Ashamed to be __________

[Saint Jade IV]

I was thinking about this the other day when they had a news story regarding the Cronulla Race Riots on a current affairs show. That day made me, for the first time in my life, totally ashamed to be an Australian. To see groups of Australians attacking anyone different, and to hear politicians and other personalities daring to support or defend their actions in any way, or blaming the victims for not being "Australian" enough sickened me. To hear friends and relatives defending the actions made me feel even worse.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Cronulla_riots

What events have made you ashamed of your country? If you have never felt this, why not? Is there a case to be made that you can't help where you are born, so it's silly to feel any way other than neutral about it?

[Buzzelli]

An American.(though im really Italian-American) Why?-
Watch the movie" Iraq For Sale", YOUR AGREE
http://iraqforsale.org/

[Valipac]

in b4 president bush

[Jimanistan]

I'm ashamed to be a half-rate poet (poetaster), for obvious reasons...

[Barringtonia]

I've lived out of the country of my birth for so long that I genuinely don't have too great an attachment to it, I'll support teams in sports but, overall, I'm not particularly emotionally connected.

I wonder whether it's a similar experience to religion, something that causes emotions with no real basis behind it, and the further and longer you are away from its influence, the less important it seems.

[ReAmerica]

American, because just over half my countrymen voted for Barrack Hussein Obama.

[Anti-Social Darwinism]

I don't know that I'm ashamed to be anything.

These things happen because of fear. And the big fear now is that European cultures and European based cultures (like American, Canadian, Australian -- and so on) are going to be destroyed and replaced with something alien - so of course most people react blindly and engage in groupthink and groupaction instead of actually thinking about what's going on and discovering a rational response.

[Saint Jade IV]

I don't know that I'm ashamed to be anything.

These things happen because of fear. And the big fear now is that European cultures and European based cultures (like American, Canadian, Australian -- and so on) are going to be destroyed and replaced with something alien - so of course most people react blindly and engage in groupthink and groupaction instead of actually thinking about what's going on and discovering a rational response.

Indeed. I was just horrified to think that this is the perception of Australian culture and identity that is out there.

[Anti-Social Darwinism]

I don't know that I'm ashamed to be anything.

These things happen because of fear. And the big fear now is that European cultures and European based cultures (like American, Canadian, Australian -- and so on) are going to be destroyed and replaced with something alien - so of course most people react blindly and engage in groupthink and groupaction instead of actually thinking about what's going on and discovering a rational response.

Indeed. I was just horrified to think that this is the perception of Australian culture and identity that is out there.

Then you feel as I do about being an American. It really bothers me that we're judged on the actions of a minority. The majority of us are fairly decent people. We do seem to have a disinclination to stand in front of a baying mob and tell them they're stupid and they should shut up and go home - I really suspect that this is more of a disinclination to be killed while accomplishing nothing.

In any case, I don't judge the majority of a people by the actions of a few. And while there are some on this forum who do judge, I suspect that most don't.

[Muravyets]

American, because just over half my countrymen voted for Barrack Hussein Obama.

American, but for a completely different reason than the above.

[Avenio]

It happens in Canada too, and its very scary to see ourselves act so xenophobic that these things happen. There was a protest by Tamil-Canadians against the Sri Lankan government's war crimes in their war against the LTTE, which blocked a highway in Toronto, and people were complaining that "it disrupts traffic" on Mother's Day. The Canadian government hasn't done anything to help these people, and they only blockaded the highway after weeks of regular protests that went almost unheard by anyone. The protestors left as soon as they learned that the opposition leader, Micheal Ignatieff would bring their plight to the attention of the government in Question Period, without any violence or resitance, I might add. The below post on the CBC website (The national broadcasting company) scares me in particular, as it shows a frightening indifference to world events, and a startling amount of ignorance that has grown lately;

Where did these demonstrators all of a sudden come from? Terrorists should definitely not be allowed to make any kind of public 'statements' about the very acts they surreptitiously commit back in Sri Lanka! Our government MUST not accede to these people's demands! What have we got to do with their 'self-directed' genocide in their homeland? I, personally, will NOT support any government leaders of ours who try to placate these cowards! Should they not be thankful for all they get in this country? Instead they choose to irritate, pester and arbitrarily close-down our thoroughfares? "Come-on, Canadians of Sri Lankan roots: be serious! Do you honestly think you'll get much sympathy for your perceived causes doing that to us? Not from me! Try going back to fight for your families and your tribe! Now, THAT would be honourable!

And even our government, the Conservatives, are ignorant to the horrible acts being committed by both sides of the war, as evidenced by the below article;

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/05/11/tamil-protest.html

[Veblenia]

I'm ashamed to be Canadian on a regular basis. We're a smug, parochial, conservative lot.

[Kraveska]

Well, I'm American. Need I say more?

[Heaven Hieghts]

An American because Americas fucked up too much to just let it slide and say; "people (countries) make mistakes"

[Mysteriousdoor]

American, because even though we've made about every possible mistake, were still up on top.

[Kraveska]

Well, I was sort of kidding, being American isn't all bad. It's just the conservatives, yelling and whining that everybody who isn't like them is bad, and the other strange and bad people in this country. I actually enjoy being an American.

[Anti-Social Darwinism]

American, because just over half my countrymen voted for Barrack Hussein Obama.

American, but for a completely different reason than the above.

See, I just don't understand this viewpoint. I'm not ashamed to be an American. I'm unhappy with those self-proclaimed Americans, like Phred Phelps, who do things of which they should be ashamed, but I'm not them. I'm myself. If I were to be ashamed of being an American, I would have to be ashamed of myself, and I've done nothing to be ashamed of (except, perhaps, dangling a participle).

I'm not ashamed of being an American. And as for those shameless posers who call themselves Americans while doing shameful things - I dismiss them as what they are,fools, posers and shams, and do what I can to counteract them.

[Milks Empire]

Ashamed to be lumped together under the umbrella term American with the same people who think torture is the right thing to do.
Ashamed to be lumped together under the same umbrella term with the same folks who wave signs that say "GOD HATES FAGS" and the like.
Ashamed to be lumped together under the same umbrella term with the same folks who believe this country is destined to be a theocracy that is supposed to unabashedly eradicate another religion on the grounds that it's a different religion.
Ashamed to be lumped together under the same umbrella term with the Ku Klux Klan.
Ashamed that America has yet to truly own up to its genocide against the indigenous people of her shores.

But I'm not ashamed of being American.

[Muravyets]

American, because just over half my countrymen voted for Barrack Hussein Obama.

American, but for a completely different reason than the above.

See, I just don't understand this viewpoint. I'm not ashamed to be an American. I'm unhappy with those self-proclaimed Americans, like Phred Phelps, who do things of which they should be ashamed, but I'm not them. I'm myself. If I were to be ashamed of being an American, I would have to be ashamed of myself, and I've done nothing to be ashamed of (except, perhaps, dangling a participle).

I'm not ashamed of being an American. And as for those shameless posers who call themselves Americans while doing shameful things - I dismiss them as what they are,fools, posers and shams, and do what I can to counteract them.

The past 8 - 10 years have made me ashamed of my fellow Americans as a general group -- enough that it makes me ashamed to be in the same group as them. I am ashamed of their rampant and thoughtless wastefulness. I am ashamed at their brain-bypassing, knee-jerk reactions to political spin and marketing bullshit; their complete and utter abandonment of critical thinking. I am ashamed of the current fashion for avoiding accountability no matter what, even to the extreme of blaming people for wanting to investigate and punish torturers. I am ashamed of how dedicated so many Americans seem to be to fucking up every detail of every job they are given to do. I am ashamed of their childishness and self-absorption. I am ashamed at how quickly and easily they caved in to fear and threw all the hard-won liberties of our nation into the trash for the sake of "security" which they didn't even get. I am ashamed of how many of them cling to old bigotries for no reason other than to maintain old social privileges.

And I am especially ashamed of all that when I compare it to what Americans used to be -- yes, loud, consuming, abrasive, but also smart, capable, positive thinking, and independent.

I feel like the word "American" has been dirtied in recent years.

[Thomolopolis]

an american, we bitch and moan about how bad our lives are all the time, and there are people in the world who are fifty times worse off that we are.

[Trve]

American, because just over half my countrymen voted for Barrack Hussein Obama.

Its funny that youre ashamed of something that the vast majority of the world viewed as a good thing.

Anyway, I dont waste my time with pride or shame in my country, unless Im directly responsible for the events that I have to be proud of/ashamed over.

[Anti-Social Darwinism]

[/quote]
American, but for a completely different reason than the above.[/quote]

See, I just don't understand this viewpoint. I'm not ashamed to be an American. I'm unhappy with those self-proclaimed Americans, like Phred Phelps, who do things of which they should be ashamed, but I'm not them. I'm myself. If I were to be ashamed of being an American, I would have to be ashamed of myself, and I've done nothing to be ashamed of (except, perhaps, dangling a participle).

I'm not ashamed of being an American. And as for those shameless posers who call themselves Americans while doing shameful things - I dismiss them as what they are,fools, posers and shams, and do what I can to counteract them.[/quote]
The past 8 - 10 years have made me ashamed of my fellow Americans as a general group -- enough that it makes me ashamed to be in the same group as them. I am ashamed of their rampant and thoughtless wastefulness. I am ashamed at their brain-bypassing, knee-jerk reactions to political spin and marketing bullshit; their complete and utter abandonment of critical thinking. I am ashamed of the current fashion for avoiding accountability no matter what, even to the extreme of blaming people for wanting to investigate and punish torturers. I am ashamed of how dedicated so many Americans seem to be to fucking up every detail of every job they are given to do. I am ashamed of their childishness and self-absorption. I am ashamed at how quickly and easily they caved in to fear and threw all the hard-won liberties of our nation into the trash for the sake of "security" which they didn't even get. I am ashamed of how many of them cling to old bigotries for no reason other than to maintain old social privileges.

And I am especially ashamed of all that when I compare it to what Americans used to be -- yes, loud, consuming, abrasive, but also smart, capable, positive thinking, and independent.

I feel like the word "American" has been dirtied in recent years.[/quote]

(Stupid forum won't let us imbed more than three quotes )

The you have a lot of work ahead of you to fix this (as do all like minded people). If you think it's too hard or that the odds are too great, then you've just made yourself part of the problem.

[Brutland and Norden]

I am NOT ashamed to be a blank.

[Tobelade]

I don't know that I'm ashamed to be anything.

These things happen because of fear. And the big fear now is that European cultures and European based cultures (like American, Canadian, Australian -- and so on) are going to be destroyed and replaced with something alien - so of course most people react blindly and engage in groupthink and groupaction instead of actually thinking about what's going on and discovering a rational response.

Indeed. I was just horrified to think that this is the perception of Australian culture and identity that is out there.

Then you feel as I do about being an American. It really bothers me that we're judged on the actions of a minority. The majority of us are fairly decent people. We do seem to have a disinclination to stand in front of a baying mob and tell them they're stupid and they should shut up and go home - I really suspect that this is more of a disinclination to be killed while accomplishing nothing.

In any case, I don't judge the majority of a people by the actions of a few. And while there are some on this forum who do judge, I suspect that most don't.

Hear, Hear! Total agreement! (PS. Australia is all the rage. )

[Tubbsalot]

Australian, not because we're idiots or even that we're perceived as that, but because our government is regressive and moronic no matter which party we vote into office.