Are you proud to be British?

Raymond Lin said:
Just saw an English girl litter, when I pointed out to her she shakes her head...how rude.

(I'm in Japan)
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Probably thinks it's completely normal. The streets are covered in litter here :/

Bugs the ever-living crap out of me. A tiny handful of us try to clean it up once in a while, but a couple weeks later it's **** city again.

I just think it's become completely normal to throw your crap on the floor in this country.
 
Whenever my Dad used to see kids drop litter he would pick it up and hand it back to them and just calmly say " here you go mate you dropped this". Their faces in front of their friends was priceless.
 
I'm proud of our creative history and love the art and music that the British have brought to the world. I'm allowed to feel proud of whatever I like ;)

Being drunk and making a nuisance of yourself, that's not a uniquely British thing these days. I have first hand experience of it. :(
 
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Marmot said:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-44142843

Article on BBC news today. Fairly predictable I would say but none the less interesting, specifically about London.
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Identity is much less linked to nationalism and birth these days. I'm 32 and not nationalistic in the slightest. I sometimes take pride in the Country in which i live but i wouldnt consider myself proud to be British, not least because I exist in a much more globalised setting than generations who lived before me.

Things that instil pride in me are much more likely to come as part of a global community, im inspired by collaboration between nations more than by acts that are acheieved in isolation because i feel like its that kind of work that fosters understanding. I take more pride in the work this Country does as part of a larger whole than i do anything else.

The rise in nationalism and isolationist tendencies recently makes me feel quite sad to be honest. I can't think of a way that those attitudes are likely to lead to either a stronger Country or a better continental/ global community.
 
spoffle said:
No, I'm not proud of anything I happened upon accidentally. I feel fortunate to have been born in a relatively wealthy and stable country, however.

Being proud though has never made any sense to me. Be proud of your achievements, not of things you have no say in.
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This is kind of how I view it, I'm happy that I was born here, and live here, but anything that this country's given me, I've paid in for over the years to successive Governments, I've never taken one thin dime that I wasn't entitled to.
I'm too old to get the call now, but if the country needed defending, I'd semi reluctantly shoulder a gun, and do what I could, but I feel no allegiance to Britain, its National Anthem depresses me, it's a dirge.
However, I am of French descent, I know at least four verses of La Marseillaise by heart, and when I'm there on July 14th, or May 8th, and the soldiers march, and the bands play, within minutes I'm watching through blurry eyes.
If M. Macron, and La République really needed me, I'd cross La Manche on a wooden raft to get there and do my bit.
 
Had a conversation about this at work last week.

I said I wasn't proud to be British. But felt lucky that I was born in England.

I didnt contribute to any of the bad or good things carried out in the name of England. And its by pure chance I'm British.

So therfore I'm not proud.
Pride for me is something I have done/contributed to. I (myself) cannot be proud of what others have done.

I don't support Britain in sports. More the person I like the best (for whatever reason).

But I dont really believe that arbitrary geographical boundaries are that meaningful I suppose. So a lot of this stuff is lost on me.

Most Of others found my views odd, but couldn't argue against them. In the end it came down to.. But how can you not be? Rather than actually debating my premise.
They kept saying.. How can you not care?.. But I said.. You said pride. Pride and care are very different.
Again... It seems like a lot of people thought I didnt 'care' about stuff when I was actually saying I'm not Proud.
Ive nnoticed this a lot. Mixing the meaning of words. When I say pride. I mean pride. Not another word.
I think many people mix pride and care in certain circumstances. Yes they do cross. But for me they are very different
 
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Bassmansam said:
Why do so many people suppoet England in thw world cup then?
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Beats me. I only ever watch football when the finals are on and then I tend to watch as many matches as I can. I could not care less whether England or any other country wins it. I enjoy the spectacle, like the Olympics or other big sporting events. Restricting myself to a few weeks of footy every 2 years keeps it fresh and removes any need to engage in endless football talk tedium down the boozer.
 
413x said:
Had a conversation about this at work last week.

I said I wasn't proud to be British. But felt lucky that I was born in England.

I didnt contribute to any of the bad or good things carried out in the name of England. And its by pure chance I'm British.

So therfore I'm not proud.
Pride for me is something I have done/contributed to. I (myself) cannot be proud of what others have done.

I don't support Britain in sports. More the person I like the best (for whatever reason).

But I dont really believe that arbitrary geographical boundaries are that meaningful I suppose. So a lot of this stuff is lost on me.
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Yep, that's exactly how I look at it. I'm lucky to be born in a relatively wealthy country. I'm instantly better off than most people born in North Korea or The Congo.

Bassmansam said:
Why do so many people suppoet England in thw world cup then?
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No idea.

Me sitting in a pub watching TV 'showing support' has no bearing on the players performance, so how can I feel proud about them winning? I'd be proud if it was my son in the team, because I've had a significant impact on his life, but that's about as far as my pride would go.

Same with Olympics. Some random person I've never met winning a gold medal is a great personal achievement for them, but nothing for me to feel proud of as it's not my achievement.
 
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Skunkworks said:
It’s perfectly natural to feel proud of your team’s achievements. You can define team however you want.
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I did feel differently when I was younger. Supported, if that is the right word, England during the main events in '82 '86 '90 '96. Sometime after that, priorities, thinking changed, evolved, matured; however, you wish to phrase it. I think as I have travelled more and seen the world; I would consider myself, and any allegiances that I may hold, more than simply based upon the geographical spot I happened to be born on.
 
There is nothing wrong with pride of attribute or group identity. As long as you also recognise individual identity, it’s perfectly healthy.

By being British, you belong to a group in which members have often achieved great things. You’re allowed to be proud of them. Not only that, it's beneficial for you to encourage such achievements through pride. By admitting pride of belonging to a group, you are not taking credit... you are displaying recognition for those who helped make your life what it is today. The historical and present actions of fellow Brits impacts your life as much as anything you do yourself.

Equally, it’s healthy to be ashamed of actions your group has committed both presently and historically.
 
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