i'm proudly british because.......?
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I don't understand when these threads come up we quickly descend into "I'm proud to be British/English because we won the war" - has nothing happened in the intervening 69 years to make you feel proud to be from our country ?
I'm proud of the country that we are, I'm proud that we're a country (despite what some might think) that is growing again and faster than most other Western economies. I'm proud that we have a bright future to complement our great history - that fills me with more pride than a war that was fought generations ago although I have nothing but respect for those that fought in that war and the countless others to ensure that this country has the great present and exciting future that it does, but I have more in common with a German in 2014 than I would with a Brit in 1945.0 -
Music - a universal language, of which the British have massively contributed to over the last 60-70 years considering the small size of our island.
The British have a great sense of humor.
People talk about how they don't enjoy being British when they see people drunk on holiday, being loud etc. Yet when I have American friends stay over, they're blown away by how much young English people enjoy themselves at a weekend, they absolutely love it.1 -
Because our small island and it's people have been at the forefront of mankind's achievement and development of civilisation for five hundred years. Of course there's plenty we have not done right but the important thing is we have learnt from those and continued to play a role far bigger and more influential role than our numbers or land-mass might warrant. In spite of all the negatives that court global power and influence, truth, righteousness and basic human decency have won through with the British time and again I think we are also witnessing a form of cleansing and enlightenment at the moment which we will come to recognise as a significant period in our history as those values win through once again. By that I mean the challenging and correction of the worst forms of establishment behaviour - politicians, the press, the police and the powerful celebrity. All this is happening because of our basic freedom and right to justice which we have nurtured, evolved and shared with the world literally for centuries and which no-one has ultimately been able to deny. Believe it or not, that is what we are recognised and envied for all around the world.
Sure we haven't done everything or done it alone, but we have been world leaders and even though the rest of the world now plays a much larger part, we still punch above our weight. That comes from the uniqueness of our history, the achievement of brilliant and inspired individuals who have been able to flourish in our midst and the way we behave as a people. That includes all of our differences across what remains of our class structure and our local, regional and national differences. Our people have lead in every field our human achievement and we should acknowledge that more than we do and occasionally be proud of it. Music and cultural evolution is just one of a long list which we should all recognise. It's not because we are better as people than anyone else but because we have been able to support and encourage it as a nation.
It's for those reason I shudder when I think Scottish nationalists could embarrass me by playing the pivotal role in breaking that up merely because they selfishly and mistakenly believe they might be better off apart from the rest of us.
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Brilliant articulation of how I feel about my countryCardinal Sin said:Because our small island and it's people have been at the forefront of mankind's achievement and development of civilisation for five hundred years. Of course there's plenty we have not done right but the important thing is we have learnt from those and continued to play a role far bigger and more influential role than our numbers or land-mass might warrant. In spite of all the negatives that court global power and influence, truth, righteousness and basic human decency have won through with the British time and again I think we are also witnessing a form of cleansing and enlightenment at the moment which we will come to recognise as a significant period in our history as those values win through once again. By that I mean the challenging and correction of the worst forms of establishment behaviour - politicians, the press, the police and the powerful celebrity. All this is happening because of our basic freedom and right to justice which we have nurtured, evolved and shared with the world literally for centuries and which no-one has ultimately been able to deny. Believe it or not, that is what we are recognised and envied for all around the world.
Sure we haven't done everything or done it alone, but we have been world leaders and even though the rest of the world now plays a much larger part, we still punch above our weight. That comes from the uniqueness of our history, the achievement of brilliant and inspired individuals who have been able to flourish in our midst and the way we behave as a people. That includes all of our differences across what remains of our class structure and our local, regional and national differences. Our people have lead in every field our human achievement and we should acknowledge that more than we do and occasionally be proud of it. Music and cultural evolution is just one of a long list which we should all recognise. It's not because we are better as people than anyone else but because we have been able to support and encourage it as a nation.2 -
The only thing I am proud of is my family. I also have immense respect for a number of other people.
I'm glad I live in Britain because I happen to share most of what people would see as British traits - sense of fair play, tolerance, social responsibility, standing up for the weak and a sense of justice. I also love the climate and the way of life.
So I'm proud of people and their individual values and enjoy my environment - but I cannot see any logic in using the word 'proud' to describe a rock in the north Atlantic that by an accident of birth just happens to be where I was born.0 -
There's plenty of corruption in Britain. It's just not as obvious as in countries where low level bribery is commonly, because it doesn't benefit people you or I come into contact with every day. For a good example of corruption, have a look at the planning system that operates here. Corrupt to the core.
Can't say I'm 'proud' or 'ashamed' to be British, per se. The concept of nationhood has been eroded over the past few decades. One of the better things about globalisation is that it helps disavow people of the notion that one should be 'proud' of the bit of dirt they were born on, and that it's somehow superior to other bits of dirt.
Along with religion and money, misplaced sense of pride has been responsible for starting countless conflicts across the world throughout history.
All that being said, I'm proud of the countless scientific and engineering achievements the British have made. Proud of the pivotal role played in ridding the world of the naziism. Proud of our contribution to music and the arts. Mostly, proud to live in a country where - a few f*ckwits aside - we are tolerant of other cultures and peoples.1 -
Spot on cardinal. Now lets hope sense prevails in scotland as i fear a yes vote could damage scotland very badly as there are too many unkwowns to this situation.stronger together.0
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well said the Cardinal.
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we invented jungle1
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I know one thing for sure, I don't think there can be anyone who doesn't watch the world news and not be 'thankful' to be British....4
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Mary Nighingale -------i think of lots of things0
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Because we queue!3
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I love that we are such a multicultural country and always have been. From Celts, Romans, Syrians on Hadrians wall, Irish, Scots, Welsh, Vikings, Saxons, Normans, Hugenots, European Jews escaping repression, and lots of people because of our colonial past, and now east Europeans. There are others too.
Our language has been transformed and enriched by words from everywhere, and our food, our culture and aspects of our way of life have also been enriched.
I feel proud to live in a country that has welcomed the incomer.4 -
Yes indeed, egg on face time, however that does make his comment more understandable I guess.AFKABartram said:
Lol Greenie, of all the hundreds on here you could have that with you chose the bloke who served in the Falklands :-)Greenie said:
Would you have been proud enough to have fought and died for your fellow Brits and country in any of the 2 world wars?tangoflash said:I know I'm probably in a minority here, but I find it hard to be proud of something I had no say in. I didn't choose where I would be born. For me, something to be proud of is either something I chose or achieved.........................
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I'm proud that England is likely to dispense with the burden of Scotland soon.2
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As a second generation immigrant. A tolerant welcoming society which whilst not being any where near perfect compares favourably with leading comparable nations such as USA France and Germany.1
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I feel that being british is basically Alan Curbishleys Charlton.
We always moan about the things we dont have...but we know it could be alot worse.2 -
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It's beautiful coastline and landscape1
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We are blooming lucky to live here.1
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I always moan or it feels like more of a recent habit of mine.
The bigger picture of how lucky we are is extraordinary. It's just what you make of it. Unless suffered with mental or physical trauma, being a miserable old bag is never a good thing. Much better to just appriciate what you have and make the most of it. Life can a frustrating c**t at times, but...
Imagine, living in India, being forced to work, 19hours a day in factory.0 -
I'm only British when Andy Murray wins.2
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Despite not having a say in it and the government wanting Scotland to stay.....smudge7946 said:I'm proud that England is likely to dispense with the burden of Scotland soon.
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I met a man this afternoon who was 87 years old. He was out shopping despite only recently having had a heart transplant. I feel proud to come from a country that has the compassion, the technological know-how and the resources to perform such a difficult operation to save an old man. I also felt very humble at this man's positive attitude and obvious joy of life. If anyone was worth that heart op, he was!2
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enjoying the newish band, jungle, too, who have been ripping up recent festival tents...mrbligh said:we invented jungle
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I completely agree.tangoflash said:I know I'm probably in a minority here, but I find it hard to be proud of something I had no say in. I didn't choose where I would be born. For me, something to be proud of is either something I chose or achieved.........................
I can't be proud of something I have had no choice in.
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there is a great vivien goldman doc detailing the sequence of how punk emerged, and the crucial (was it the u.s. or uk) point was that yes, they had the velvets, stooges, ny dolls, modern lovers etc. first, but our version blew out of the bedrooms and off the streets & was immersed in a deep need to express frustration at that particular time in the heath to thatcher years...and key difference, our punk spat loads more ATTITUDE!church-lane said:Oh! and we invented Punk despite what the Yanks might think.
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Don't really understand the British or English thing, as I don't really know how to define either when asked by foreigners. Apart from I like a fry-up for breakfast and tea at any time of the day! Incidentally i'm in Sweden right now and most people i've spoken to, even those into sport, Premier League etc, have never heard of the Commonwelath Games. No coverage on TV here.0
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most people i encounter over here have never heard of britain, only england. i then explain...and despite the some of the shaky history, i enjoy claiming british cultural heritage/origin, as part of my overall and changing identity.0
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british contributions to sport? footbal/"sahhhhker"l, netball/basketball, rugby/american handball, cricket/baseball, hampton court tennis/tennis etc etc., although i am sure euro HIStory has buried earlier versions of many of these sports actually coming out of africa...0
