Are you proud to be an american? Why?

Question

If yes, please explain. What do you have to be proud of? Are you proud of the fact that you were born here and somehow managed not to leave? Isn't it kinda vain to be proud of something you had no responsibility for, like where you were born?

Science wrote
"You are not asking a question; you are making a political statement disguised as a question. That is not what YahooAnswers is for. Reported."

Oh really? What "political statement" did I make? None! Did I say you shouldn't be proud to be an American? No. I said if you are proud to be an American simply because you were born here, that's kind of vain, and I presented people with an opportunity (that is, I asked for people) to express the reason(s) they are proud of being American. You, of course, being a troll, did not answer the question, or even attempt to.

Cy wrote:
"If you won the lottery, it may not have been by your doing, it's just a game of chance (like where you're born) but you are surrrrreeely going to be proud of it!"

No, I wouldn't be proud of it. I don't understand people who would be proud of something they had no responsibility for. I might feel happy, elated, or extremely fortunate to have won the lottery, but I certainly would not feel "proud to be a lottery winner" because I didn't have any control over that. Now if I graduate from college and get a good job, I might feel proud of the effort and achievement I made, since I am responsible for that!

You guys can criticise me for not agreeing with you about America being the capitalist democratic utopia you seem to think it is, but the petty attacks from those who don't agree just shows how petty those people are.

Leblanc made some amazingly good points. I'm sorry I can't choose more than one person as best answerer.

Answer 1

In this day and age, there's a fine line btwn being "Proud to be an American" and being nationalistic. Especially since politics has blown patriotism way out proportion in recent years.

It's instilled in us at a young age to 'love' America; by doing things like reciting the pledge of alligence, by being exposed to alot of american symbols, by being taught to support democratic rules and values, and to respect government. This conditions impressionable children to 'pledge' or love something they don't even understand yet. [Personal opinion: No 6 yr old, 11 yr old, or 15 yr old should be required to pledge to anything. They're kids for crying out loud] These things inspire support of American and it's rightiousness in children. The role of parents and your geographics play a big role in this too, naturally. Usually if you have parents or surroundings that arn't in love w/ America, you won't end up w/ a kid who's effected by what the school promotes later on down the road. So, if you have parents that are 'proud' Americans, your in a region surrounded by 'proud' Americans, and your cultured at a young age to be a 'proud' American....That's probably gonna get you a proud American for life. The effects of what you are being taught in school will encourage this twofold. You are taught to be Proud.
[Sidenote: This tends not to change much until college...If they even go to college. At this point, the schools stops supporting the governments cause of instilling a love of America, they support learning about it...Good and Bad. The social demographics change, too; your not around mommy and daddy anymore, and your exposed to different ways of thinking. Oh, and an education helps.]

Reguardless, now that being 'proud to be an american' is used in politics alot, all the effects of American values are doubled...Especially in ppl that enjoy raising the fist for a cause or a purpose...In this case, America. What started as method to try and instill patriotism into an evolving country back in history is now nationalism in a country that needs a population that can think for itself. The effects of school, parenting, demographics, now all reinforce whats being spoonfed to us through political figures. [This wasn't the original intention, obviously] Politics influences the parents/teachers..... Throw in alil bit of emotional drama, make ppl feel like they're standing for something important, then you'll certainly have a Proud American. You'll get a follower for life.....As you can see based off some of these answers [look at all the ppl offended by this question!]........ And it all starts w/ school and parents.

I'm not proud of being an American. I'm glad I live in this country, but I have no emotional connection to it. I'm very lucky to have all the oppertunities a 1st world country can give me....But this country doesn't give me an identity or a greater sense of who I am. Living in the US is not a personal accomplishment. I don't have any sense of dramatic/emotional pride of being where I am from. I'm me, not a promoter of anyones flag. I have beliefs that are considered very American, I have been cultured to respect certain things more than others, I also have certain values which are typically considered American, but....That doesn't mean I'm emotionally invested in where I'm from. Technically, not being a 'proud' American makes me just as good an American.

Answer 2

We are taught to be proud of the place of our birth. Why be ashamed of it? People criticize America all day long, but that doesn't change the fact that it's the most powerful country in the world, and I'm thankful that I was born here. If you won the lottery, it may not have been by your doing, it's just a game of chance (like where you're born) but you are surrrrreeely going to be proud of it! If it's a good thing, you're going to be proud. It's the land of the free, home of the brave.

I don't agree with Bush's decisions, but that doesn't mean that I'm not proud of all the soldiers who sacrifice their lives so willingly for our country and others! I'm proud that no one's starving in our country. Shoot, we're supposedly all fat!! Where else can you live and be homeless and penniless and still get help if you try? There's a lot of good points to America. Why is it everyone focuses on the bad?

Answer 3

I am not American, and if I were offered an American passport today, I'd happily refuse. The USA are ok in many ways it seems, but it is not paradise.
What I do not like is the fact that so many Americans seem to believe that the world would be a better place if all countries were re-shaped to be like America. The American way of life does not appeal to everyone, nor should Americans believe so.
But by all means, enjoy your life in the USA!

Answer 4

"proud" is not the word I would use...I'm happy to be an American and living in a country that gives me (relatively) more freedoms than any other country. Although I'm ashamed of some of the things that other Americans have said/done, I'm still happy that I am a part of this society (as opposed to some 3rd world country)

Answer 5

You are not asking a question; you are making a political statement disguised as a question. That is not what YahooAnswers is for. Reported.


update:

Your angry reaction to me for exposing your tactic and trying to persuade you to follow the rules demonstrates a complete lack of good faith on your part. Your tactic of falsely portraying rhetorical questions as real questions is hackneyed and transparent. By libelling ME, the epitome of an honest user, as a troll, and as 'not answering the question' when you have presented no real question, you have proven beyond a doubt that you are merely a troll that enjoys disrupting YahooAnswers. Reported again.

However, this quote of yours:
"You guys can criticise me for not agreeing with you about America being the capitalist democratic utopia you seem to think it is"
is basicly an admission that you are just making a political statement.

"but the petty attacks from those who don't agree just shows how petty those people are."
-Is that meant to be directed at me? Politically, you and I are in agreement, that the United States is bad and that a person should not be proud of where they were born, but that is of no relevance. What bothers me is that you used the deceptive tactic of disguising a political statement as a question, thus abusing YahooAnswers and disrupting honest discourse. Such deception, and more so your subsequent libellous false portrayal of myself, is evil no matter what political statement it is on behalf of; it is an act far more evil than the worst United States nationalism, and can therefore only be used by a person that opposes the United States for the wrong reasons (because it is not evil ENOUGH).

Answer 6

Like yourself I find it hard to see why one would be proud of something that is a matter of happenstance. It seems shallow and lazy to be proud of something like birthplace or lineage. Vanity is one of the 7 deadly sins.

Mental Laziness seems to be part of the majority of Human culture on Earth. It becomes more obvious when a segment of that culture claims to be the most advanced, moral, liberated, ethical, democratic, or just. The Roman Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Napoleonic Empire, Egyptian dynasties, and Chinese Dynasties are examples of this.

It does not take much to gain or surrender ones aligience to anything. Consider the aligience that one may have for a High School or College where only a portion of 4 years of his life encounters are reckoned. Consider the aligience to a professional team, where the members of that team are likely to be traded or sold. The team is not the same team with the same players as it was in a bygone era. Pride and aligience are elusive and illusions.

For some years, there have been debates about the flag of the Confederate States of America being displayed at public buildings and ceromonies. The CSA existed from 1861-1865. As an established country at war with the USA, with a brief history of about 4 years, it really had no time to do much harm in the way of policies or laws. The flag of the CSA has bad connotations that associate it with slavery,racism, and the genocide related to slavery.

The USA somehow escapes this stigmatism. When one considers that John Brown was executed by the USA, the "Dread Scott Decision," was handed down by the Supreme Court of the USA, all of the original 13 states were "legally" slave states at the signing of the Declaration of Independence; the genocide upon the Native Americans designed to usurp their land even though the report of the Lewis and Clark expedition said that the people were non-hostile; the setting of USA soldiers on WW1 veterans resulting in the "Dough Boy Riots", the deployment of a nuclear weapon on a 95% Christian civilain population in Japan, lynchings, buying stolen property ( Louisiana Purchase) at 3 1/2 cents an acre, turned away Jews on a ship, seeking asylum during WW2, fire bombing a compound with women and children present in Texas, and lies compounded by lies, compounded by... etc. Makes one PROUD

The pledge of Aligience is less than 60 years old. Most people who pledge alligience to the flag do not read the Declaration of Independence or the US Constitution. Now that is a special kind of PROUD.

Soldiers swear to uphold and defend a constituiton that they do not read or understand. The experts of Constitutional law that understand and should therefore love it enough to fight for it, do not volunteer for military service. Proud as punch.

I have worked in USA companies where the people who earned the least were proud of the company, dedicated to the company, cared for the company. The same company that would realize an increased profit because of overseas trade and not pass the savings to the citizens of the country of its citizenship nor its employees. Very PROUD indeed. PROUDER when one considers the layoffs, pension and healthcare reductions, and resulting evictions, divorces, and despair.

It is hard enough to be soley proud for ones efforts and accomplishments because so many other factors, especially people and the Almighty are contibutors to the success. Even
what we interpret as bad experiences contribute to our accomplishments.

If I were the kind of individual to be proud of a country, it would not be one that continues the protects the opulent minority against an angry majority. It would not be one that makes subtle attempts at supressing Liberty & Independence born of FreeThinking, while selling a bill of goods to the contrary.

***The notion that one is locked into a position due to ones upbringing, environment, or schooling, is erroneous. We have the capacity to think for ourselves. We have the ability to modify our own behaviour. We choose to embrace what we choose to embrace. At some point in our maturity we choose to filter the influences, experiences, encounters, and dogma by analysis, discernment, and dogma, to realize our best selves.

Answer 7

Once again, cool guy has managed to demonstrate the fallacy of his name.

When born into a particular culture or social or political environment, it is inevitable that your way of thinking, your consciousness will be determined largely by the ideas, the ethos of that culture of that environment.

In as much as America is not just a geographic situation but a political, moral, social identity, that represents an expression of concern for human equality and political non-oppression, it is also inevitable that those people born into this culture, will receive a sense of the value of that same ethos, and feel themselves as guardians and shareholders in that valuable spirit of human liberty.

A russian can immigrate to America, or a Mexican, or whoever, and seek out that same spirit of freedom and self determination, and thereby become an American and be proud to be an American.

Most people born into America attest to some kind of love of liberty, and feel that they in their ideas and political voice represent the determination to preserve that same liberty.

Once again, my friend, in the superficiality of your understanding, of even a simple defintion of identity, you have uttered a statement for the utterance of which you were not qualified.

Answer 8

I am not American, I am Welsh. I am proud to have been born in Wales and to be Welsh. Why? my country's rich heritage, beautiful countryside, rugby, the quirky people, our famous fellow Welsh, our skill at rhetoric, our dourness, and our language. I don't see it as vain to be proud of my birthplace am not xenophobic. I couldn't understand why this question had been reported so chipped in.

Answer 9

um not an american to start with .. but... if i were an american i wouldnt have ben that pround.. coz with a government like that wantin 2 just rule the world on the expense of other countries & children & ladies, youth & men then its a cheap country with now value of the living... besides we hear in america there is alotta discrimination & thats wht i hate most !!!! ... think again & dont watch the CNN they just show that u r the ppl in danger ... c other news channels .. find out wht america had done 2 the world... then tell me ... r U urself proud of being one ??

Answer 10

Yes I'm very proud to be an american but I'm not very proud about the choices we make in leadership.