I don't have a country to love. No, really. I've been brought up in so many different countries that I've never settled down anywhere. I've enjoyed each of the places I've lived in, but... I've never been around long enough to get attached. I can change accents and cultural references as easily as most people change a pair of gloves. Having grown up in places as varied as Africa, Asia and Oceania, I really have no sense of national identity. I have my Dad to thank for that -- if his job hadn't required him to move regularly, I would probably have developed "roots".

As it is, I'm rootless. Like pollen. 😀

I feel I owe my loyalty more to humanity in general than to any particular country. If there are things my current country demands of me that go against my principles, I won't do them. For example, if the country I'm a citizen of right now -- Australia -- demands that I fight in an aggressive war, I will refuse. I do not wish to hurt people just because they come from a different place. I myself have come from so many different places! I don't think I could approve of killing someone just because they're stuck on the other side of the fence.

What it boils down to is that politics sucks. Anywhere. I've realized that I love the people of any country -- well, most of the people I meet, anyway -- but I will never love the governments.

Governments are a necessary evil of existing in human society, but I'm never going to like them, nor am I going to owe my loyalty to them, beyond the most basic civic services, like taxation. Whether I ally myself with them for specific purposes depends entirely on whether these purposes benefit everyday people.

If a government doesn't help the people, I won't obey it. Simple as that.

"They sicken of the calm, who knew the storm." - Dorothy Parker.

Quote from Taco

However, I love living in the US. I have so many friends of so many different ethnicities, and the sheer amount of different cultures that preserve their own identity while still blending in to everyday life is just astounding. I live near a Filipino Cultural Center that holds a festival once a year and I love attending to hear the sounds, see the sights, eat the food, and the like.

          What you mean is this, you like living where you live. You like living in a multi ethnical neighbourhood. WTF does that have to do with loving the USA? 

and to pearlesque,
while a i agree with a lot you said, but just saying politics suck is to easy a way out. They are necessary, and as good or bad as the people who take part.

Bully Jesus, you're right about that, but... Seriously, none of the countries I've ever lived in have had non-corrupt governments. I used to hope, but now I've stopped hoping. It's like -- lol, it's kind of like getting your heart broken, but in an ideological way...

That said, of course some governments are better than others. It's just that in general, I don't like governments as a whole. We need them in order for society to exist, but I don't like the people that run them... I've seen power corrupt too many politicians who said they'd do the right thing.

Perhaps it's just the nature of politics to function on deceit. To expect anything else might well be ridiculous...

"They sicken of the calm, who knew the storm." - Dorothy Parker.

Quote from bully_jesus

What you mean is this, you like living where you live. You like living in a multi ethnical neighbourhood. WTF does that have to do with loving the USA?

Because it's where I live and experience what I mentioned. I love where I live, and it just so happens to be the USA.

Quote from bully_jesus

Quote from Taco

However, I love living in the US. I have so many friends of so many different ethnicities, and the sheer amount of different cultures that preserve their own identity while still blending in to everyday life is just astounding. I live near a Filipino Cultural Center that holds a festival once a year and I love attending to hear the sounds, see the sights, eat the food, and the like.

          What you mean is this, you like living where you live. You like living in a multi ethnical neighbourhood. WTF does that have to do with loving the USA? 

and to pearlesque,
while a i agree with a lot you said, but just saying politics suck is to easy a way out. They are necessary, and as good or bad as the people who take part.

Now now, don't flame. He probably meant that because the U.S. is so multicultural, he loves the U.S..

[Theses people gosh.....When I say something, everyone says I'm flaming them. When Bully actually flames someone, no one says anything....]

[color=green]Life, what would it be without so much wrongs and rights?
[/color]

[color=red]Star Trek XI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZiR-NETDr0[/color]

Quote from Taco

Quote from bully_jesus

What you mean is this, you like living where you live. You like living in a multi ethnical neighbourhood. WTF does that have to do with loving the USA?

Because it's where I live and experience what I mentioned. I love where I live, and it just so happens to be the USA.

I am not trying to say you shouldn't love wher you live, but i don't see that the love of something specific automaticly spreads to everything.

You live in a cool place in the USA you love, but what if you lived in a bad place of the USA you hated? Would you then hate all if the USA?

I know i am not explaining this very well so i'll try a few examples.

If you read an article in a news paper you really like, it doesn't mean you automaticly like the whole newspaper.

Lets say you have a great vacation somewhere. Pick whatever you like, great barier reef, tour along the wall of china, canyoning in south america, ..... Does that make you like the whole country?

So back to the USA.
Lets say that instead of living where you are, you are living in the dregs of south chicago, a very poor place with big alchohl drug/violence problem almost completly black where you ( if you are not black ) would have to face a lot of racism. Your life would probably not be as nice as it is now.
Lets say you lived on a farm somewhere in the mid west where the sheer amount of different cultures you like is not anywhere to be found.

If you were in one of these extreme situations, would you not love the USA? Would you like it less?

My problem with your reasoning is that you relate something to something much bigger.
I love where i live, therefore i love the country i live in.
I love cherrys, therefore i love fruit.
I love my girlfriend, therefore i love women. / I love my boyfriend, therefore i love men.

To love the US there has to be something that applies to all ( or at least the majority ) of the US. Such things would be the Goverment, the History, the Constitution, the army, the food, the sports leagues, ..............

Maybe this whole discussion is just based on the fact that americans use the word "love" to mean anything from fondness to complete adoration.

I think our country being colonized by other countries in the past has its blessings and its curses.

Me, I love my origin, perhaps I'd consider that as loving my country and all the noble heritage that most positive peeps think of it. Also quite disappointed with the negative things that developed in it which are not iherently in our country but common things that I bet other countries are also familiar with.

So, if someone asks, I'll just say, "Yeah, I love my country but, at this rate, I ain't willing to die for it."

😐

"Everybody gets what they deserve.." -me

The US itself is fine, and I like it (except for the horrid case of ethnocentrism; it's just ridiculous. Example: We are NOT automatically the "best" nation in the world just because we're a majour power right now. Get over it). I just hate the current administration. And the growing obsession with religion (the US is the only industrialised country [that I know of] that can be considered deeply religious as a whole) is not really helping my opinion of it. Other than those few things, though, it's a pretty good place to live when you consider living conditions and opportunities.

United States....I like it alright in certain parts of the states. But there is a race issue that just keeps going on and on. Just a few months ago I went to a store and the girl at the register said that they don't give service to "people who look like me." How stupid.

Fake Every Thing Until You Make It To The Top

USA...what's not to love about this country?
It's better than to love a country where parents care more about their sheeps, cows, and chickes than about their own children; unless you're a girl who is worth about 1000-5000 dollars when she's sold into a marriage. Where 10 year old girls are force to marry 40 year old men and become his third or sixth wife. Where women are view as trash and are not able to speak their minds; and if they do they'll get beat up by their "master/husband" and label as a dirty old whores who deserves to die. Where divorce is consider taboo and you have to go through this 10 hours meeting of "Why you want to get divorce" and where everyone tries to convince you to return to the husband who abuse you and/or rapes you since it's not his fault it's the women's fault for making him angry. And if you're a woman who went throught a divorce then you're consider a slut that's "free market" and end up with 10 or 20 men pounding on your doors trying to sleep with you.
Thinking about where I came from and compare that to the US where I'm more free, I take the US anyday.

Fake Every Thing Until You Make It To The Top

U.S is awesome. i don't have any problems with it.

i wouldn't mind living in japan for a year or two to experience the culture though. some of you guys make it sound like they rather us not come. either way nothing wrong with experiencing the country that peaks your interest the most.

HUBBY of DUBBY

I don't love the US, but it's not a bad place to live. Do I resent the heavily impaired racial balance? Yes. But it's not like there are a whole lot of places better than the US.

I'll complain about it, but I won't say it's a bad place to live. Some of the people are cool, some of the people are asses, just like everywhere else. A lot of it's bad, but then, a lot of it's good too.

You'll never hear me say 'I love the USA!,' but hopefully you'll never hear me say 'the USA sucks, I'd rather live blahblahblah.'

Also, as to experiencing any other country...don't be a fucking stupid gweilo, and I say go ahead. Otherwise, gtfo. Colonialism and westernization has killed enough cultures, no need to drive in the point by being a total fucking toad.

I love my country, it gave me my job, my house, and my food I can't really complain........

There are only 10 kinds of people.

Those who know binary and those who don't.

Quote from Lukannon

Also, as to experiencing any other country...don't be a fucking stupid gweilo, and I say go ahead. Otherwise, gtfo. Colonialism and westernization has killed enough cultures, no need to drive in the point by being a total fucking toad.

woa, dude that is a huge flamming paragraph. whats a gweilo? who was that directed at lol i am confused
😕

HUBBY of DUBBY

i'm from the United Arab Emirates and I love my country 🙂 but i hate some of the values our people have, like the importance of having a cool car plate number/cell phone #, they just had an auction on car plate numbers last week and number "7" sold the highest for 11,000,000 Dirhams = 3,000,000 US Dollars -________-

Back to why i LOVE my country, locals don't pay for public education or medication, it's free!! I'm up to my masters now and i haven't paid a thing. They even give 20,000 US Dollars as a gift/aid for couples getting married (first timers only)!!

Now that i read back on my post i sure am materialistic, >_>;