I’m not American… but I am Scottish/British and I’ve never quite understood the whole being proud of your country thing.
Unless one is a hypocrite it’s always been clear to me that if you’re going to be proud of all the good shit your country has done you’ve also got to be ashamed of all the bad shit.
And with a few centuries of colonialism under the UK’s belt (and before anyone says different, no, Scotland very much partook and benefited from it) I seriously don’t have the emotional fortitude to feel that much shame.
Feeling pride in your culture? In your community? Fine. But in your nation state? A bunch of administrators with delusions of grandeur wrapped in a flag? I’d argue that’s unnatural because nation states in no way played a role in our evolutionary psychology.
Maybe I’d feel different if I was born in a wee inoffensive country somewhere… but I hope not. Nation states are pragmatically necessary but I don’t think we should be getting too invested in them.
I’m an American, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I can imagine being proud of one’s country’s institutions. When a nation actually pulls off democratic republicanism, it’s something to be proud of. When a nation’s institutions protect civil rights and promote egalitarianism, it’s something to be proud of because that takes a lot to set up. Ultimately, a government is something built by a community and shaped by a culture. The people at the top would like to fool you into believing that government is a clash of wills between politicians, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg.
Although our highest offices have been corrupt for a long time (always?), Project 2025 dismantled many of our proudest institutions.
I’m not American… but I am Scottish/British and I’ve never quite understood the whole being proud of your country thing.
Unless one is a hypocrite it’s always been clear to me that if you’re going to be proud of all the good shit your country has done you’ve also got to be ashamed of all the bad shit.
And with a few centuries of colonialism under the UK’s belt (and before anyone says different, no, Scotland very much partook and benefited from it) I seriously don’t have the emotional fortitude to feel that much shame.
Feeling pride in your culture? In your community? Fine. But in your nation state? A bunch of administrators with delusions of grandeur wrapped in a flag? I’d argue that’s unnatural because nation states in no way played a role in our evolutionary psychology.
Maybe I’d feel different if I was born in a wee inoffensive country somewhere… but I hope not. Nation states are pragmatically necessary but I don’t think we should be getting too invested in them.
I’m an American, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I can imagine being proud of one’s country’s institutions. When a nation actually pulls off democratic republicanism, it’s something to be proud of. When a nation’s institutions protect civil rights and promote egalitarianism, it’s something to be proud of because that takes a lot to set up. Ultimately, a government is something built by a community and shaped by a culture. The people at the top would like to fool you into believing that government is a clash of wills between politicians, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg.
Although our highest offices have been corrupt for a long time (always?), Project 2025 dismantled many of our proudest institutions.
Agreed. What op is feeling may be an awakening from nationalism. Maybe not pleasant, but liberating, I think.