Being proud of your heritage/culture?

[drankin]

This question came to me last night while I was putting the finishing touches to my grand unified theory that involved only algebra and came to the conclusion that Earth is only 853 years old. I hear the ol 'I'm proud of my culture/heritage' thrown about a lot around where I live, typically by more racist people, and one question has finally come to mind: What does that mean?

I mean really, when I think of the word proud, a few things come to mind. For one, someone being proud of their son or daughter. This seems to make sense because you helped raise your child and how they behave reflects upon how good of a parent you were (at least in one's mind this can be argued, I am not interested in whether or not its true). Another is being proud of your neighborhood (or more commonly heard as "Taking pride in our streets") which to me still makes sense because you have a hand in keeping your neighborhood clean or in helping reduce crime and what not. Of course, there's always being proud of yourself where you take pride in the things you've done and accomplished... no need for an explanation there.

The idea of having pride in your culture and heritage confuses me though. I just don't understand what it means to have pride in people you don't know, most of whom are dead, or cultures which you had no part in creating really. Someone enlighten me, san francisco style. Wait just kidding, enlighten me in a way that's logical.

I'm proud of my Irish heritage. But it is very watered down. I only really have the last name to distinguish it. I'm proud that I have something of a heritage. My son and daughter are 1/4 Alaskan Native. I'm proud of that. And I make it a point to show them that is something to be proud of. As dilluted of a world we have and are going to have, cultures, heritages, languages are dissolving. I know one person, and I work with him, who is 100% of a particular race, Japanese, and I think that is awesome. I'm proud to know him for that fact (as well as being impeccable at his position).

It's a uniqueness that is becoming more and more rare. Something to be proud of.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

It's a uniqueness that is becoming more and more rare. Something to be proud of.

Why would you be proud? Would you be proud of someone with webbed fingers? Is there any logic to being proud of something which someone has no control over let alone that it has absolutely nothing to do with you?

 

[maverick_starstrider]

Can they still be proud of things their family has done? Who said anything about other people giving that person respect? I'm sure people who kill other people sometimes are proud of what they've done. They still get no respect from me. So I have no idea where you're going with this.

You CAN be proud of your family name. No this does not mean you fall back on it, no this doesn't mean you haven't accomplished anything yourself. The OP wasn't about is it OK to have pride in these things it was if it makes sense.
And yeah, if a person is so inclined to be ashamed of things people in their family history have done then they have every right to.

Rights? How does this have anything to do with rights? You sound like I'm suggesting it should be illegal to be proud of ones heritage or some nonsense. I'm just pointing out, yet again, that IMHO it's a silly thing to do. Do it all you want I'll just think you've got the wrong idea.

 

[maverick_starstrider]

Since when did 'race' become synonomous with culture/heritage? And how does that relate to being proud of your culture/heritage?

Anyways back to the OP which maverick seems to have just ignored...

Maverick are you part of any country that's currently fighting a war? Go ahead and tell the soldiers that you're not proud of what they do. It's not about personal glory that's called boasting or being pompous. One is a personal feeling the other is an action to show superiority.

I feel that I am in NO WAY making myself look good for being proud of things that occurred before me. I'm not making myself look better than anyone... this has nothing to do with pride.

You try signing up for the "East Asian Christian Alliance" even if you're white but born and raised in East Asia.

I am Canadian and yes we are in Afghanistan and no I wouldn't say I'm "proud" of the soldiers. Like the old mantra goes "I'm not against the soldiers I'm against the war" but they weren't drafted, they signed up to put themselves in mortal danger in a non-defensive war. Some did it to get a decent career later, others for money and I'm sure most because their "heritage"/"culture" told them that it was a good idea to put your life on the line for the whims of politicians. Someone said "Jump" and they decided to say "how high?" I don't suppose I really see what is pride-worthy about that. I see people with those asinine bumper stickers "If you're not behind our soldier get in front of them" which is retarded. This isn't World War II. Afghanistan and Iraq are not powerful nations marching on us. I certainly never asked my government to send people to die so I certainly don't feel any reverence to those who volunteered to do the dying.

That is not to say that the experience of war may not make an individual soldier a very respect worthy person. But no. It absolutely does not make me warm and tingly inside to know that there are bunch of mostly poorly educated, mostly impoverished kids out there giving and taking bullets.