Prejudice Agaist Other Countries?

[JWRosser]

This stemmed from two things - I saw the topic on anti-Semitism, and also, a friend of mine was just telling me how he was on Omegle and gets a surprising amount of people disconnecting or insulting him when he says he is British.

To be honest, I have never understood prejudice against an entire nation. It just makes no sense. I have a friend in Lithuania who says she hates ALL Polish people for one reason or another.

My point is, I find it very immature when someone claims they hate an entire nation, especially when attempting to justify it with one specific event or even person ("I hate America because of George W. Bush", "I hate Polish people because there are loads of them", "I hate the French because the are French".)

There has always been racism, but it seems that recently (excluding post-war time) xenophobia has sky-rocketed.
I ask, pourquoi ?

 

[lacktheknack]

Because it results in many lulz on the interwebz.

I doubt that more than a fraction of people who appear to hate other countries actually do.

 

[Blueruler182]

I hate the french Canadians, but that just because they're ruining western Canada's image.

I kid, of course. I've honestly found patriotism and national pride to be incredibly weird. I mean, if you did something to make the country the way it is, I can see the pride, but there are so many people who just sit on their ass and are so proud of their country that it's really really sad. And as far as patriotism goes, I can see wanting to defend your loved ones and your way of life, but so many people do it just because it's what's expected of them.

I'm Canadian, so I may be missing the point so far as patriotism and national pride goes, but it just seems... odd. Not that I'd want anyone else to take control of Canada, but I've got no reason to be proud of something I'm only connected to because my parents got friendly on it. I could probably say the same about a bed or a car. Now I'm going to scrub the mental image out of my mind with some Avatar, excuse me.

 

[Zykon TheLich]

I hate to break it to you but it's always been like this, it's just that more international communication via the internet means more chance to insult foreigners.

 

[JWRosser]

I hate to break it to you but it's always been like this, it's just that more international communication via the internet means more chance to insult foreigners.

Yeah I guess.
Said friend just sent me the conversation. It's actually quite funny.

You: Hi
Stranger: Hey
Stranger: from?
You: England. you?
Stranger: brazil
Stranger: i hate england. it has a monarchy and im anarchyst
You: lol ok. though I do admit the monarchy is a bit redundent
Stranger: DIE YOUR COMMUNIST BASTARD!!!!!

Then he disconnected. I find the fact he called him a Communist quite amusing...
I mean, maybe he was serious. Maybe he thought he was being hilarious on the interwebz...who knows...

 

[Hybridwolf]

There has always been Prejudice, and there will always be prejudice until a perfect socalist society is made, because as so long as we have a need for people to do the lowest form of work, and so long as we have countrys with differing views on everything (religon, Industy, Nuclear power etc), there will be conflict of opinions. If you put two men in a room and told them to get along perfectly together, it'll be more or less impossible along as they have free will to belive in what they want, simply because they will find one thing to argue about.

 

[Lisolet]

It's easier to hate a group than an individual as it's less personal and generally takes less work. We've also reached a point where we don't like someone who has a different opinion as ourselves. I'm not sure if that's a lack of respect or tolerance or fear of being in a minority, but that annoys the hell out of me.

 

[Harkonnen64]

To quote Austin Power's fathzha,

"There are two kinds of people I hate: people who discriminate against others based on their nationality, and the Dutch."

 

[Nickolai77]

I think that, on the internet at least, it brings people from different nationalities together whom would not otherwise meet, so we are made to be more concious that we are interacting with people from different nations. Further more, i think national identity is quite important on the internet, because of the global nature of the internet, a national identity will be universally recognised by all.

My identity of being, say, a member of the O'Dowd clan or being an Iron Maiden fan are only relivent in certain situations, but, like ones name and age, nationality is always relivent. Because nationality is important on the internet, we're more aware of it, and i think that is the trigger for certain people's xenophobia on the internet- the internet, due to it's global nature, could bring out a persons xenophobia.

Now, i'm British, so i don't face much prejudice, unlike the poor Americans who havn't covered their tracks quite well as we have. Although i should note that a couple of Irish posters and one Indian on this forum don't hold Britain in very high regard. I just remember that i, individually, had nothing to do with anything one may critise Britain about.

 

[Jonluw]

I hate Swedes because I am Norwegian, that's all there is to it.
I hate Danes because their language is unintelligible mumbling and they count in an equally unintelligible way.

Okay, I kid, it's just sort of like sibling rivalry or something. In fact we are pretty close, and are really just teasing eachother.

Edit: These comics sort of explain the relationship. http://humon.deviantart.com/gallery/#Scandinavia-and-the-World

 

[Kajt]

I hate Swedes because I am Norwegian, that's all there is to it.
I hate Danes because their language is unintelligable mumbling and they count in an equally unintelligable way.

Okay, I kid, it's just sort of like sibling rivalry or something. In fact we are pretty close, and are really just teasing eachother.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Criv]

I don't dislike English people though. In fact, the only things I really don't like are aristocrats and the British military itself. I suppose in the end, it's their fault really, the common British citizen didn't have much to do with it.

That's basically it. As an Irishman, mainly it depresses me just trying to explain to Brits why Irish people have such an issue with them.

It's kind of a case of 'look, I know nobody thought it worth their while to explain it to you, but your country systematically eradicated education from mine, bankrupted (or beheaded) nobles/ended the careers of politicians who tried to give us equality or look after us in any way, bribed parliament into removing our right to vote, forced people off land that their family had owned for hundreds of years to plant settlers on it, enforced the destruction of our culture by stripping the land of those who married into Irish families and refusing to honour our equivalent of clan leaders, refused to feed our population so half our population died and are responsible for our current population being 6 million - not 45 million as it should be proportionate to Britain pre-potato 'famine'... speaking of famine, did I mention it wasn't a famine because Ireland produced enough food to feed its population during it but it was exported because your aristocrats preferred money to Irish lives?'

At the end of the day, we know it wasn't really Brit Joe Blogs who was responsible - but it doesn't help the rage that swells when an ignorant (through the fault of their educational system) Brit tells us we're still part of the British Empire or says we had the British pound until we took the euro! They should be taught what their Empire did regardless of whether it made them look good or not.

(On the other hand, there are Brit descendant protestants who get a really rough deal from the more national Irish in the republic - at the end of the day, they're born Irish and I know a few who have done more than their fair share for our country).

As far as nationalism/racism goes, I'm pretty non-national but there's certain landmine subjects that will cause me to froth at the mouth. Some countries just have history. You know?

 

[Zykon TheLich]

Yeah I guess.
Said friend just sent me the conversation. It's actually quite funny.

You: Hi
Stranger: Hey
Stranger: from?
You: England. you?
Stranger: brazil
Stranger: i hate england. it has a monarchy and im anarchyst
You: lol ok. though I do admit the monarchy is a bit redundent
Stranger: DIE YOUR COMMUNIST BASTARD!!!!!

Then he disconnected. I find the fact he called him a Communist quite amusing...
I mean, maybe he was serious. Maybe he thought he was being hilarious on the interwebz...who knows...

I think he was perhaps just a bit mentally disturbed.

 

[Sovvolf]

I don't really have a Country I'm prejudice against. Well maybe China and some Country's in Africa. This isn't against there people, but against those who run the Country.

Snip

I don't think I could dream to understand your pain... Though it seems when dealing with this... the IRA are just as vicious and as uncompromising. Though in this day and age... They seem to be the worst. Given that we've had a cease fire for some time now and for a lot of use... We'd like it to stay that way. Seem that this "New IRA" don't seem to want that and seem to be trying to cause a new war.

Being of Irish decent on both sides of the family(I'm English by 4 generations, though the 4th is sort of dubious, he was a Boxer brought up here in Barnsley but his brother was Irish and so was his father... They moved here to mine coal where my great,great grandfather was born) I have a few relatives who where part of the IRA too, though I am a Brit... So a lot of that side has disowned me and the rest of my family for being born in Britain. Seems such a trivial reason... Would be like disowning a family member because he's French... I mean Britain as had a bad enough vendetta with them in the past.

I do feel, guilty for what has happened to the Irish from the country I was born and raised in and I'm dubious on whether I deserve the hatred of most of the Irish. They seem to have some thing against the English all together... And anyone born there... Despite most of those people having nothing to do with what happened nor agreeing with it. I get this from the Scottish and the Welsh too. I never harmed no body who didn't try to harm me first. I've certainly never armed any Irishmen, Scotsmen or Welshmen nor did I ever attempt genocide on there people.

As for the British military well... I guess it comes down to the individual troop or whoever was in command. I have friends in the military and they really aren't the type who would hurt anyone if they could avoid it.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I don't really have a real prejudice against any country...

Well, I do have a funny take on America but that is just me. I don't hate the U.S.A, I just think they do certain things... well, wrong.

/flameshield

[sub][sub]Just in case[/sub][/sub]

 

[Pariah87]

As an Englishman I have to hate virtually everyone else, except Canada and Australia, it's sort of the law.

Kidding aside, it does seem to be part of our national conciousness to dislike other countries based on past events or stereotypes, although for the most part that comes across as us ridiculing them. The same then gets done to us.

Other countries seem to have real hatreds for others which to me seems quite harsh. This seems more prominant over in Eastern European countries where there seems to be a fair bit of animosity among the regular everyday people. We mock the French, the Italians, the Americans, the Germans and we play with their stereotypes but we don't actively hate them. At work there have been altercations between Poles and other eastern europeans, particularly the Albian which nearly broke into a fight. I'm sure there are deep seated reasons but I don't understand them.

 

[Mr.Mattress]

I am an American, and While I think my country is the best on Earth, I think other countries are good too: Especially the Western Countries.

 

[Sovvolf]

snip

Yeah, like I said, I have no real prejudice to speak of with English people in general, or I suppose even the nation of Britain itself, just the whole concept of a British empire. I am a firm believer of countries remaining within their own historic borders, and hate the concept of empires in general. I don't think it's right that a country should take over another, it's never justified. Sadly, there are still bigots out there who believe that for some reason their country takes precedence over others. I would never want Ireland to invade England or anything like that.

Neither do I... Though I think it's debatable on whether or not it was justifiable. The means and ends were in no way justifiable but the way it shaped the world and people in it?... Maybe, the imperialism gave way to new more advanced technologies and also caused Britain to be a more multi-cultural country... Along with teaching most the world English. While on the other hand... The bombing, the death, the rape and torture of those this country attacked. The state they left them in after they'd finished with the place... Does this justify the technological advancements achieved through doing this along with creating a much more united world?. I mean if it wasn't for Imperialism... I don't even think we'd have an America... Or at least not in the way we know it.

But you're right, the IRA are just as bad. Their motives might be just (War of Independence, and at the start of the Troubles, there was no vote for Catholics essentially. There wasn't much other way to achieve political and social freedom other than violence), but some of the things they've done are just inexcusable (Proxy bombs, for example. Urgh).

No mater how just the campaign or war... it's hard to sympathise or agree with those that took their anger out on innocent civilians to make a point. This goes for both sides of that conflict. Brit and Irishmen a like.

As for those Real IRA and Continuity IRA, they are scum, nothing but. We have a lasting chance at achieving peace, and maybe even a peacefully achieved united Ireland, but those callous fucks and their constant need for violence screws it up. All they are are bored teenagers who want to be like their daddy's. It's pathetic.

I don't even think the "Real IRA" has a clue about the actual purpose of the original IRA. A lot of what the war was over is being done. As said peace as been achieved and Ireland may be on it's way to becoming a united country, peacefully. Yet they just wan't to go back to bombing and killing... For the Lulz with the sounds of it. Which is doing a lot more arm then good... I mean if worst come to the worst... We may have another war on our hands. I don't want that all over again. Their Daddies where at least fighting for some thing, with questionable means and tactics sure. But they had a real cause, these guys don't. Heck I think even some of the original IRA have came out and asked "What are you idiots doing?"... Though I don't quite know if that's true... I heard it on the news a while back so I may be a little sketchy on this.

As for the army thing, I'm sure there's lovely British soldiers out there, as in any profession, but my family's experience has been, as I said, less than pleasant. Apart from the killings previously mentioned, my dads face still has wires in it from when a British soldier broke his jaw by smashing him in the face with his rifle when my dad tried to cross the border for a job in 1987. It gets kind of hard to empathize with them after that. But hey, gotta keep trying.

I apologise for you father. And yes some Soldiers are pricks, heck despite how we Brits are depicted in WW2, from the mouths of most Officers and Generals... We were just as bad with the murder, torture and raping of civilians. I don't think it's soldiers but humans in general, when some get power, they like to abuse it.

That or the Soldier was just following orders. I mean, with that... He's not aloud to question it no matter how morally wrong he feels it is. I think disobeying a direct order gets you court marshalled, a bit of jail time and all your army benefits stripped. That or he could have just been another arse hole.

I'm glad that David Cameron apologized about Bloody Sunday though. It was quite a vindication.

Should have been done a long time ago. I feel an amount of disgust in my own country for let this wait until a prick like Cameron apologises for us.