Posted by Ilse on October 06, 1999 at 16:12:07:
In Reply to: Re: Could I respectfully ask... posted by Rebecca on October 06, 1999 at 14:23:59:
: : Good Morning, Doctor M!
: : I agree with you that the DAR posts probably need to wrap it up, however, I would like to ask your permission to say one little, tiny thing, myself, regarding issues mentioned in one of them. I stayed out of the whole discussion, being ignorant of any great knowledge on the subject, though I suspect that like most things in life, the DAR has many positives and some negatives associated with it. But it is very hard for me to NOT take a stand on Patriotism. I was born in this country, and will no doubt die in this country, and I am PROUD of this country. I stand happily to pledge allegiance to America, and I sing the National Anthem with pride, and while there are certainly MANY issues to debate regarding our government, past history, present issues, and future possibilities, I love being an American. I'm not blind to injustices done, and certainly am willing to try to prevent new ones from being perpetrated, but all things considered, I think this is the greatest country in the world.
: : If being patriotic makes anyone feel like "throwing up," I say hurl away...Doc Mary can probably recommend a stomach specialist.
: : Just my thoughts, and I don't mind at all if this post gets deleted, now that I've had my say.
: : Color me Patriotic and Proud,
: : MMMMarcia
: Did I hear patriotism???? Okay, here I go: "Oh Canada, our home and native land, true patriot love in all thy sons command.."
: Oops, wrong country..:)))
: Rebecca from the land of the Maple Leaf....
: Don't we have the prettiest flag????:)
Rebecca, I love the Canadian flag. In fact, in my Pretty Flag Top Three, it ranks second, right after the Brazilian one :)
More seriously, I fear this debate results from a lack of appreciating the differences between Western Europe and the United States. Growing up in Holland, with parents and grandparents who lived through the horrors of the extreme nationalism of World War II, I caught on very early to the uneasiness in my country surrounding ideas of "national pride". I think that to you, Petra, growing up in Germany, it must have been at least as clear that all sorts of negative feelings were connected with nationalism. In Holland, in general, love for our country is expressed in a very subdued way, and there seems to be something a bit uncomfortable about it. That doesn't mean it's not there though.
So, I can easily share Petra's surprise at the way Americans express themselves in this area, simply because it's so different from mine. To me it is one of the many illustrations at how different we can all perceive and experience and express things. Which is very nice and makes the world interesting. Wouldn't it be a lot less interesting if we all saw things exactly the same?
Maybe I am rambling, but wanted to add some of my perspective in light of these reactions.
Rich, you devil you! You KNOW, I can never turn down a cold one at the local pub :) I agree with your post.
Ilse, who does not own a Dutch flag, but is honestly happy to hail from Holland