Pride in your RL country.

Do you feel pride in being in the country you currently live in?

For me, I love the US. Of course, there are things that I dislike about it (ex: the Republicans continue to get more conservative, Obamacare, our support for authoritarian governments in 3rd world countries, race continues to be an important factor in the way people think for the white majority and the minorities), but it isn't enough for me to regret being born here. Being from a city right next to Mexico, you hear a lot of "US sucks; I wish it could be more like Mexico." and "Goddammit, fricking Mexico ruining the USA. Stay the frack away!". My opinion is more along the lines of "America is pretty good most of the time. Would live here again."

I too live in the US, but I reject the whole notion that you have to love your country because you're born there. That's how millions of people get killed...

I was born and raised in Canada until I was 13, and moved to the US in 2001. So I've been here for 10 years or so, half my life in Canada and half in the US. Its an awkward feeling though, I do not identify with Canadian culture, nor do I with American culture. When I go to Canada, they call me an American, when I tell people in the US that I'm Canadian, its almost as if I'm a joke, so I don't tell people anymore, they wouldn't know otherwise. I'm nationless, I am a citizen of the world!

I feel rather like Kylero about this, although not quite for the same reasons. I was born in the US and have always lived here, although my mother is a Candian citizen (but has lived in the US for about 87 years). I am happy enough to live here, and really love my native state of Maine, but I am not necessarily proud of it. In the first place, I had no control over where I was born, and in the second, although I recognize that I am privileged to live here in many ways, I am not always proud of the policies of my country or the behavior of her citizens. I have a great fondness for several places on this earth, including Canada, Jordan (where my husband is from), and now Belgium because I have met so many great Belgians here. So am I thankful? Yes. Proud? Not really.

I agree, Belgians are pretty cool! I know its not the same, but my father's side is Dutch, well Friesh to be accurate, and I have an Opa and Oma.

I don't put a lot of emphasis about being born here, but it's not necessarily a bad reason to feel pride. If you parents decided started to start a family here, and of their own free will (instead of being forced to stay) and continued to live here, I like to imagine the country did something right.

I don't have any feelings of pride for Belgium (I know almost nothing about the country), but I sure am proud to have met great citizens from there in this game.

@M.Leviathan; you dont like the proposal from Obama for health care?

In Belgium there is new trend, we identify ourself more as Flemish more and more (see results of NVA as proof)
Also, more and more people want Belgium to seperate in Flanders and Wallonia, altough currently less then 50% want to divorce in Flanders

Problem is that (you might have heard it already) Belgium doesnt have a governement for over 200 days, we already broke the European Record of having no governement, and we're good on our way to break the world record of Iraq

Flanders voted "right", Wallonia "left", thats the reason why we cant get a governement, they simply dont like each other, but neither of the two victorious parties want new elections, because they're scared to loose votes

Anyway, I'm proud to be Belgian, altough, I also found outthat Irish, Americans and English are cool too in my time on Erepublik
I'm also proud to be Flemish, hell, I'm even proud to be "Sint-Niklazenaar"

But it's not because I identify myself mostly as Flemish that I want the country to disappear

I don't generally feel proud of my country. This isn't because the UK is amazingly bad (although the current government is) but there is alot that the UK (Britian and England before that) has done in it's history that I am quite ashamed of and there's unfortunatly not enough things I do feel proud of to counter that.

It also not just the UK. Although I do feel privilaged to live here, I generally don't feel proud of the western world, and in many cases, the human race as a whole.

I think being proud of specific achevements is fine, but I think that very few people can justifiably feel proud of everything their country is and has done.

Am I proud of my country? No

Do I like living in here? Meh, it's ok I guess. Though the climate sucks, we do have a nice welfare.

I'm a pretty rational guy. My country exists of some non-existing lines, drawn by men that died ages ago and have put a dude in power that never really had the choice to be king or not. (and originally, he wasn't suppose to be king either). And weather it's called Belgium or German occupied territory, french colony, part of the british impreal empire or the American chocolate factory, is something I care little for.

@M.Leviathan: In RL Belgium we have something like "Obamacare". Why don't you like it? Beside some very minor flaws I really really like our system. It's one of the mayor things I'm really happy about in Belgium.
Also our school system is super (although some people don't agree with me (the bastards)), and we have a high life standard here.

What I don't like about it: the political parties (pretty much all of them do stuff I don't agree with, so I never know on who to vote(we are obligated to vote)), the fact that we have a king (don't like monarchies) and... the roads, seriously, how f*** up are some highways! Driving through the Netherlands SMOOOOOOTH, seeing a sign "Welcome in Belgium", the next moment you wonder how long your suspension is going to hold, 1, 2 or all 3 next minutes

Well if you live in the UK like myself you have 2 things to be proud of or not so proud, that is of course the UK then the actualy country you live in. For me it's Northern Ireland and since the 60's/70's it has made real progress and moved away from 'The Troubles' i think it's only going to get better and it looks like a bright future despite the recession.

For the UK as the whole i'm again quite proud, you relate yourself with all other countries within it and as long as tehy are not in direct competition with NI i would normally support them in most things . On thing that is great about the UK is the healthcare that we get for free, i think it is best system to use regarding healthcare and don't know why anyone in the USA wouldn't want that.

hmm... something good about Belgium, NOTHING (except the good chocolate ) BUT.....

We will break a record Thursday!!!

The longest government forming!: now Iraq has the record !

The proletarian has no country!

... et les frites ... en fritten
so nice

WARNING: OFF TOPIC POST

About the Obamacare, it's not that I don't want the US to provide free healthcare to its citizens, it's that I think we could have passed a better law. The Democratic Congress had to rush the bill in and hurry it as fast as it can before they started to lose support for it. As a consequence, economic matters were put in the back of the checklist and people lost a lot more than healthcare because of that. I think that if the Obama administration put a bigger emphasis on new economic legislation instead of healthcare, they would have had more support and more time to refine the law. The explanations of what it actually does were confusing and disappointing, as well.

TL;DR: The new law was rushed and far from the quality expected from such an important matter.

The obamacare is a joke... 10000 dollar fee if companies don't ensure their workers, 25000 dollar starting money to get an ensurance... :s

The Belgian system is outdated, but still 1000000000000000 times better then America, where doctors rather let you die if you dont show the correct insurance card

Serious, the above example maybe isnt true, but it is very close to it, isnt it?

The Belgian system isnt working anymore due to 2 major reasons:
1. When the system was introduced, people didnt get older then 75, so when you went on pension, you only had a few more years to enjoy what you worked for, now people get 85 and the system isnt adapted to that
2. Our old population is growing same fact as above, our people get older and we have less youth, it is already calculated and our young generations will have to work for 2.36 people (themselves =1, people with pension =0.54, not-working people =0.82 (or 0.54 and 0.82 switched from places))
3. Our system is making people to stay home instead of going to work, why would you go work if you can only make 100 euros extra? Mostly people with low diplomas arent working, they get a social home and +-750 euros (depending on wich circumstances), why would they work for 1000 euros, where they have to pay the rent of a house with etc?
4. Our country has big depts, +-100% of the Bruto Inner (Binnenlands) Product, the governement is paying a HUGE rente, wich takes a huge amount of money (the amount of money The Netherlands spend on Education, enormous idd) and then there isnt one cent payed to the actual depts
That is why we need a governement like Dehaene who lowered our depts serious, not like Verhofstad who simply sold buildings to have no gap in the "begroting", building can be sold only once, so it is only a trick to cover up the depts, it's like buying air from Russia to say, Belgium has clean air, right,...
5. Our bad immigration system, illegals ask asiel, when they get refused they simply try another time, and then once they will manage to pass and become Belgian, illegals cost billions of money each year, simply because of this (and because the worst judge ever made it that for every illegal on the street, Belgium has to pay 250 euros PER NIGHT, f*** stupid)

Despite these things:
- We get very cheap education (cheap is goedkoop toch?), hell, even people from The Netherlands are coming to Belgium because it is way more cheaper here then in their country
- We get payed very much back if we get in hospital, normally an operation costs 10000s of euros, but we only have to pay a fraction of it
- We have pensions
- We get money if we dont have work, so there is the possibility to temporary be without a job (too bad some people simply arent looking for a job, bad side of the system)
- We have cheap public transportations
- We have police, fire fighters, ... (I heard stories where Americans have to pay for the fire fighters, else they let your house get burned out and only intervene if the house of an "insured" is in danger)
- ...

Our system is very good, it's only out of date, it should be renewed so people get encouraged to go work

Glenn Wauters wrote: the governement is paying a HUGE rente, wich takes a huge amount of money (the amount of money The Netherlands spend on Education, enormous idd)

:O
the netherlands spend money on education ?

I <3 America... =|

Simple as that.

Pride? You want pride? I bleed stars and stripes -_-

Obamacare here in the US is very controversial. I like the Belgian system (described by Glenn) better. It is more focused on the people than on politics (although 'tis quite costly indeed and may have some negative results in terms of people's neglect and indifference). Nonetheless, I am happy and glad to be living in USA as it is a wonderful nation. We have vast opportunities here, and hard-work and dedication can certainly land you to that famed American dream.

Here in belgium you don't have lot of opportunities I personnaly find... like a communist nation for me.
You work a lot, you have a little more but you work nothing you just have a little bit less. It's the most I hate here in the system... and lot of new immigrates people try to have profit with it and the government do nothing. That's what I see throught my job.

I am proud of the uk's past achivements and how we used to own a empire and how we won WW1 and WW2 and the falklands but i am not proud of the current goverment and how they are destroying this country

jamster737 wrote:I am proud of the uk's past achivements and how we used to own a empire and how we won WW1 and WW2 and the falklands but i am not proud of the current goverment and how they are destroying this country

We won WWI and II, because the USA came to help, and because the UK took men from their colonised countries and sended them to the battlefield (Australians, New Zeelanders,...)

Anyway, Belgium broke the Wrold Record without Governement today!!!
It's a party!!

yeaaaaahhhh

NL spends money on education? Lmao. You, their students do...

Theneka, are you not celebrating the country without a government? Is this not your dream?

... No?

MaryamQ wrote:Theneka, are you not celebrating the country without a government? Is this not your dream?

MaryamQ, tssssss

know your history! Pol Pot, Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, Joseph Stalin and Mao Ze-dong had pretty strong (bloody) red governments

She refers to my anarchist side Frostie

Manong Rizal wrote:Obamacare here in the US is very controversial.

wut?... since when are you American? I always thought you where Latvian or eastern european or something...

Theneka wrote:She refers to my anarchist side Frostie

1. Than why aren't you happy about our governmentlessness?
2. always wondered, anarchist = contracontracontra rulers communist = propropro rulers, shouldn't you guys not being busy kicking each others butt?
3. Quick question, pro or contra the Belgian monarchy theneka?

No
Communism first started with everything controlled by the gov and then start to give everything to the people

To have no gov, they first introduced a stronger gov wich then should dissappear (i have to learn why, i forgot, my exams arent there yet )

OMG please theneka, tell me he is wrong

you first want to give people lots of power, and than expect them to turn it in?

frostie wrote:OMG please theneka, tell me he is wrong

you first want to give people lots of power, and than expect them to turn it in?

noooo

First the people loose power, then they get it all back

my bad, I meant to type: first want to give a select group of people lots of power, and then expect them to turn it in?

1. Than why aren't you happy about our governmentlessness?

Because we have 4 govs left

2. always wondered, anarchist = contracontracontra rulers communist = propropro rulers, shouldn't you guys not being busy kicking each others butt?

nope, not realy. There is a great history of support between anarchists and communists, mostly in the southern nations, and there are several 'branches' of anarchism like syndical anarchism, anarcho communism, autonomism, ... that embrace the theoritical side of Marx and Engels, but that work in a different way. If you read marx, you will see that in the end, both anarchists and communists fight against the state, and that in a communist world, there would not be a gov in the priciples that we know it now, but in an other way.

3. Quick question, pro or contra the Belgian monarchy theneka?

atm I think our king is doing a great job, but I'm not pro monarchy, as it remains stupid to hand over power by heritage, though it is the same way in politics these days.

I am proud we just beats Iraq world record of 249 days without a government. The whole country had it's place in the Guinness World Records book....

And the cituation will not improve the media from both community evilize the others side.

shadowukcs wrote:

Manong Rizal wrote:Obamacare here in the US is very controversial.

wut?... since when are you American? I always thought you where Latvian or eastern european or something...

He just called you Eastern European. Are you going to stand for that? ARE YOU!?