"America... F**k Yeah..."

Team America - World Police rocks.

Don't worry, this blog isn't about Team America, it is. however, about America.  Mostly.  And some other countries. I know what you are thinking, "oh, here we go, a bloody Briton (note: I'm British, not English :) ) bitching about America."  Not at all, quite the opposite - I am a huge fan of America.  It's my favourite place on earth, and if I thought for a second I could get a Green Card, I'd be off like a shot.  Sure, America has problems, but name me a country which doesn't.

So, what the hell am I on about. Well, this blog was inspired by a comment a news anchor made on the show I was watching. His son was graduating from West Point, and he was, naturally, proud of his son, and then he said

"If you get the chance, go to one of these graduations, it will make you feel good about America, and the future of this country"

It made me think - here was a guy, obviously proud of his son,  but equally proud of his country.  So what, you say, and to a point, it's a fair comment, but it got me thinking. In Britain, we aren't a vocal about nationalistic pride, actually, most of the time, quite the opposite. There is this bizarre view in the UK that displaying national pride is somehow a bad thing, that displaying either the Union Flag, or the flag of one of the component countries of the Union is racist. Why? Why, in the British psyche, is national pride inexorably linked with racism?  Why is it that those who wish to fly the Union Flag, the Flag of St George, the Welsh Flag, the Saltire etc etc, are labelled undesirable. There have even been cases in England where local councils have banned the flying of the Flag of St George on private property for fear that it may offend people who are not of natural-born English Caucasian stock. The issue doesn't seem to be quite as bad in Scotland, but look around - how many houses fly a Saltire (or a Lion Rampant).  Compare that with the US.  The first few trips I made to the USA, I was constantly amazed at how many houses, just ordinary houses occupied by ordinary people, proudly flew the Stars and Stripes.

This has been an issue which has lodged itself in my mind for several years now, and it has generally made me think of a couple of specific questions:

1. When does patriotism become jingoism
2. How many people (outwith the US) confuse the two

I will admit, the first couple of trips I made to the US made me feel a bit uncomfortable - I wasn't used to being around people who embraced their nationality, their country, the way Americans do. I was guilty of thinking it was arrogance, that they were, by default, belittling my country, in their celebration of their own. As I got to know some Americans I realised that wasn't the case. The vast majority of Americans I have met love their country,and there is nothing at all wrong with that, but what often seems to get lost is the fact that they also appreciate other countries.  Some more than others, Scotland and Ireland seem to be universally revered in the US, on the East Coast Italy is highly regarded too, other countries, not so much (and this isn't exclusive to the US, I've experienced this an many countries).

So why, then, does the US have such a bad rap.  A lot of it, undoubtedly is a fallout from American foreign policy, but I think a fair amount of it is people who think in the way I used to, but who haven't had the chance to really get to know any Americans (heck, in my case I even lived with one for almost 2 years!) and do confuse American national pride with jingoism. To return to an earlier point, in the UK I would put a hefty amount of money on the cause of that being the fact that to a Briton, obvious displays of national pride are alien to us.

So, what's the point of this treatise. Well, I guess, like so many of my blogs, there really isn't one. So, I will end with this - the world is a place full of wonder.  There are so many different cultures, creeds, races, which give us the diversity we should all celebrate.  Just because someone is happy to express their love for their own country, it doesn't automatically follow that their celebration of their nation is a condemnation of any other. There is nothing wrong with national pride, so long as that pride doesn't stray into a denigration of others.

Enjoy your country and it's culture, and embrace the diversity of others. There you go!