are you proud to be an American? do you get offended when others are not?

I am proud to be an American. As such I will adopt the Will Rogers approach and allow and defend the right of another to feel otherwise.

To be totally honest, I really don’t care how others feel, outside of my wife and children. Could care less how anyone else feels about America, as someone else mentioned about themselves, my entire adult life has been spent serving in the Air Force, 28 years active duty, the rest Civil Service, with 2 years as an Air Force contractor in between (contracted health privacy officer when HIPAA was implemented).

I believe in the US Constitution, so to each their own on freedom of speech and expression (until it turns into harrassment as it has in recent times). I just chuckle at the people who think it solves things to act like that, or to burn the flag of the country that provides them their safety nets.

My only real hope now is that our great Nation doesn’t self destruct in my lifetime, or my childrens.

originally posted by: Annee
Could you please define what an American is?

Besides birth location.

What country do you live in ?
Are you proud to belong to that country ?

a reply to: TinySickTears

I'm proud of what the idea of America stands for and what we have the potential to be. In that way I am proud of America but I am not proud of most Americans these days.

I find hard to be proud given the current political climate.

Any country that has become as politicized as the US is a failure.

By both the state and the people.

originally posted by: notsure1
a reply to: TinySickTears

What is ok to be proud of OP?

Whether it be word proud to define it is the proper term, I choose to use the word "Thankfull". I am thankful for being born here and a citizen, I am thankful for our Constitution. It seems those who are not thankful for the gift they have been given are hell bent on the destruction of life as they know it.

a reply to: TinySickTears

I mean, my parents screwed here.

Like you, I'm only "proud" of things I actually had something to do with.

But not too much, because pride is a fairly weak and stupid emotion and I prefer to just "get on with it, already."

Proud to be an American and even have a GIANT united states flag as the first thing you see when you come in my business.

But having said that...if someone said they weren't proud to be an American I wouldn't take offense. When someone kneels for the anthem I don't take offense. It has to be looked at in context. Many of those that are offended when NFL players take a knee are in the kitchen grabbing a beer while the anthem plays anyway..that's way more disrespectful.

We have to stop being offended by everyone and everything.

I'd be offended if someone came in my business and spit on my flag. That would be just cause to be outraged. But that hasn't happened yet.

I think the biggest thing is that in American we're a bunch of whiny babies that cry when we don't get our way or someoe disagrees with us. LOL Grow up!

My "location" says: "Standing on the Moon".

Reason is: I see the earth as a whole.

I don't see humanity as only "my porch".

The attitudes of many Americans today -- does not make me proud.

originally posted by: Gothmog

originally posted by: Annee
Could you please define what an American is?

Besides birth location.

What country do you live in ?
Are you proud to belong to that country ?

I'm a human on the 3rd rock from the sun.

originally posted by: amazing
Proud to be an American and even have a GIANT united states flag as the first thing you see when you come in my business.

But having said that...if someone said they weren't proud to be an American I wouldn't take offense. When someone kneels for the anthem I don't take offense. It has to be looked at in context. Many of those that are offended when NFL players take a knee are in the kitchen grabbing a beer while the anthem plays anyway..that's way more disrespectful.

We have to stop being offended by everyone and everything.

I'd be offended if someone came in my business and spit on my flag. That would be just cause to be outraged. But that hasn't happened yet.

I think the biggest thing is that in American we're a bunch of whiny babies that cry when we don't get our way or someoe disagrees with us. LOL Grow up!

We get too caught up in Country of origin and thinking we are superior to people of other countries always looking for a way to insult them. We're all in this world together.

a reply to: seeker1963

Seems a lot of people within your nation's history were not proud to be an American, they set out to change things.

Hell didn't you have a civil war?

I apologize for laughing but I genuinely have to. If any nation on Earth emboldens the ability to change things then it has to be the USA. I have great respect for that ability, whether it's building a navy to ensure maritime peace (against my nation) or MLK rallying the black community to fight for their own rights... I could be here all day picking examples, I'll spare you that.

Pack your bags and leave?

Hell no, that isn't the way of a human being who respects freedom and liberty. As is I'm conflicted in my proudness and love for my own nation, such things can be complex and I'll never be a blind patriot. Would I leave because I disagree with the national direction?

No. I'd rather stay, change things and fight for my beliefs. With all that being said we do somewhat agree... Except on the "pack your bags and leave" comment.

Do you know how dodgy it is renouncing your citizenship or to gain asylum, political or not whilst being a citizen of a G7 nation?

Yeah.

Stay at home, nobody else will have you or me for that matter. Not that it matters... Things change, people change and nations change. We both come from nations with the ability to change, be that change? Why run?

originally posted by: notsure1
a reply to: TinySickTears

What is ok to be proud of OP?

i would like some answers myself.
so what are yours?

why this game? i started a thread and asked questions. so can you answer?

a reply to: TinySickTears

I love my country and served it with a blank check for many years while in the US Navy.

I'm also a father of 6, and a grandfather of 4. I love my children and grandchildren very much too.

My country, the USA, that I love, can be just like my children: I love them, and always will. Sometimes they do things that make me feel proud. Sometimes they do things that make me smack my forehead and groan.

My country is the same way: There are times it does things that makes me feel proud (disaster response is a good one for the most part), and it has done (and will do) things that, no, I'm not proud of (round up all people who are Japanese and lock them up).

I lived literally all around the world growing up. I was exposed to many different cultures, their laws, customs and beliefs. I have the utmost respect for those countries and the people that are there. I'm one of the lucky few that was able to do this and be exposed to different cultures.

It didn't change the love I have for my own country, the times I do feel proud of it, or the times that I don't feel proud of it.
Nor does that love for my country in anyway make me hate other countries. They are what they are, and the people that live there more than likely have the same feelings about where they live too.

Does that make me a "Nationalist"? - Don't know. Don't really 'effing care.

Am I worried what others think of me because of how I feel? - Nope. Sorry, I don't really care how others feel or think of me when it comes that that.

Do I not like or hate those that do not feel the same as me? - Hell no. They have a right to their opinion and feelings.

Better yet: If they really do not like it here, they are free to go else where if they so desire. Completely up to them. If they can't do that: I would highly recommend they find some place here that they do like, and can learn to love.

A good step in that direction is: Turn off the 'effing News.

I think Americans have gotten comfortable there's no sacrifices there's no conflicts. We don't have situations like venezuela and people forget its not the same everywhere. We even see this in immigration we don't look at the suffering in places like Guatemala because lets face it we have it pretty good.

Patriotic attitudes always come out on times of conflict. In times of peace we become complacent. We forget about the struggles to get here. That was other peoples sacrifice right?

originally posted by: neo96
I find hard to be proud given the current political climate.

Any country that has become as politicized as the US is a failure.

By both the state and the people.

if you were proud why would you be?

i mean surely at some point in your life you have been correct?

why?

a reply to: TinySickTears

Man...what are all of those PRIDE parade people going to do...they sure did not EARN being gay..

OK, kidding aside, I know what the definition of pride is. However, there are broader connotations.

You can be proud of your heritage...I see that a lot.
You can be proud of you dog...people say that all that time.
You can be proud of failure...because hey, you at least tried...

So I understand where you are trying to go here but it in the end a baseless argument.

a reply to: eriktheawful

killer post man
thanks for that

going to be thinking about it for a while

a reply to: TinySickTears

Depends whether you're talking to a MAGA yank, or a ex-Hillary supporter yank or an Antifa yank or a Bernie-bros yank, also depends on whether you're talking to a liberal urban yank or a conservative rural yank - each category has a different type of pride that the others simply don't share - except that they all wish the others would just disappear off the face of the earth.

I like being called a stupid American - it makes me proud.

Not exactly proud to be an American .

Grateful? Yes.

I Try Never forget we were just born at the right place and right time.

Life is not always a picnic but I’ll take it over 99% of the other possibilities.