of hatred and contempt.
you mean like a lot of Americans have about France?
A lot? You’re really stretching there and living in some sort of alternate reality world. There might be a few wacko fringe people who have actual hatred and contempt of France but that is very very few people.
People joke about France about military victories but there is no hatred involved and no contempt. Joking about Freedom Fries is not contempt. A few people deciding not to buy French wine is not contempt. France is still our ally. We are still on good relations with France. Americans still go to France for vacations. The French still insult foreigners. Everything is back to normal.
Yeah, I heerd someone rote about that once pon a time, but I’ve sinned all them sins–Numbers 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7 in particuler–and I’m still breathin’. Maybe they ain’t so deadly as advertised, other than Number 3.
Theres two different kinds of pride. Theres good pride and bad pride. Bad pride is were you are boastful about yourself, think your better than other people and trying to make yourself look good, etc.
Theres good pride, like pride in being a unicyclist like john childs mentioned. Its good to take a certain amount of pride in what you do, if we didnt take pride in our work we wouldnt care and would do a sloppy job. In the same way we take pride in our country and what we’ve done. Not a boastful imbetterthanyou pride, but a healthy proud of what we’ve done pride.
~Forrest, proud to be an American, a unicyclist, and a forum member.