What do people actually mean when they talk about "MY COUNTRY"

a reply to: nonspecific

Like others have said, I think it's because it's the country in which someone lives.

When you went to school, did you refer to it as "my school?" Or to a church, if you do, isn't that "my church?" Or "my book club," or "my office"...it's much like that.

Now, if you want to get technical concerning America, it is supposed to be governed by a government BY the people and FOR the people, so in a sense, it is MY country...and yours (if you live here) and my neighbors' and everyone else's who is a citizen.

I'm pretty sure it's as simple as that--I don't think most people are trying to assert sole ownership of an entire country.

Heres a good one.

How about your favorite sports team?

MY team beat yours.
I really hope WE make it to the super bowl.
Everybody uses the terms WE and MY to refer to a sports team that theyve never had even the slightest impact on.

originally posted by: teslahowitzer
National pride, it used to be something of substance, but now a fading light in the darkness of oblivion....

At last. Someone who actually gets it. Of course not many people would because they have lost pride in their respective countries for one made up reason or the other. Chances are , the reasons they have are due to their lack of involvement and all they want to do is say "poor me" my country has let me down because.......

originally posted by: nonspecific
So are you saying that although you use the term "MY" you do not fel that you have any sense of ownership simply because you happened to be born within it's borders?

Yes, that's what I'm saying. I don't express ownership any more than I do with "my husband".

Do you feel that any other human bean has less rights to occupy the same space as they were born outside of a line?

LEGAL rights? Yes. The law of the US is what it is. Moral rights? Absolutely not. As I said, I don't use "my country" in that context. Maybe I'm the wrong person to answer your question. LOL! I know a lot of people think the "lines" mean something, but I don't.

originally posted by: frostie
Heres a good one.

How about your favorite sports team?

MY team beat yours.
I really hope WE make it to the super bowl.
Everybody uses the terms WE and MY to refer to a sports team that theyve never had even the slightest impact on.

I make fun of my wife constantly for that! It's always WE, MY and OUR when they are doing well. Always, THEM when they are not.

a reply to: superman2012

THis was always the complaint of my high school coach. When we won, the town would tell him, "Man, we did good on Friday..."

If we lost..."You guys need to work on your...."

I think reasons we use we, my, and our are just for the sake of clear communication.

Even though it's not technically correct it's just flow for easier sake of conversation.

Hence another evolution of our language!

When you attend a school you do belong to a family of people that attended that school. When you invest in something emotionally it becomes a part of you. It is a natural human need to want to belong to something and be part of something.

We leave little parts of ourselves all over as we experience life. There is nothing wrong with identifying with something greater than yourself and none of us should judge what is important to another human being. If people want to be religious, gay or American then I support their right to self-identify with whatever it is THEY feel is important to them. Anyone that tries to take that from another person is an a-hole in my opinion.

Personally, I consider "my country" to be the particular culture of my first basic programming. That is, the values, morals, ethics, and paradigms that I was first conditioned with, and that seem to stay with me all my life.

I've gained, with age, the ability to look beyond them, to perceive and understand other cultures, to temporarily "step into their shoes" mentally, in order to facilitate communication and cooperation, but when I do not make that effort, my original programming runs my show. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl.

I am no longer living there, and am not subject to it's laws or benefit from it's services, yet, it remains at heart, MY country- the culture I identify with and feel part of.

It's exactly like you can continue saying my mother, or my father, even when you have moved out and have a family of your own, and they are no longer mothering or fathering you. You continue to care about their well being, and you still hear their voices in your head, or their teachings come out of your mouth.