NationStates Jolt Archive

with all the negativity on these boards in recent days...

I want to ask you...

Do you love your country?

if so, why?

and think of reasons other than "Because George Bush ISN'T the Leader here," or that "No Neo Con agenda exsists" in other words, can you praise your own country without taking jabs at or making Negative comments about other countries?

oh, and do not disagree with others unless it's an outright lie. if someone says "my country has a fair and just legal system." Do not start bringing up cases of mistrial or miscarriages of justice, unless you can prove that those numbers outnumber the fair and just verdicts rendered for the rest of the cases. If someone says, "My country is home to the last breed of Fire breathing dragons in the world" then it's open game, unless they can provide valid links and proof. :D

and if points overlap with someone else... GREAT! so more than one country has traits you love.

I love my country because...

If there are things I don't like about it, I can strive to use the system to effect changes with that system.

The Government System works when one party is in power, but works best when two or more parties are in power.

Our Government strives for what is right for it's people. It will put it's people's safety and welfare over what other countries think we should be doing.

we strive to match our ideals of ourselves, even if those Ideals are always beyond our grasp.

Yes, I love my country so much I'm not afraid to say where I am under the location area to the left.

(this is a test to see if a thread without negative comments can exsist.)

Nope. i do not wish to marry my country.

I love America, I love its ideals and everything it stands for as laid out in both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

Long-live the American experiment!

Umm... no I don't love my country.
I'm sure I'd live just as happily somewhere else.

I love my country because...

It was founded on the principles of life, liberty, property, and the individual.

Even though it has a lot of socialist aspects, it is the 2nd freest economy in the world (I'm counting Hong Kong as a country, sort of). Relatively good.

It has done many great things over the years, and will continue to do many more.

It's where I keep all my stuff. :)

Indeed. The US is a beacon of freedom, democracy, economic strength, and military strength -- in my opinion, it is the best country in the world. Here's to Iraq becoming the same thing within a few years.

I love my country. Just not 51% of the people.

Now, not loving =/= hate.

See? Positive! :p

I love my country. Just not 51% of the people.

Now, not loving =/= hate.

See? Positive! :pthat right! :D

I'm not against the Negative=no, just not the negative that puts down others. :p

Yes, I am an American, and I love America, for pretty much all the reasons already listed from those who love America. I agree, our nation may have its problems, but so do others. Our nation is not perfect, but we try to do what is best. All I have to say is if America sucks so bad, how come so many people are trying to get in?

Both of them are nice, in their own special ways, and both have drawbacks.

I love my country Because George Bush ISN'T the Leader here.

I love my country Because George Bush ISN'T the Leader here.

*slaps*

I love my country Because George Bush ISN'T the Leader here.

Politely ignoring that, I love my country, because dispite it's faults, it's the best system that currently exists.

I like it in that I could be somewhere far worse and I immensely enjoy the vareity here. There are so many different cultures mixed together in so many different landscapes, that it makes living here like having constant eye candy.

I don't like other things, like not having free health care. The hypocrisy here also gets on my last nerves: "Everyone has the right to pursue freedom and hapiness, except those people over there. Oh yeah, and these people." Grrr...

No.

I try to keep to loving things that have actual value - like people.

No, I don't.

S'alright. Not much to it.

Yes, because I am Canadian.

with all the negativity on these boards in recent days...

I want to ask you...

Do you love your country?

if so, why?

and think of reasons other than "Because George Bush ISN'T the Leader here," or that "No Neo Con agenda exsists" in other words, can you praise your own country without taking jabs at or making Negative comments about other countries?

oh, and do not disagree with others unless it's an outright lie. if someone says "my country has a fair and just legal system." Do not start bringing up cases of mistrial or miscarriages of justice, unless you can prove that those numbers outnumber the fair and just verdicts rendered for the rest of the cases. If someone says, "My country is home to the last breed of Fire breathing dragons in the world" then it's open game, unless they can provide valid links and proof. :D

and if points overlap with someone else... GREAT! so more than one country has traits you love.

I love my country because...

If there are things I don't like about it, I can strive to use the system to effect changes with that system.

The Government System works when one party is in power, but works best when two or more parties are in power.

Our Government strives for what is right for it's people. It will put it's people's safety and welfare over what other countries think we should be doing.

we strive to match our ideals of ourselves, even if those Ideals are always beyond our grasp.

Yes, I love my country so much I'm not afraid to say where I am under the location area to the left.

(this is a test to see if a thread without negative comments can exsist.)

i think everyone is deserving of my love.

even if god forbid...they are different then me..lol....great thread by the way.
i will draw the line with religous nuts wanting to kill me...cause i dont want to kill anyone.....till....they want to kill me cause i like music/different god/booze/the cranberries..anything...peace be amongst you, was what i was taught.
politics is a different question,politics is debate by definition...religion is also peace by definition....but as devisive as politics.
religous folks tend to blur being devout and being a zealot...kind of like how american politics have degenerated too.

i want no part of either group,political or religous.

not when it is...your either with us or against us....i react badly to ultimatums.

meh. The United States is alright, but Canada is much better. I love Canada. Not my current country though.

yep i love my country, there are a lot of things i dont like but there is a lot i dont like about a lot of differant things:)

Yes, because I am Canadian.
Oh Canada... doo doo doo doo... the other lyriiiiiics.... dooo dooo doo doo, dooo dooo dooo dooo, bleeby-bleeeby-bleee etc.

Your national anthem is truly quality, but I can't remember the lyrics, sadly.

I love my country because No Neo Con agenda exists.

Oh Canada... doo doo doo doo... the other lyriiiiiics.... dooo dooo doo doo, dooo dooo dooo dooo, bleeby-bleeeby-bleee etc.

Your national anthem is truly quality, but I can't remember the lyrics, sadly.That's because it's in French :p

meh. The United States is alright, but Canada is much better. I love Canada. Not my current country though.
why?

please list the things you like about canada... and please keep the requested guidelines in mind.

That's because it's in French :p
Je peux parler français...

Je peux parler français...Peut-être: "Je sais parler francais"? ;)

why?

please list the things you like about canada... and please keep the requested guidelines in mind.

Well, universal healthcare, lower age of consent, lower drinking age (not that I like alcohol, I think it tastes awful), gay marriage, no death penalty... I could go on for a while.

meh. The United States is alright, but Canada is much better. I love Canada. Not my current country though.


canada is not much different then the usa...


cept for the french(influence) dragging them down...lol


but what do i know...i may be wrong.


canada.....social medicine

us ....not

america...guns everywhere

canada...only with the crimminals or cops(sucks for the citizen)

canada...apologises for every horror story

usa gets pissed off



so we are different,
i guess everyone is right,we are a bunch of cowboys...cocky and what not.

i would rather be somewhat cocky the an appeaser....but then again,i am merican.

not to say i disagree with diplomacy...but at some point...you got say...wtf is wrong with you.

their are insane people in the world,and all the hugs in the world aint gonna get em right(wish it would)but to imply or worse..be stupid...and exspect to be protected from the loonies is foolish.

always talk...but sometimes that dont work.

I am an Australian, and I love my country! I am such a filthy patriot. We have Kangaroos and ridiculous cultral stereotypes. :rolleyes:

Seriously, how do you love a country? Whats to love? I *like* 'living in' my country. I don't like the country itself, though. Put it this way, if my country was a person, he would have a broken nose (before I met him).

No.

It is a randomly defined area of land. What is there to love about that. It is not a living feeling being, it does not do anything. I love some of my co-nationals, but I really don't know the vast majority of them, so I have no emotive state with regard to that majority.

Loving a nation seems to be a very confused way of being to me.

Often when I hear others describe what they refer to as 'loving their country' I doubt that I do.

However, when I consider an actual real-world example of myself 'loving some entity', I find such a doubt ill-founded.

I'm not sure if the discrepancy is a communication issue or if it is indicative of something deeper.

I dont love my country because of a shopping list of preferred traits. :confused:

I think if I am entirely objective about it, I love my country because it's my country.

I certainly understand that there can be reasons why a person wouldnt love their country, just as there can be reasons why a person wouldnt love their mother or father. However, even though in both cases, case-specific reasons might be the cause of a lack of love, it seems to me that the presence of love is a more generalised reaction.

Even though most of us can compose lists of things about our parents that we deeply and passionately appreciate, those individual things and the combined impact of the fact of those things, are not why we love our parents. We love our parents because they are our parents.

The child-parent relationship is such that it is highly unusual for children to not love their parents. In many cases even in the presence of reasons for particular people to not love their parents (such as neglect and abuse), they still do.

The way people love their parents is of course individually-specific, but 'love of one's parent' is a generalised phenonenon that is derived from the same common, primitive traits that all forms of love derive from.

At the heart of the issue, the referent of 'love' (as I understand the word) is a bonding phenonenon, and bonding really isnt about a list of traits. It is about shared experiance, familiarity, the accumulation of experiances of positive bodly and emotional responses. It's a particular kind of positive attachment that, as a result of the typical human phenotype, occurs in reaction to certain kinds of stimulae.

Or at least that's my take on it....:p

To bring things back to the issue ('love of country'), what I want to know is;

do people love their country in the sense I have describe above

or do people mean some other thing by the word 'love' when the context is 'why I love my country',

or do people mean something different (to my description above) by the word 'love' generally (as opposed to only in this context).

If the answer is either of the last 2, do other people (than myself) have a different meaning, or additional meanings (to the one I describe above) for the word 'love'.

Am I misled by making an overly-literal interpretation (in the context) either of 'love' or of the use of a shopping list of traits, or am I just generally missing all or some of what people mean by the word 'love'?:confused:

I am an Australian, and I love my country! I am such a filthy patriot. We have Kangaroos and ridiculous cultral stereotypes. :rolleyes:

Seriously, how do you love a country? Whats to love? I *like* 'living in' my country. I don't like the country itself, though. Put it this way, if my country was a person, he would have a broken nose (before I met him).

how do you define your country.

some define it by the people, others by the underlying society, others by the government, and some by the geography and environment.

I define it by all these things. you can't have a country without it's people, living in one mega society, governed by some form of government, located somewhere on a map...

I love it more than the hun or the saracen or the other barbarians, but I love europe better.

I love my country for its natural beauty. There are plenty of other beautiful places in this world, but home is where the heart is. :)

canada...only with the crimminals or cops(sucks for the citizen)Can you prove that? To my knowledge, the citizens there have a lot of guns.

Freedom of speech, assebly, religion...what's not too love? Hooray for America!

I quite like my country. It's the best part of North America. :D

america...guns everywhere

canada...only with the crimminals or cops(sucks for the citizen)
So my Dad and all his priends are crimminals and cops now?

There is like 7 million guns in Canada, pretty good for a country of 30 million.

Canada is where I make my home, do I love it? no but I like where I live but could be just as happy elsewhere as long as I have my family with me... and my satellite dish, and my plasma, and my mp3 moblie, and my toyota.......can't think of anything else at the moment.

Canada is where I make my home, do I love it? no but I like where I live but could be just as happy elsewhere as long as I have my family with me... and my satellite dish, and my plasma, and my mp3 moblie, and my toyota.......can't think of anything else at the moment.

so... as long as you have all of that, you would be happy living in the USA, Japan, North Korea, Isreal, Iraq...

I love my country but hate its leader. (the chimp)

That's as simple as it gets.

so... as long as you have all of that, you would be happy living in the USA, Japan, North Korea, Isreal, Iraq...no...not that simple, some countries are not tolerable, I have to think of my families safety and future. If all countries were like Canada no problem I could live there but there has to be minimum standard of civilization, USA no, N Korea no, Israel no, Iraq pleeease.......Sweden yes, Norway yes, Japan yes, Netherlands yes, maybe England, Ireland

no...not that simple, some countries are not tolerable, I have to think of my families safety and future. If all countries were like Canada no problem I could live there but there has to be minimum standard of civilization, USA no, N Korea no, Israel no, Iraq pleeease.......Sweden yes, Norway yes, Japan yes, Netherlands yes, maybe England, Ireland

So there is more to it then than just the possessions you have and your family... :)

So there is more to it then than just the possessions you have and your family... :)not really, I'm not a nationalist. none of those things I listed have anything to do with loving my country or any country

not really, I'm not a nationalist. none of those things I listed have anything to do with loving my country or any country
Why does loving one's country = Nationalism to you?

I am a nationalist. I believe my country has done great things and can do great things again if its citizens put their minds to it and put their petty little differences aside.

I loved Australia before i went to the United Kingdom, The British are nice,polite and the most down to earth people you can meet.

Britain democracy is world class and has one of the best Education systems in the world and im a lover of History and Culture.

problem with Australia is that is used to have all that then it started to copy America.

Do you love your country?

Yes. Me an unashamed jingo.:D

if so, why?

Because it is MINE. Also because I have come to love it for what it stood for and what I believe it still stands for. I don't see my country having done any harm to other countries - both in the past and now in the present, so I see no problems in being nationalistic and patriotic.

Sure, I hate a lot of things in my country (apathy, indifference, endemic corruption, poverty etc), and I recognise that a lot of things have to change for the better, but overall, the country has done pretty well ever since it became independant and I have great hopes for my country.

I can honestly say that even if I had been born elsewhere, I would still have loved India the same way I love it now (that is assuming I have the same knowledge of India that I have now).

Nationalism is the promotion of ones country above all others regardless of public opinion, morals, or ethics. Patriotism is loving ones country yet not having any problem admitting its faults and working to correct them. Nationalism was a driving force behind the world wars. Patriotism is the kind of a love a father has with his child.

That being said, I am an American patriot. I love my country, the principles on which it was founded, and that I am willing to do all in my ability to make it better.

It's my country. I was born here and it hasn't done anything traumatic to me personally. It's only natural to have some affection for it.

Why does loving one's country = Nationalism to you?my country is a place i choose to live, it's a pile of dirt rocks water and trees, other than that it is nothing, Nationalism suggests I love those things the people and government and all that and I don't, if I did that's nationalism and that's bad. Nationalism breeds hatred and arrogance a killer combination.

Nationalism is the promotion of ones country above all others regardless of public opinion, morals, or ethics. Patriotism is loving ones country yet not having any problem admitting its faults and working to correct them. Nationalism was a driving force behind the world wars. Patriotism is the kind of a love a father has with his child.

That being said, I am an American patriot. I love my country, the principles on which it was founded, and that I am willing to do all in my ability to make it better.nationalism and patriotism are the same thing, both evil outdated concepts in a shrinking world where globalism is the future. I fyou must love anything love humanity, love life, love your planet while we still have one to live on.

I love A country.

As I said before, I don't own a country, so I can't really answer that

As I said before, I don't own a country, so I can't really answer that

one doesn't own a person, yet they can love another person, one doesn't have to own a song, idea or concept in order to love it...

one doesn't own a person, yet they can love another person, one doesn't have to own a song, idea or concept in order to love it...

True, but you asked if I loved "my country", not just any country. I don't own one.

True, but you asked if I loved "my country", not just any country. I don't own one.

... ok Ms...

you asked for this....


:fluffle: :D

... ok Ms...

you asked for this....


:fluffle: :D

:D

Maybe I should ask for even more?


:fluffle: :fluffle:

Yes, I love my country.

I would kill for it, I would defend it against any enemy no matter how strong and I'd die to keep it free and just the way it is.

The land, people, language and hostory are at the top of my list for "Why" I love it.

Of course. We have the worlds biggest breed of dog, the Irish Wolfhound (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_wolfhound). It's not a fire breathing dragon, but it could be trained to breathe fire, maybe.

As far as I can tell, by ruling that the absence of Bush and Neo-Cons isn't enough of a reason for the foreigners to love their country, a terrible disservice has been done to them.
In many cases, the fact that Bush and the NeoCons ARE NOT in control of their country is the #1 source of happiness for all non-USA-ers...
:D

Cthulhu-Mythos;11801778']As far as I can tell, by ruling that the absence of Bush and Neo-Cons isn't enough of a reason for the foreigners to love their country, a terrible disservice has been done to them.
In many cases, the fact that Bush and the NeoCons ARE NOT in control of their country is the #1 source of happiness for all non-USA-ers...
:D

You massively overrate the impact that the Bush government has on our everyday lives and thoughts...

i can think of no reason to love my country. it's never done anything to earn my love. the only thing that would keep me in the country after i finish uni is my friends, oh, and the beer. apart from that i could quite happily live in another country and not miss anything about britain.

i can think of no reason to love my country. it's never done anything to earn my love. the only thing that would keep me in the country after i finish uni is my friends, oh, and the beer. apart from that i could quite happily live in another country and not miss anything about britain.

It gave us chavs, what's not to love? ;)

I love my country beacause aliens just stay for a day visit.
No hotel, no restaurant, nothing to disturb our spirit.
The Holy See has no foreign or Usian residents, only tourists.
No airport, no harbour, no way to invade us.

And the boss is elected to be a sucker, all is fine...

I love my country. I love others better, though.

Scotland has a good history and people tend to like us (i hope). I like how easy it is to become a teenage alcoholic from the comfort of your own home. ;)

In Soviet Russia, country loves you!

Sure, I have affection for the little bugger.

Progressive laws, an army based on helping people, a democratic system where every vote counts, a prime minister that looks like a rabbit, three official languages, a king that has his midlife crisis, surrealism, weird monuments, fries, waffles, chocolate...

Forget it, just look at this:Belgian promo ad (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzfo1B4L5ek)

Don't make me sum up the tons of bad aspects, though. ;)

Yes, I love my country.

I don't like the leaders at the moment, but the country itself I love. The constitution is a good document, and the system itself does alright - it's about as good as you can have it. It's got a decent balance. Could be better, but I'm not picky.

I love my country as well.

no.i whish i was stateless

What is a country but a border on a map?

Yes-I love my country. I love its opporotunities, I love this way of life.
I love the freedom and the protection. I love the security, the education, the entertainment, the widespread availabilty of any fresh food or drink on a whim. I love that I can enjoy total privacy or exposure, depending on my mood. I love being able to travel here.
Its the best of all worlds for me and my family.

God Bless America.

Meh.

with all the negativity on these boards in recent days...

I want to ask you...

Do you love your country?

if so, why?

and think of reasons other than "Because George Bush ISN'T the Leader here," or that "No Neo Con agenda exsists" in other words, can you praise your own country without taking jabs at or making Negative comments about other countries?

oh, and do not disagree with others unless it's an outright lie. if someone says "my country has a fair and just legal system." Do not start bringing up cases of mistrial or miscarriages of justice, unless you can prove that those numbers outnumber the fair and just verdicts rendered for the rest of the cases. If someone says, "My country is home to the last breed of Fire breathing dragons in the world" then it's open game, unless they can provide valid links and proof. :D

and if points overlap with someone else... GREAT! so more than one country has traits you love.

I love my country because...

If there are things I don't like about it, I can strive to use the system to effect changes with that system.

The Government System works when one party is in power, but works best when two or more parties are in power.

Our Government strives for what is right for it's people. It will put it's people's safety and welfare over what other countries think we should be doing.

we strive to match our ideals of ourselves, even if those Ideals are always beyond our grasp.

Yes, I love my country so much I'm not afraid to say where I am under the location area to the left.

(this is a test to see if a thread without negative comments can exsist.)


I do love my country. Thus, that is why I criticize my Government. If my government does something I feel is bad for my beloved USA, I am opposed to it. Namely, everything that the Bush Administration has done. :rolleyes:

I do love my country. I love it because of the quality of life it affords me, our entertainment, and my freedoms.

Yes.

Yes
I do indeed love my country.
But it is a love hate relationship.
So this is the love thread and I will list the things I love here.
See the "do you hate your country" thread for the reasons I also hate my country (well more accurately the government/George Bush)

I love the principles that my coutry was founded under.
The Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The idea that all men are created equal.
The right to speak my mind and dissent.
The right to vote.
The right to move freely about this vast nation without checkpoints.
The right to choose with whom I will associate.
The right to bear arms (yes I went there and I consider myself a *gasp* "Liberal")
Hell I even love the fact that idiots like the American Nazi Part, "Reverend" Phelps and the KKK can spout their hateful garbage in America without fear of government persecution...now THAT is freedom of speech!

There are many, many other reasons to love The United States of America!
It is a pretty great coutry filled with some pretty cool people.