I'm against right wingers like the NRA & the Tea Baggers who have done more harm to the US than any terrorist group. I'm also against any form of idiocy, I also tend not to discuss things that are sweetness and light and wonderful so check ALL my posts not just the ones that support your argument.
But as you've butted in - do care to explain how "USA USA USA" isn't the sound of the mob?
Or are you scared?
no idea why you're talking about me being supposedly scared of something.
you're the scared one it looks calling them a 'mob' so what makes you so scared of them? you said they're a mob, now tell us why you think that? what are they doing thats so scary to you?
I didn't like it either but I'm guessing there are plenty of Americans who think "what a bunch of ****s" as well so you shouldn't tar the whole country with the same brush, and neither should the terrorists.
I'm patriotic and I think everyone should be but the USA chant is incredibly cringey, it reminds of some cheesy 80s teen jock sports film or something
I don't really see being patriotic as a problem. But I get your point about the "USA!" chant being a bit cringey. I re-watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games recently and most of the athletes on camera seemed to just smile or wave. But every time the camera was focused on an American athlete, they automatically broke out with the "USA!" chant. It just seemed so out of place when it appeared all the other athletes were just happy to be there.
Yes, it's strange. I can understand feeling happy that the perpetrators has been arrested, but chanting "USA!" somehow implies the whole country and its residents are responsible for bringing the nasty terrorists to justice.
It also applies a sort of sport feeling to it all.
I think you're overanalyzing it. It's just a chant. It expresses relief. America was attacked, albeit the death toll wasn't nearly as high as 9/11, and people are relieved that that terrorist was caught.
But we don't it it at the drop of a hat, just as Scots don't suddenly singing "Flower of Scotland". To me "USA, USA, USA" is the sound of the mob or the football crowd
I don't think I can roll my eyes enough times to express how ridiculous that statement is.
Today's little factoid, that chant was started during an Ice Hockey game in the early 80's between the USA and Russia after USA took it to 2-1 during the height of the cold war.
I just saw something on TV about that today. It was a show about the 1980s.
I think it's a misnomer that we, as a whole, don't know the words to our own anthem. If you put somebody on the spot without music they might have more trouble, but you could probably do that with a lot of patriotic songs.
By the way, here's the Bruins fans singing the anthem the first game after the bombing. Toward the end of the video the camera pans out. All that's on the jumbotron is the flag. No words. These people must be the exception to the rule that we are too stupid to know our own anthem. http://youtu.be/ZzMsagY7oRs
See, it makes sense in that context. But I do find it weird they chant the name of the country whenever something happens. I could have understood a chant of 'Boston'.
But to a lot of us it was more than an attack on Boston. It was another terrorist attack on America, albeit on a much smaller scale than 9/11.
Seems strange that under circumstances the Americans enjoy a good old 'victory and celebration' chant.
People in their country have still been killed, disfigured and injured, hardly a cause for celebration, even though the perpetrator has been caught.
A bit of retribution for the yanks, yeeee haaaa.
I would imagine anger would be the more appropriate, anger that the perpetrator could have caried out such a deed. Not a celebration that their gung-ho Police Department managed to fire round after round of ammunition to capture this evil youngster.
I don't remember the UK 'celebrating' when the London Bombers were successfully caught, charged and imprisoned. It is not our style, thankfully.
You don't understand that people were relieved that the bomber was caught? Sure, people are angry, but they also feel sad for those who were hurt, and they want to honor the heroes that emerged out of this tragedy. It's not so much a celebration as a release of that anxiety. The anger will come later when the guy is on trial. I don't think the people killed and injured would want us to simmer in anger. I think they would prefer that we get justice against the bomber and move on with our lives, always aware that we need to be on our toes.
It is so weird when you think about it. Those people who died on monday, they'll still dead, and those people with missing limbs, well that's also irreversible. Watching the scenes of jubilation and people jumping about on the news, I can't help but think its a tad inappropriate, this is still very much a sad and sombre moment.
A sense of quiet satisfaction would be more fitting in reaction to the capture of the 19 year old alleged bomber. Those people should keep in mind that this isn't some football game, they haven't 'won' anything, theres no victory, no-one wins in a situation like this.
There's a lot to be sad about in the world. Perhaps to the people celebrating catching his guy was a small victory. HE didn't get away. People like justice. It doesn't changed what happens, but you have to begin the healing process and begin to move on.
I didn't like it either but I'm guessing there are plenty of Americans who think "what a bunch of ****s" as well so you shouldn't tar the whole country with the same brush, and neither should the terrorists.
Not really. The feeling of relief seems to be understood by just about any American I have heard from, whether they share that sentiment or not.
I guess I don't understand the British stiff upper lip. Sometimes you need to find something to comfort you, even if it is just the bomber being caught. The bomber being in custody means people in that town can sleep a little more soundly. For the rest of us it's more of a symbolic peace. He's out of the way and people can begin to heal and move on. Many of us sympathize with the people effected by this and we feel like the bomber attacked all of America, even if he did it in Boston.
I think the stiff upper lip stereotype is kind of funny. Maybe Britons deal with it quietly, but they also drink (on average) a lot more than we do.
Hmm, I'm sorry we Americans don't express ourselves in a manner in which you approve. To me, it's just a matter of national pride that our fellow compatriots accomplished something after a tragic occurrence that we all worry about deep down on a daily basis. (You should understand that.)
Oh. And here's another example. The Boston Red Sox baseball team were finally able to play after this whole situation ended. Their theme song has long been Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," and so they invited Neil to come to the park and lead them through the song. It's heart warming actually. And, I don't think there's anything jingoistic about it. Just an expression of happiness, relief, and togetherness.
You're right. Many English people seem to be embarrassed to have any pride in the country, and many look at those who do as some kind of racists.
Americans do tend to have great national pride.
Bless them!
National pride or blinkered vision?
I remember watching WWE wrestling and you had two wrestlers fighting ring side. One of them was Iranian (really an American) so obviously the bad guy and he was getting beaten by the good guy. A fan at ringside started chanting USA USA USA and the good guy wrestler yelled at him, I'm Canadian you jackass!
This week I went and saw the film Olympus has fallen, a very good action film up there with Die Hard etc. Every so ofyen an obvious shot or comments aimed at American's appeared and people watching started laughing as it was so stupid and clumsily shoe-horned in.
I can't stand all the whooping, yeehaing and high fiving.
I had the misfortune of watching a programme called ' Man vs. Food ', where some bloke visits restaurants eating some super hot, super sized food. Only Americans could whoop and cheer while watching some fat git spend 45 minutes with grease running down his face, chanting ' go Adam go, go Adam go.
Hmm, I'm sorry we Americans don't express ourselves in a manner in which you approve. To me, it's just a matter of national pride that our fellow compatriots accomplished something after a tragic occurrence that we all worry about deep down on a daily basis. (You should understand that.)
There's nothing wrong with celebrating the fact they got him, and thanking the police, I would too. Infact that seemed all normal to me.
What I don't necessarily like though, and what a lot of people have a problem with about the USA USA USA! chants is the consequences of what that eventually leads to.
Take for example on Sky, where a women at the Boston Red Sox game was asked about it a said "America always wins, take us on and we will go to war with you!!".
Its that type of "patriotism" that has led to disasterous consequences for America. "Patriotism" was used after 9/11 to justify a war, resulting in 100,000 civilian deaths and 4000 American lives being lost, to invade a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. But some of the American public were so blinkered with "USA USA USA! patriotism" at the time that they didn't care who they got as long as they GOT someone.
Like I say I'm not going to overly criticise America, because there's a lot of great things about the country, I'm even planning on going there this summer, but thats my beef with some irrational patriotism, and its not just America, its a lot of other countries patriotism too.
Here in Britain I have a big problem with the poppy police forcing everyone to wear red poppies remembering the war dead. One Irish footballer, who grew up in an estate where the British army murdered 13 civilians, refused to where one, caused major uproar and was subsequently given death threats. :rolleyes: Thats the problem with blinkered patriotism and what it leads to IMO.
My other fear also is the major scrutiny muslim americans are going to face. They're already talking about amending the immigration bill against muslim countries, racial profiling them more etc.
Hmm, I'm sorry we Americans don't express ourselves in a manner in which you approve. To me, it's just a matter of national pride that our fellow compatriots accomplished something after a tragic occurrence that we all worry about deep down on a daily basis. (You should understand that.)
Oh. And here's another example. The Boston Red Sox baseball team were finally able to play after this whole situation ended. Their theme song has long been Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," and so they invited Neil to come to the park and lead them through the song. It's heart warming actually. And, I don't think there's anything jingoistic about it. Just an expression of happiness, relief, and togetherness.
Of course we get that people are relived that the person has been caught etc, but why "national" pride? when it was local law enforcement with the help of Homeland Security and the FBI that caught him, well it was more one guy who happened to come out his house and spot some blood on his boat.
When something happens here in the UK and usually other countries as well, the praise etc goes to the people or organizations involved, not the whole country.
When The Yorkshire Ripper was caught we didn't think "the country" caught him, or even all the police forces in the UK caught him. It was the local police that caught him and all praise is directed to them.
I think what a lot of us can't get our head around the almost default setting that American's seem to have to make everything about America as a country even when it's not.
The nly time we do that is in sport which we in the UK are not that good at. When England do well, it's England a country in it's own right, but if Scotland, Wales or the Republic of Ireland do well then they suddenly become British and are embraced as being part of the laughably named "Great Britain" and now it's the "British" have done well.
There's nothing wrong with celebrating the fact they got him, and thanking the police, I would too. Infact that seemed all normal to me.
What I don't necessarily like though, and what a lot of people have a problem with about the USA USA USA! chants is the consequences of what that eventually leads to.
Take for example on Sky, where a women at the Boston Red Sox game was asked about it a said "America wins, take us on and we will go to war with you!!".
Its that type of "patriotism" that has led to disasterous consequences for America. "Patriotism" was used after 9/11 to justify a war, resulting in 100,000 civilian deaths and 4000 American lives being lost, to invade a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. But some of the American public were so blinkered with "USA USA USA! patriotism" at the time that they didn't care who they got as long as they GOT someone.
Like I say I'm not going to overly criticise America, because there's a lot of great things about the country, I'm even planning on going there this summer, but thats my beef with some irrational patriotism, and its not just America, its a lot of other countries patriotism too.
Here in Britain I have a big problem with the poppy police forcing everyone to wear red poppies remembering the war dead. One Irish footballer, who grew up in an estate where the British army murdered 13 civilians, refused to where one, caused major uproar and was subsequently given death threats. :rolleyes: Thats the problem with blinkered patriotism and what it leads to IMO.
I absolutely agree with you when it comes to people who say things like that 'lady'. It makes me cringe when I hear that kind of stuff come out of people's mouths. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly fine with people being total loudmouths and crass and flag-waving nincompoops, but when it comes the USA chant as like a "war cheerleading" it crosses the line into gross. What is scary is that a lot of times people actually mean it.
I mean, what an asshole this woman is. She's so overcome with whatever idiotic, simple emotion she's feeling so as to invoke war and revenge. She was probably a racist.
I don't know what to tell you, man. I've developed a pretty good ability to give people the benefit of a doubt. It's pretty much required to be sane and American these days. When a bunch of rando (probably drunk) people stick their faces in a cnn camera and scream USA it doesn't bother me. Their exuberance shouldn't be mistaken for that jerk lady's ignorance.
(on a side note: jingoism isn't unique to americans, nor do we do it better or more freely. we just have all the guns.)
edit: i really like your post - thanks for bringing some perspective up in here.
Of course we get that people are relived that the person has been caught etc, but why "national" pride? when it was local law enforcement with the help of Homeland Security and the FBI that caught him, well it was more one guy who happened to come out his house and spot some blood on his boat.
When something happens here in the UK and usually other countries as well, the praise etc goes to the people or organizations involved, not the whole country.
When The Yorkshire Ripper was caught we didn't think "the country" caught him, or even all the police forces in the UK caught him. It was the local police that caught him and all praise is directed to them.
I think what a lot of us can't get our head around the almost default setting that American's seem to have to make everything about America as a country even when it's not.
The nly time we do that is in sport which we in the UK are not that good at. When England do well, it's England a country in it's own right, but if Scotland, Wales or the Republic of Ireland do well then they suddenly become British and are embraced as being part of the laughably named "Great Britain" and now it's the "British" have done well.
Well, I have to say I don't think you're being completely honest with this post. When good things and bad things go down in the UK, the people there point to the "stiff upper lip" (which is a stereotype, I get it) and their 'resolve'. These are things I personally admire about the UK national identity, but like, I don't think geography matters. You guys and gals in the UK have a way of doing things and you have a complicated situation and so when times are rough it's not that weird to call upon a collective strength. Is it?
I think you're overanalyzing it. It's just a chant. It expresses relief. America was attacked, albeit the death toll wasn't nearly as high as 9/11, and people are relieved that that terrorist was caught.
Oh, the irony.
Yeah. I don't get that either.
I don't think I can roll my eyes enough times to express how ridiculous that statement is.
I just saw something on TV about that today. It was a show about the 1980s.
I think it's a misnomer that we, as a whole, don't know the words to our own anthem. If you put somebody on the spot without music they might have more trouble, but you could probably do that with a lot of patriotic songs.
By the way, here's the Bruins fans singing the anthem the first game after the bombing. Toward the end of the video the camera pans out. All that's on the jumbotron is the flag. No words. These people must be the exception to the rule that we are too stupid to know our own anthem. http://youtu.be/ZzMsagY7oRs
But to a lot of us it was more than an attack on Boston. It was another terrorist attack on America, albeit on a much smaller scale than 9/11.
And "God Bless America." I heard that on the news tonight.
You don't understand that people were relieved that the bomber was caught? Sure, people are angry, but they also feel sad for those who were hurt, and they want to honor the heroes that emerged out of this tragedy. It's not so much a celebration as a release of that anxiety. The anger will come later when the guy is on trial. I don't think the people killed and injured would want us to simmer in anger. I think they would prefer that we get justice against the bomber and move on with our lives, always aware that we need to be on our toes.
That's been my experience.
There's a lot to be sad about in the world. Perhaps to the people celebrating catching his guy was a small victory. HE didn't get away. People like justice. It doesn't changed what happens, but you have to begin the healing process and begin to move on.
Not really. The feeling of relief seems to be understood by just about any American I have heard from, whether they share that sentiment or not.
I guess I don't understand the British stiff upper lip. Sometimes you need to find something to comfort you, even if it is just the bomber being caught. The bomber being in custody means people in that town can sleep a little more soundly. For the rest of us it's more of a symbolic peace. He's out of the way and people can begin to heal and move on. Many of us sympathize with the people effected by this and we feel like the bomber attacked all of America, even if he did it in Boston.
I think the stiff upper lip stereotype is kind of funny. Maybe Britons deal with it quietly, but they also drink (on average) a lot more than we do.
I meant the words they actually chant, which is 'USA,USA' because they know them, and if you are going to have a spontaneous chant it has to be some thing everyone already knows.
I didn't mean your national anthem.
I don't get patriotism, boil it down and it's simply where your parents banged - why is that something to celebrate? What has the geography of conception have to do with anything? Small minded in my opinion, you don't even get to choose.
Well, I have to say I don't think you're being completely honest with this post. When good things and bad things go down in the UK, the people there point to the "stiff upper lip" (which is a stereotype, I get it) and their 'resolve'. These are things I personally admire about the UK national identity, but like, I don't think geography matters. You guys and gals in the UK have a way of doing things and you have a complicated situation and so when times are rough it's not that weird to call upon a collective strength. Is it?
"The stiff upper lip" etc is media led cobblers, particularly used by the BBC. It's not a true reflection of what people think. As you have read on this forums, we in the UK love bitching, complainiing and putting down everyone and everything when it comes to ouw own countrymen.
The stiff upper lip, the politeness and respect that the rest of the world still seem to believe the UK/British have died out a long time ago.
As I said in my previous post, one thing we don't do is take something that happens regionally and make it a national thing, that a nation has overcome. One of the worst tragedies in football (soccer) was the Hillsborough disaster. Anything good said about what happened their from the health services wasn't automatically turned into the national health service and so the UK is awesome. The praise stayed locally of what the local hospital and local services did and quite rightly so.
When we have sporting occasions the country turns into a huge laundry, lots of England flags start appearing, hanging from cars, out windows, and so forth. Let's get behind our country, come on England, we are proud to be English blah blah balh. Then when we get knocked out, or the tournament ends all the flags go away. Where did the patriotism, the love of the country go? Why is patriotism so linked to sport in our country? Why is it linked to specific "cool sports" more than any sport?
Shouldn't pride in your country be permanent? Why do people become patriotic when something is linked to royalty? Jubilee's weddings etc and within a week, it's gone again?
People will try and blame political correctness... wrong! And people will try and say that they "aren't allowed" to say/be patriotic.... wrong! The real reason that almost all of it is linked to the media reminding or telling people to be patriotic.
Going into sport, they are heroes, this time they are going to do it. If they don't win the competition the media turn on the team, the flags come down and everyone is negative.
I don't know when V.E. Day is, i don't gve a toss when V.E Day is, but I know for sure when it comes around the media will crank up the must do the silence, must remind us of what a great nation we are blah blah blah. The next day the same papers will be saying benefit cheats, the government are corrupt, crime etc. back to normal patriotism and pride goes back into the box until next calender date.
There are lots of people that are patriotic and that's cool, but there are more and more that are but say nothing as it's not "a big thing" in their life or just aren't at all.
You also have of course the fact that the UK is a much more multi-cultural/multi-national country than the US. If you ask some people what nationality they are they will say, French, Spanish, Nigerian, Chinese, Indian and so forth. For them the UK is just where they live and try and have a better life (no doubt benefits will get mentioned now lol) and they have no pride in saying god bless the UK as they don't have the home country/nationality attachment to it. They may say they like or love living in the UK, but their nationality and national identity will always be their home nation.
I don't get patriotism, boil it down and it's simply where your parents banged - why is that something to celebrate? What has the geography of conception have to do with anything? Small minded in my opinion, you don't even get to choose.
I've long agreed with this point of view and think that this kind of tribalism may be hardwired into the human brain or something. If anything it's immigrants who should feel the most patriotic for their new home yet it's frequently ex pats who are the most nostalgic for the place they left behind and wave the flag the hardest.
Why, it's totally accurate - the objections the NRA have to any form of gun control have caused more American deaths than all the terrorists in history. The Tea Baggers along with the religious fanatics have contributed to the erosion of the rights of ALL American - the 4th, 5th & 6th Amendments are effectively dead and worse still people cheer the loss of those rights believing it improves their safety.
I don't get patriotism, boil it down and it's simply where your parents banged - why is that something to celebrate? What has the geography of conception have to do with anything? Small minded in my opinion, you don't even get to choose.
The true patriots are those who choose their nationality.
Comments
no idea why you're talking about me being supposedly scared of something.
you're the scared one it looks calling them a 'mob' so what makes you so scared of them? you said they're a mob, now tell us why you think that? what are they doing thats so scary to you?
I tell you what, I will when you change the damn record yourself. :rolleyes:
I don't really see being patriotic as a problem. But I get your point about the "USA!" chant being a bit cringey. I re-watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games recently and most of the athletes on camera seemed to just smile or wave. But every time the camera was focused on an American athlete, they automatically broke out with the "USA!" chant. It just seemed so out of place when it appeared all the other athletes were just happy to be there.
Stupid comment of the decade.
Pretty much.
I don't see anything wrong with it. It's just celebration and being patriotic.
Some on here have this aversion to being proud of where you're from. I don't get that. Patriotism is fine within reason.
I think you're overanalyzing it. It's just a chant. It expresses relief. America was attacked, albeit the death toll wasn't nearly as high as 9/11, and people are relieved that that terrorist was caught.
Oh, the irony.
Yeah. I don't get that either.
I don't think I can roll my eyes enough times to express how ridiculous that statement is.
I just saw something on TV about that today. It was a show about the 1980s.
I think it's a misnomer that we, as a whole, don't know the words to our own anthem. If you put somebody on the spot without music they might have more trouble, but you could probably do that with a lot of patriotic songs.
By the way, here's the Bruins fans singing the anthem the first game after the bombing. Toward the end of the video the camera pans out. All that's on the jumbotron is the flag. No words. These people must be the exception to the rule that we are too stupid to know our own anthem.
http://youtu.be/ZzMsagY7oRs
But to a lot of us it was more than an attack on Boston. It was another terrorist attack on America, albeit on a much smaller scale than 9/11.
And "God Bless America." I heard that on the news tonight.
You don't understand that people were relieved that the bomber was caught? Sure, people are angry, but they also feel sad for those who were hurt, and they want to honor the heroes that emerged out of this tragedy. It's not so much a celebration as a release of that anxiety. The anger will come later when the guy is on trial. I don't think the people killed and injured would want us to simmer in anger. I think they would prefer that we get justice against the bomber and move on with our lives, always aware that we need to be on our toes.
That's been my experience.
There's a lot to be sad about in the world. Perhaps to the people celebrating catching his guy was a small victory. HE didn't get away. People like justice. It doesn't changed what happens, but you have to begin the healing process and begin to move on.
Not really. The feeling of relief seems to be understood by just about any American I have heard from, whether they share that sentiment or not.
I guess I don't understand the British stiff upper lip. Sometimes you need to find something to comfort you, even if it is just the bomber being caught. The bomber being in custody means people in that town can sleep a little more soundly. For the rest of us it's more of a symbolic peace. He's out of the way and people can begin to heal and move on. Many of us sympathize with the people effected by this and we feel like the bomber attacked all of America, even if he did it in Boston.
I think the stiff upper lip stereotype is kind of funny. Maybe Britons deal with it quietly, but they also drink (on average) a lot more than we do.
Oh. And here's another example. The Boston Red Sox baseball team were finally able to play after this whole situation ended. Their theme song has long been Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline," and so they invited Neil to come to the park and lead them through the song. It's heart warming actually. And, I don't think there's anything jingoistic about it. Just an expression of happiness, relief, and togetherness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqXyHon_hD8&feature=youtu.be
Bless them!
National pride or blinkered vision?
I remember watching WWE wrestling and you had two wrestlers fighting ring side. One of them was Iranian (really an American) so obviously the bad guy and he was getting beaten by the good guy. A fan at ringside started chanting USA USA USA and the good guy wrestler yelled at him, I'm Canadian you jackass!
This week I went and saw the film Olympus has fallen, a very good action film up there with Die Hard etc. Every so ofyen an obvious shot or comments aimed at American's appeared and people watching started laughing as it was so stupid and clumsily shoe-horned in.
I had the misfortune of watching a programme called ' Man vs. Food ', where some bloke visits restaurants eating some super hot, super sized food. Only Americans could whoop and cheer while watching some fat git spend 45 minutes with grease running down his face, chanting ' go Adam go, go Adam go.
There's nothing wrong with celebrating the fact they got him, and thanking the police, I would too. Infact that seemed all normal to me.
What I don't necessarily like though, and what a lot of people have a problem with about the USA USA USA! chants is the consequences of what that eventually leads to.
Take for example on Sky, where a women at the Boston Red Sox game was asked about it a said "America always wins, take us on and we will go to war with you!!".
Its that type of "patriotism" that has led to disasterous consequences for America. "Patriotism" was used after 9/11 to justify a war, resulting in 100,000 civilian deaths and 4000 American lives being lost, to invade a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. But some of the American public were so blinkered with "USA USA USA! patriotism" at the time that they didn't care who they got as long as they GOT someone.
Like I say I'm not going to overly criticise America, because there's a lot of great things about the country, I'm even planning on going there this summer, but thats my beef with some irrational patriotism, and its not just America, its a lot of other countries patriotism too.
Here in Britain I have a big problem with the poppy police forcing everyone to wear red poppies remembering the war dead. One Irish footballer, who grew up in an estate where the British army murdered 13 civilians, refused to where one, caused major uproar and was subsequently given death threats. :rolleyes: Thats the problem with blinkered patriotism and what it leads to IMO.
I understand this because when I see anything connected with Katie Price I think...
Hooooooooooooooooooooo !!
Of course we get that people are relived that the person has been caught etc, but why "national" pride? when it was local law enforcement with the help of Homeland Security and the FBI that caught him, well it was more one guy who happened to come out his house and spot some blood on his boat.
When something happens here in the UK and usually other countries as well, the praise etc goes to the people or organizations involved, not the whole country.
When The Yorkshire Ripper was caught we didn't think "the country" caught him, or even all the police forces in the UK caught him. It was the local police that caught him and all praise is directed to them.
I think what a lot of us can't get our head around the almost default setting that American's seem to have to make everything about America as a country even when it's not.
The nly time we do that is in sport which we in the UK are not that good at. When England do well, it's England a country in it's own right, but if Scotland, Wales or the Republic of Ireland do well then they suddenly become British and are embraced as being part of the laughably named "Great Britain" and now it's the "British" have done well.
I absolutely agree with you when it comes to people who say things like that 'lady'. It makes me cringe when I hear that kind of stuff come out of people's mouths. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly fine with people being total loudmouths and crass and flag-waving nincompoops, but when it comes the USA chant as like a "war cheerleading" it crosses the line into gross. What is scary is that a lot of times people actually mean it.
I mean, what an asshole this woman is. She's so overcome with whatever idiotic, simple emotion she's feeling so as to invoke war and revenge. She was probably a racist.
I don't know what to tell you, man. I've developed a pretty good ability to give people the benefit of a doubt. It's pretty much required to be sane and American these days. When a bunch of rando (probably drunk) people stick their faces in a cnn camera and scream USA it doesn't bother me. Their exuberance shouldn't be mistaken for that jerk lady's ignorance.
(on a side note: jingoism isn't unique to americans, nor do we do it better or more freely. we just have all the guns.)
edit: i really like your post - thanks for bringing some perspective up in here.
Well, I have to say I don't think you're being completely honest with this post. When good things and bad things go down in the UK, the people there point to the "stiff upper lip" (which is a stereotype, I get it) and their 'resolve'. These are things I personally admire about the UK national identity, but like, I don't think geography matters. You guys and gals in the UK have a way of doing things and you have a complicated situation and so when times are rough it's not that weird to call upon a collective strength. Is it?
I meant the words they actually chant, which is 'USA,USA' because they know them, and if you are going to have a spontaneous chant it has to be some thing everyone already knows.
I didn't mean your national anthem.
"The stiff upper lip" etc is media led cobblers, particularly used by the BBC. It's not a true reflection of what people think. As you have read on this forums, we in the UK love bitching, complainiing and putting down everyone and everything when it comes to ouw own countrymen.
The stiff upper lip, the politeness and respect that the rest of the world still seem to believe the UK/British have died out a long time ago.
As I said in my previous post, one thing we don't do is take something that happens regionally and make it a national thing, that a nation has overcome. One of the worst tragedies in football (soccer) was the Hillsborough disaster. Anything good said about what happened their from the health services wasn't automatically turned into the national health service and so the UK is awesome. The praise stayed locally of what the local hospital and local services did and quite rightly so.
When we have sporting occasions the country turns into a huge laundry, lots of England flags start appearing, hanging from cars, out windows, and so forth. Let's get behind our country, come on England, we are proud to be English blah blah balh. Then when we get knocked out, or the tournament ends all the flags go away. Where did the patriotism, the love of the country go? Why is patriotism so linked to sport in our country? Why is it linked to specific "cool sports" more than any sport?
Shouldn't pride in your country be permanent? Why do people become patriotic when something is linked to royalty? Jubilee's weddings etc and within a week, it's gone again?
People will try and blame political correctness... wrong! And people will try and say that they "aren't allowed" to say/be patriotic.... wrong! The real reason that almost all of it is linked to the media reminding or telling people to be patriotic.
Going into sport, they are heroes, this time they are going to do it. If they don't win the competition the media turn on the team, the flags come down and everyone is negative.
I don't know when V.E. Day is, i don't gve a toss when V.E Day is, but I know for sure when it comes around the media will crank up the must do the silence, must remind us of what a great nation we are blah blah blah. The next day the same papers will be saying benefit cheats, the government are corrupt, crime etc. back to normal patriotism and pride goes back into the box until next calender date.
There are lots of people that are patriotic and that's cool, but there are more and more that are but say nothing as it's not "a big thing" in their life or just aren't at all.
You also have of course the fact that the UK is a much more multi-cultural/multi-national country than the US. If you ask some people what nationality they are they will say, French, Spanish, Nigerian, Chinese, Indian and so forth. For them the UK is just where they live and try and have a better life (no doubt benefits will get mentioned now lol) and they have no pride in saying god bless the UK as they don't have the home country/nationality attachment to it. They may say they like or love living in the UK, but their nationality and national identity will always be their home nation.
It may be different in the US though.