How can any American be a proud, patriotic citizen?

originally posted by: khnum
a reply to: Ghost147

Its the whole Western world on my bookshelf is The history of the decline and fall of the Roman empire you would swear the same cast and crew has re-incarnated and history is repeating itself we are swirling the bowl and by the end of this century will be round the s bend.

exactly....it's like someone is trying over and over to obtain the ultimate balance between extreme greed, and the perfection of bulls**t

There's an old saying by Stephan Decatur that is appropriate at this moment:

“Our Country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but right or wrong, our country!”

Link.

I've been all over this nation of mine. From Canada, to Mexico. From west coast to Appalachia. I've met, quite literally, thousands upon thousands of my fellow Americans. So I feel rather safe in voicing the following opinion.

My fellow Americans can be a self-righteous bunch. They can be the sort that would give you the shirt off their back in a second, without even the slightest hesitation. Friendly. Mean spirited. Selfish. Giving. Open minded. Close minded. Opinionated. Apathetic. All at the same time, usually... We confuse ourselves all the time. Small wonder that some who've never been here, or have limited exposure, don't understand us.

We live in a land that is like no other in history. We're the most powerful nation to ever stride the globe. Yet at the same time, we're still a very parochial bunch. Small towns. Farming communities. We tend to view the world through a lens colored by that mentality. Until the world forces us to change that view. But it still effects how we react.

The above quote is sometimes misunderstood as meaning I support my countries actions right or wrong.

That's not what it means at all.

It's expressing the same sort of unconditional love that a parent has for a child. You love that child unreservedly, yet will correct/discipline when they make a mistake. You can be angry with him, yet would gladly die for him. Your love doesn't come with blinders, yet it's unconditional.

Our country is, in a very real sense, our child. All us have a stake in its success and/or failure.

Yes. I'm a patriot. Proudly so. But I'm no more blind to the faults of my nation then the harshest of critics. But neither am I blind to what makes us great. Most of those harsh critics can not say the same. So who's the most blind?

My country right or wrong, may she always be right, but when wrong, let us correct the wrong.

I try to do that, as best I can, being only one voice. But there are 300 plus million voices, it's time to use them.

a reply to: Ultralight

It seems a bit irresponsible to simply assume the answer, rather than to ask questions

a reply to: jimmyx

Karl Marx said given its head Capitalism will eventually implode and revert to feudalism I tend to agree

a reply to: seagull

From west coast to Appalachia.

Just wondering if those you met in Appalachia were the most interesting?

a reply to: seagull

I try to do that, as best I can, being only one voice. But there are 300 plus million voices, it's time to use them.

The problem is getting the right person to listen to those voices and actually do something with them.

I sometimes feel it would be easier to get an alien race that lives in another galaxy to listen to what we say than it is to get most people in charge to listen.

a reply to: Ghost147

I agree and I would ask for understanding were I not a part of the question.

Blessings.

a reply to: tsurfer2000h

Oh, they were in the running.

But frankly, it was the folks in New Mexico. Totally insular, until they get to know you a bit, then look out, you're adopted. The small, tiny towns that take ten seconds to drive through.

You want to see the real America? Stay off the Interstates.

Music? Appalachia left me with a deep and abiding love of bluegrass, and related spirituals. I play several of those musical instruments, but mine don't make the same sort of sounds....

a reply to: Ghost147

MEMEs at their worst and you can only respond to what you know or think you know.

I love my country because there people out there just like me. They have bad days, they laugh at stupid stuff, they cry, they feel all alone,they want to help others, they can be assholes just like me because nothing is going right.( i get it) I know what its like to have a girlfriend cheat on ya...I know what its like to cheat on a girlfriend and carry shame. We are all very much a like. When I look for similarities I find similarities. Feels better to look for similarities.


I felt bad for Vice President Biden and his family losing his son and pray he and his family find comfort knowing his son is safe. He is a human being not a politician in this light. Yes even though those in power pass draconian laws. THAT is what my definition of love for my country is...you and you and you...pacifist, radical,black brown, white, kind,intimidating, happy,sad, angry frustrated, scared, obnoxious, homosexual, homophobic, controlling, timid, self righteous etc

You are me and I am you. Period.

a reply to: tsurfer2000h

There only needs to be that one, pure, truthful voice that calls out for solidarity to those 300 plus million voices who are waiting to hear the call. We are waiting to return.

a reply to: tsurfer2000h

That's our job. Finding the right people. They're out there. They may not know it, but they're there. With the right prodding? A gently nudge? A slap upside the head? All it'll take is the right combination of events.

a reply to: seagull

O he will come as American as apple pie wrapped in the flag singing the Star spangled banner and quoting scripture...THE ANTICHRIST

a reply to: Ultralight

I'm not sure where I represented a misunderstanding during or after the question? I tried my best to clarify that I didn't believe America was the sum of all evil in the world, or that other countries had no issues, or that all Americans are intrinsically equal in mentality. Tsurfer2000h had answered the question in my OP and I accepted his answer. Is there a specific point in any of my posts that you feel I was being unruly with my question?

a reply to: Ghost147

To a very real degree, yes.

But it's more a love, or should be IMHO, of what it should be, can be, and is. A govt. can be, as someone said earlier, off the tracks. That's where the unconditional love comes in.

You don't throw out the child when he is wrong? You admonish/discipline the child so he won't do it again, and will know why, most importantly, it's not something he wants to do again. Consequences.

To continue my analogy, there's more right with the child, then there is wrong.

As a people? We're among the best.

As a locale? It doesn't get better.

Govt? Well, that's a work in progress, I guess. It could use a spanking administered by a loving, yet stern, parent. Then sent out to learn more lessons...

a reply to: seagull

You want to see the real America? Stay off the Interstates.

That's a lesson I learned when I first moved to GA. in 1990, the things I have seen and learned is amazing. In fact I lived in a town so small the only police officer we had played Nintendo more than he patrolled what little streets we had.

I compared him to Barney Fife...the only difference is Barney carried more bullets in his gun than what that officer had in his.

a reply to: Ghost147

You can't generalize an entire country worth of people..."(generally speaking of course)"

a reply to: Ghost147

It really quite simple.
THE UNITED STATES Government is NOT a reflection of the American people and we say so all the time...mystery solved.

United we stand, divided we fall. We understand that and that is what you see. Good bad and ugly.

originally posted by: cavtrooper7
a reply to: Ghost147

It really quite simple.
THE UNITED STATES Government is NOT a reflection of the American people and we say so all the time...mystery solved.

I remember when we were getting yelled at as Americans cause all we care about are American problems and all this..
And is it any wonder on a website mainly US based, that almost all the conspiracy theories we are exploring and facts.. That those conspirators are the AMERICAN GOVERNMENT..

But I'll defend America if you say something bad too.. It's just too much focus haha.

America's done a lot worse than the things you mentioned in the OP. And I complain, protest, and boycott many other things here. But make no mistake, I still love my country. I love the rights our Constitution is supposed to give us, and I love the fact that we can update our laws as time passes. I love my family that's spread across at least a dozen states. And I love hanging out at our beaches & national parks (and our different music scenes, and our availability of products & "exotic" fruit, and our incredibly diverse yet smoking hot women, and...).

As for the stereotypical "flag waving" stuff, meh. There's more than 320 MILLION people here. You'll find Americans that seem to worship the flag & Americans that burn the flag in protest. It's no big deal. Not to sound rude, but if you only focus on one demographic of Americans, that's your problem. Because most Americans don't resemble that in the slightest.

That would be like me asking how can any Canadian be proud of Canada when your government has abused the First Nations, stolen their land, and are now causing possibly irreversible ecological damage with the tar sands? Most Canadian citizens aren't involved in that stuff so why should they be blamed for it?