Poll: Proud to be British

[Zykon TheLich]

Fuck no, because I'm not one.

And England never did anything good, for anybody, ask any American, Scottish, Irish, Chinese, Japanese, African, Arab or Indian people you tried to enslave, also ask any Serbs you left for the Turks and later destroyed their country, several times, or ask Turks you betrayed later, or Russians to whom you did the same. Ask French whose country you occupied for hundereds of years, and later left for Germans to destroy it, or ask German, from who you snatched all colonies from and whose unification you opossed several times, also Italy's.

Everyone hates you and who says they love you do that just because thay can use you at the moment.

Meh, everyones been dicks to everyone else in the past, it's just that Britain was a lot better at it than most.

 

[Woodsey]

I for one am very proud to be British and English, what with our rich history, our impact on the world and living standards/human rights. I know a lot of people at my college (age 16-18) who are definately not proud to be British and plan to move country as soon as they can.

All of which you've had nothing to do with.

OT: I was born here by coincidence, but I am not proud of it - although that doesn't put me at the other end. I'm simply indifferent.

Patriotism is for fools.

Then I'm a fool and proud.

I'm proud to be a Brit, although I'm probably more proud to be English, and the poll results make me warm inside. Aged 19 btw.

I like this country, most of it's people (even the Welsh!) and the way we do things, our history, our countryside, our armed forces, our sense of humour even our shitty food.

Sure there's things I dislike about it for example people who hate on immigrants, the weather, and Piers Morgan. There's certain aspects of Britain that definately need improvement. But no-where in the world is perfect! Rule Brittania and all that!

Like I said to the other guy: all of which you've had nothing to do with (or at the most, a pathetically minuscule amount).

If you'd been born in Mexico, Britain would be exactly the same, only you wouldn't hold deluded pride in a slab of land whose history and culture you've had no part in shaping, and only live in by pure chance.

 

[OtherAlex]

I am not British I am Welsh and it is about time Wales was free from the english oppression and Wales was independant!!!!

CYMRU AM BYTH!!! WALES FOREVER!!!
FE GODWN NI ETO!!! WE SHALL RISE AGAIN !!!

Don't mean to be all English and oppressive here, but the only way you guys are getting full independence, not the semi autonomy you currently enjoy, is with massive economic handouts from Westminster and the English Tax payers.

I lived in Wales for fours years, Aberystwyth mainly, and I have alot of love for the country, but right now, full independence would create more problems than it would benefits.

One day mate.

 

[Wadders]

I for one am very proud to be British and English, what with our rich history, our impact on the world and living standards/human rights. I know a lot of people at my college (age 16-18) who are definately not proud to be British and plan to move country as soon as they can.

All of which you've had nothing to do with.

OT: I was born here by coincidence, but I am not proud of it - although that doesn't put me at the other end. I'm simply indifferent.

Patriotism is for fools.

Then I'm a fool and proud.

I'm proud to be a Brit, although I'm probably more proud to be English, and the poll results make me warm inside. Aged 19 btw.

I like this country, most of it's people (even the Welsh!) and the way we do things, our history, our countryside, our armed forces, our sense of humour even our shitty food.

Sure there's things I dislike about it for example people who hate on immigrants, the weather, and Piers Morgan. There's certain aspects of Britain that definately need improvement. But no-where in the world is perfect! Rule Brittania and all that!

Like I said to the other guy: all of which you've had nothing to do with (or at the most, a pathetically minuscule amount).

If you'd been born in Mexico, Britain would be exactly the same, only you wouldn't hold deluded pride in a slab of land whose history and culture you've had no part in shaping, and only live in by pure chance.

What you say makes absolute sense, of course it shouldnt make a difference where you're born and all that, but for some reason I like our culture and history, and I feel happy when Britain or England achive something good (rare these days I know) even though I've had nothing to do with it. I dont know why, and I'm not saying Britain in the best place in the world, but I like it for what it is, and theres plenty of worse places, so in thta sense I'm glad and proud to be born here.

That probably made little to no sense, I'll use essay related stress as an excuse

I am not British I am Welsh and it is about time Wales was free from the english oppression and Wales was independant!!!!

CYMRU AM BYTH!!! WALES FOREVER!!!
FE GODWN NI ETO!!! WE SHALL RISE AGAIN !!!

Don't mean to be all English and oppressive here, but the only way you guys are getting full independence, not the semi autonomy you currently enjoy, is with massive economic handouts from Westminster and the English Tax payers.

I lived in Wales for fours years, Aberystwyth mainly, and I have alot of love for the country, but right now, full independence would create more problems than it would benefits.

One day mate.

Just noticed you said you spent 4 years in Aber. Without wishing to to sound too stalkerlike, did you go to uni there? 'Cos that's where I'm at Uni now!

I hate those absolute idiots who try hide their racism by calling themselves patriotic.

Yeah, people like the EDL, whose leadership claim they are a non-racist organisation, yet on their demonstrators they show themselves for the bigoted thugs they are. I'm honestly shocked over how many of those sort of people there are around.

Those are the sort of people who really disgrace Britain and England, not the immigrants at whom they direct all their stipid hate

 

[alliedlama]

I'd like to be proud of the idea of "Britain" as some sort of Bastion of Unity and Free speech and all that lark but I don't think I really can. Not as long as I know the terrible things that the British Empire did to various cultures and peoples around the world.
I also can't accept the idea of "Britain" as it is today as it is very anglocentric- Wales andd Scotland are both nations of their own and yet seemed to be pushed to the sidelines to allow the Upper Classes, The BBC and the Politicians in Whitehall to project some sort of perfect anglicised version of Britain upon us. I don't mean to offend any English Escapists its just that the British government being stationed in England and dominated by English members seems not to care for the values held by the other peoples of the island of Britain.

 

[higgs20]

i'm British and i'm pretty proud of it, does that mean i can't acknowledged the atrocities in our past? nooooo but most of the world superpowers have a pretty large pile of skeletons in their closets, oh but i think blaming us for the native American outbreaks of smallpox is a bit harsh, that was almost certainly an accident...probably.

 

[7moreDead_v1legacy]

I am proud to be Welsh...Not British, the whole isle has gone too the dogs.

 

[LightspeedJack]

We are the little country that could. Many innovations in technology and politics have come from our small island. A lot of national pride is being diminished by the awful government we've had for the past decade, constantly making mistake after mistake.

 

[higgs20]

Fuck no, because I'm not one.

And England never did anything good, for anybody, ask any American, Scottish, Irish, Chinese, Japanese, African, Arab or Indian people you tried to enslave, also ask any Serbs you left for the Turks and later destroyed their country, several times, or ask Turks you betrayed later, or Russians to whom you did the same. Ask French whose country you occupied for hundereds of years, and later left for Germans to destroy it, or ask German, from who you snatched all colonies from and whose unification you opossed several times, also Italy's.

Everyone hates you and who says they love you do that just because thay can use you at the moment.

Meh, everyones been dicks to everyone else in the past, it's just that Britain was a lot better at it than most.

haha when i read this the first thing that ran through my head was 'don't hate the player, hate the game' and in fairness lot's of people have had a go at the whole world domination gig in the past, heck we weren't even the best at it, just the best at that time.

 

[Sigmar ov The Hammer]

If you'd been born in Mexico, Britain would be exactly the same, only you wouldn't hold deluded pride in a slab of land whose history and culture you've had no part in shaping, and only live in by pure chance.

It's not be pure chance though.
My father came from here, and his before him, etc etc, and so, like my father, I was born here. My family have been here for centuries.
Therefore, there's no chance I could've been from Mexico, because many generations of my family come from here, Britain!
I also hate the idea that, if you're born in a country you're form there.
How does that work? There's a boy at my school. He's white, his family are from here but yet he insists on saying he's South African, simply because he was born there. What is he, a moron? Just because his ENGLISH mother got impregnated by his ENGLISH father in South Africa and she gave birth to him there doesn't mean you're attached to the culture and history of that nation and it's people.

 

[Woodsey]

If you'd been born in Mexico, Britain would be exactly the same, only you wouldn't hold deluded pride in a slab of land whose history and culture you've had no part in shaping, and only live in by pure chance.

It's not be pure chance though.
My father came from here, and his before him, etc etc, and so, like my father, I was born here. My family have been here for centuries.
Therefore, there's no chance I could've been from Mexico, because many generations of my family come from here, Britain!
I also hate the idea that, if you're born in a country you're form there.
How does that work? There's a boy at my school. He's white, his family are from here but yet he insists on saying he's South African, simply because he was born there. What is he, a moron? Just because his ENGLISH mother got impregnated by his ENGLISH father in South Africa and she gave birth to him there doesn't mean you're attached to the culture and history of that nation and it's people.

It is chance. You have no control over you being born here, and your parents have no control over you being the one who is born.

 

[noble cookie]

I'm half welsh, half english.

The two sides fight often.

 

[Spoonius]

If you'd been born in Mexico, Britain would be exactly the same, only you wouldn't hold deluded pride in a slab of land whose history and culture you've had no part in shaping, and only live in by pure chance.

It's not be pure chance though.
My father came from here, and his before him, etc etc, and so, like my father, I was born here. My family have been here for centuries.
Therefore, there's no chance I could've been from Mexico, because many generations of my family come from here, Britain!
I also hate the idea that, if you're born in a country you're form there.
How does that work? There's a boy at my school. He's white, his family are from here but yet he insists on saying he's South African, simply because he was born there. What is he, a moron? Just because his ENGLISH mother got impregnated by his ENGLISH father in South Africa and she gave birth to him there doesn't mean you're attached to the culture and history of that nation and it's people.

It is chance. You have no control over you being born here, and your parents have no control over you being the one who is born.

That's true.

But are you seriously suggesting that nobody is shaped by their parent nation? That the environment and culture within which we grow up has absolutely no relevance at all to who we are as a person? That we are in no way attached to our home country, and should never attempt to be?

Patriotism is not a bad thing... it's an instinctual sense of belonging, the same drive that held tribes together when humans were no more that cavemen. Sure, it can be fucking annoying, but in no way is it "deluded pride".

 

[[.redacted]]

I'm not proud of the nation, or of what we've done.

But.

I do like the way we are thought to act, with the obscure insults and intelligent conversation.
Oh, and I like tea.

 

[BlackStar42]

Snip

I'm confused :/ British people slaughtered all the native indians? I don't want to come across as an idiot, as I'm far from schooled about these things, but it was my understanding that we went across to form colonies in North Americia (I spell it wrong because I'm 'ard). It was eventually the people from these colonies that performed the horrific acts against the natives, but by then I really don't think they should be considered British. By the way, search 'The Slavery Abolition Act 1833' on google. It might be insightful for you.

Again, look into the trade policies you had with the Confederate States of america at the time and how ready you were to defend your cotton supply obtained from slave labor.

Also, you started the colonies and the process. France didnt take that approach and they had just as much stake in the country. So you started the ball to get it rolling.

NO. First, we didn't start the colonialism craze. That dubious award goes to the Ancient Greeks who colonised Anatolia (Or the Spanish Empire for the first transatlantic colonies). Second, Britain abolished slavery in 1833, and refused to trade with any nation that continued the practice. The CSA existed from 1861 to 1865. Thirdly, yes France bloody well did have a colonial empire.

 

[Woodsey]

If you'd been born in Mexico, Britain would be exactly the same, only you wouldn't hold deluded pride in a slab of land whose history and culture you've had no part in shaping, and only live in by pure chance.

It's not be pure chance though.
My father came from here, and his before him, etc etc, and so, like my father, I was born here. My family have been here for centuries.
Therefore, there's no chance I could've been from Mexico, because many generations of my family come from here, Britain!
I also hate the idea that, if you're born in a country you're form there.
How does that work? There's a boy at my school. He's white, his family are from here but yet he insists on saying he's South African, simply because he was born there. What is he, a moron? Just because his ENGLISH mother got impregnated by his ENGLISH father in South Africa and she gave birth to him there doesn't mean you're attached to the culture and history of that nation and it's people.

It is chance. You have no control over you being born here, and your parents have no control over you being the one who is born.

That's true.

But are you seriously suggesting that nobody is shaped by their parent nation? That the environment and culture within which we grow up has absolutely no relevance at all to who we are as a person? That we are in no way attached to our home country, and should never attempt to be?

Patriotism is not a bad thing... it's an instinctual sense of belonging, the same drive that held tribes together when humans were no more that cavemen.

Not in the slightest.

I have no doubt that my views on, for example, politics have been formed by the government(s) I have grown up with.

What I'm getting at is that we have not contributed to our culture, or our history, or anything else - why should I be proud of anything Britain did, say, 17 years ago? I'm 16, so anything before then is beyond irrelevant to my personal investment, because I didn't have any, and I continue to not have any on the whole.

I can be proud of people for doing things that I think are right, and I can be glad to live in such a country that is - when all's said and done - pretty great.

Of course, you could say that if you're talking about patriotism you're talking about government, but if you look at a stereotypical depiction of an American patriot, they're saluting a flag and an ideal - one that transcends the government, and an ideal that is linked to what they believe America stands for.

Borders shift, governments change, people die, culture moves on, and time passes. How could you possibly feel proud of something that is constantly changing, let alone something you've had only the tiniest hand in, if that?

 

[Killermud]

Depends, if you are talking in a sense of historically or just generally. Historically, Im proud to be British because of what our country managed over the centuries becoming one of the greatest empires in the world at one point, making some amazing technological breakthroughs.

Am I currently proud to be British? No, the country has really gone down-hill, all our politicians seem to be a joke who seem to be really destroying Britain in my opinion. So i'll be leaving as soon as I can.

 

[C117]

I'm not proud to be british... 'cause I'm swedish.

 

[Buizel91]

I would love to know how arguments start on a thread where people should just say "yes I'm proud"/"No I'm not proud" -.- (obviously with maybe a little explanation as to why) I mean really!

Anyways yes i am proud, our Government maybe fucked but mehh, i'll cope, all the stuff they are doing at the moment will hit them in the face eventually.