Why is the USA so proud of itself and its flag?

Question

I'm from the UK, and have lived in France for a number of years as well. Britain, if anything, is, historically speaking, a more accomplished country and therefore has more to be proud of than America, a country that from the outside world seems to have a ruthless, crude and hypocritical society (thanks to the international shames of Guantanamo Bay, the War on Terror, the Iraq War, George Bush, pollution and global warming, racism, segregation, ruthless warfare etc). In the USA it is common to show the flag in classrooms etc, yet in Britain, it's really uncommon fly a Union Jack anywhere. So why does America seem to be so cringingly proud of its stars and stripes? Has it got something to do with the façade of liberalism and freedom of speech?

PS, I don't want to be drawing comparisons between Britain and the US, and I only want to receive intelligent answers from people who don't rant about the US "saving Britain's *** in WW2". You get the idea.

Answer 1

Why is the USA so proud of itself and its flag?

A flag is a symbol and, in this case, it symbolizes freedom, liberty, and independance from you Brits.

"Britain, if anything, is, historically speaking, a more accomplished country and therefore has more to be proud of than America",

I guess that's why Britain's disgusting imperialist ways in the past have led to their invasions of Ireland, India, and numerous other coutries.  The English oppressed the Welsh and the Irish.

You have no more to be proud of than anyone else.  

Physician, heal thyself.

Answer 2

I would like to point out that the pride of another nation makes you "cringe". I think that says more about you and the nature of your question than your observations do about anything else.

Answer 3

Of course, nobody really knows, but I'll venture a guess.  Boastfulness usually masks unconscious feelings of inferiority and insecurity.  The U.S. is a very new country, and much of our history is unfortunate.  We cope with our guilt and shame by loudly proclaiming, "We're the best country in the world."

As for the flag -- well, again, we are a relatively new country, so we don't have many old monuments.  We also don't have a monarch.  Our citizens are spread out and mobile.  We need a "symbol" of our nation, to provide a sense of common purpose, but we need one that's portable.  The flag is very handy for that.

What strikes me as the most unusual is our "pledge of allegiance" to the flag, which is recited daily by children at school.  I know of no other country that demands a *daily* loyalty oath.  I believe this too is evidence of a national sense of insecurity.

Answer 4

Hey, if you British were so proud of your country, we Americans wouldn't care, or complain. What do you care how much we like our country?  big deal

Answer 5

Where is your pile of caca coming from?

Guantanamo Bay is nothing to be ashamed of. They have not killed of maimed anyone with their "torture".

Scared the h**l out of them? Thank God Yes !!! They are women and children murdering TERRORISTS who DELIBERATELY target the innocent for the sole purpose of enslaving everyone who doesn't succumb to their tyrannical rule.

The citizens of the United States of America are the ones who sacrificed millions of their own young lives to SAVE YOU FROM GERMANY'S FASCISM !!!

Because you BRITS have reject human freedom and have given in to the tyranny of Socialism is no reason to criticize the efforts of true Americans. They only want to continue the classic American tradition of allowing the individual to keep a bit of the fruits of his own efforts to provide for his own (and hi families) welfare rather than succumbing to the tyranny of turning all his POWER over to an overwhelmingly powerful central government to DICTATE what his welfare is allowed to be.

It is NOT intelligent to ignore the FACTS of the matter. America DID save your butts in WWII.

Churchill was RIGHT and his opponents were WRONG!

I bet you reject Churchill also!

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU BRITSS SINCE WWII?

You have lost ALL concepts of personal responsibility!

Answer 6

Because we're thankful for our country.

Why does it bother you and why are you so negative towards others?  

Please answer, because I've always wondered this about the British as well.  I lived in your country.  Why are you so negative towards others that you have a problem with our happiness?  Why do you try to encourage hatred for us at a very difficult time with our troops abroad and terrorist attacks on Americans?  It's your right to do that, but why would you hate us so much to go to the trouble of it and pull out only bad things about our country and spew it publicly and make more hatred in the world?

Do you hate your country because of its racism, segregation, and ruthless warfare past?  My email is open.

Answer 7

you sound like your still fighting the revolutionary war, sorry if your country has no pride or patriotism, we do, no reason for you to be so jealous

Answer 8

Because of politics I'd think. Patriotism and the flag are constantly raised through political campaigns. It pits the populace against eachother. Republicans call Liberals "unpatriotic" and seem to try and prove that they are more. It also seems that Republicans have to point to this issue, as they obviously don't have much else to say, so it gets raised more.. They can't really talk about Economic policy, since they are terrible at it and seem to want to continue that streak..

Answer 9

I would like to invite you to come to the US and live here for a few years. You will see for yourself. I am well aware of how some European countries view us, but most have never been to the US and only judge us because of a few uncouth tourists. We really don't care very much what Europeans think about us because we are comfortable being who we are.

We have great freedom here to be just about anything we want, and do what we can to be successful. We are not snobs, everyone here has an equal chance to become rich if they want to work hard enough.

  I have toured Europe and there isn't anyplace else on earth  that I care to live but the USA, even with a few blemishes she  is a great country. We love our flag which, is the very symbol of freedoms we enjoy. We have sunshine and better weather. Europe is cold, rainy and gloomy.

Bush, well he is an embarrassing situation, but he will soon be gone and things will improve. England also had racism,segregation, pollution high taxes and separation among the classes. In addition, you have to support a class of parasites, who have no clear purpose.

Peace

Answer 10

YOU are a very big  girl..

Answer 11

Britan hasnt done anything to be proud of since America saved your butts during WW2...'nuff said on that...but lets go a little farther...how many colonies of the Brits revolted and gained independence?...say we start in China and go west..all thru India,Africa,the Atlantic,The Americas,and on over the islands of the Pacific...if Britian is so great,why arent those places still flying the Union jack?"wow,we get to be ruled by The British,what else could we ask for?"

Answer 12

America has so much to be proud of because we are unfailingly generous, but at the same time discreet and modest about our largesse.

Consider something that is very illustrative of our national character:  back in the "glory days" of the Communist USSR, when they were still talking about destroying the U.S. and establishing Communism world wide, Russia suffered several consecutive years of terrible harvests.  They were literally facing impending starvation.

Instead of trying to capitalize on the situation, we very quietly made an overature of goodwill to the USSR.  We sent them millions of tons of food, but did not advertise the fact in any way.  To show their "gratitude", the Russians put their national stamps all over the crates, and pretended it came from them.  Hence, the Russian people never had any clue that their "great and mighty state" was in fact being saved from its own ineptitude by the U.S.

Imagine if the USSR had won the Cold War.  Think of the historical situation in reverse:  the U.S. found it couldn't compete with their weapons build up, and gave up the battle.  The USSR would have put on huge, gaudy parades to crow about their victory.  They would have sent "advisors" to Washington to tell our government the changes they insist we adopt in light of their unchallenged supremacy.

What did the U.S. do?  We gave them money, lent them our best and most talented people to help them make a smooth transition to democracy, and extended a hand of true frienship.

See why the U.S. is a truly great nation?

So, why do we like flying the flag?  Because Americans historically have been proud of their country.  We don't find it corny to have displays of patriotism.

For whatever reason, just seeing the American flag is a comforting sight.  For example, in the Sally Fields movie, "Not Without My Daughter", the final scene shows her reaching safety, simply by showing an American flag waving in the distance.  Somehow, no other flag on earth has so much emotional power.

Answer 13

Ultimately, by uniting behind our flag, we maintain solidarity that yes, we LOVE our country... how we became a nation is amazing, the freedoms we enjoy, and that we are still the best nation on this earth-those are just a tiny little sample of why I am personally so proud of those STARS AND STRIPES...

In terms of our so called freedom of speech, sorry, but we don't have that as much now. Sure, we do for the most part, but in terms of "hate speech" laws and the like, it's getting more and more "Big Brother"-esque here. But nonetheless, we're still the best there is, and in spite of what the media wants you to believe about so called global warming, Gitmo, and other things they like to capitalize on via sensationalism, we're a great place. If you just stop believing everything the news tells you and you just LIVE here, experience life, and choose to take advantage of what's available to all of the US's citizens, life can be GOOD...

Maybe you're just jealous that you live in France. Oooh lala, France! Viva Surrender!

Add: Just so you know, regardless of not wanting people to talk about saving your butts in WW2, have you forgotten how recently that was, and in many a person who'se alive todays lifetime... give me a break.

Answer 14

I get the idea you drew the comparison and want to run us down for what you see as our shame well i don't feel no shame in the war on terror and if our country falls in a war to another country your country will be next so you keep your flag low so the enemy cant see where to shoot at you and we will hold ours up and they can get out of our way and I'm from the volunteer state Tennessee and i volunteer to kick your *** you have intelligent answers ask an intelligent question

Answer 15

When you use terms like "cringingly", you're asking for some really bitter answers. Please keep in mind that the US is a relatively young country compared to Britain, are you really dense enough to try to make a comparison about which one is more accomplished given the centuries of time difference?And frankly, its of no concern. Our founders left YOUR country to escape religious persecution, the complete antithesis of supporting basic human rights,and now you have to go whining about a piece of cloth. Don't hang YOUR flag, keep your hands off mine.

You let me know when Britain saves ANYBODY from ANYTHING...I can wait till high tea is done...because this seems to be WAY more important than patriotism. And in MY country, I'm never guilty until proven otherwise, I live under a government that still has faith in its people.

Yutsnark, you're an idiot, no school in the country is allowed to require students to say the pledge if they have a religious or political objection to it. Its called the First Ammendment.

Answer 16

Which is the youngest country that has placed a man on the moon, for starters.? There are a million more reasons to be very proud of this young nation!

Answer 17

No, it's 1984 Orwellism, the United States is the only country in the world that does this. I've been to 43 countries around the world and never seen this done.

They start your US patrotism mind conditioning when your in kindergarten, where you are made daily to stand with your hand on your heart and pledge the US flag.

I'm an American who went to boarding school in Australia so I was never US patrotism mind conditioned or opinionated. I  find it being very 1984ish whenever I go to the US to see my family.

Answer 18

Wow , funny you are talking about Britian in a good light and saying America has done so much bad yet Britian still occupies Northern Ireland and Scotland .. want to talk about power trips. What about the persecution against the Irish?????? Don't get so uppity about your "perfect country". America did bail your country out in WW2 and remember who won the revoulutionary War in which America gained its independence from Britian. My husband is in the US army and has been in the British army , he is from Scotland and he found the training to be far superior in the US army and he is still very proud to be from Scotland but he is also extremely proud of the US and living here. We aren't jumping down your throat for being proud of your country so leave us to be proud of our country and remember before pointing out the sins of other countries to look closely at the sins of your own.

Answer 19

History speaks loudly, don't you listen?  The USA is so proud to form her own independence, own government, and own country by breaking away from Britain and the control it was having on the new settlement.  People risked their lives, paid with their lives to form a great country.  Who's to say who is more accomplished.  Britain is just older.  It was quite an accomplishment to form a government without a rolemodel and make it work.  There is no facade of anything.  People can say what they want.  Our pride and patriotism helps keep this country together.  This is a terrific place to live.  Don't you ever wonder why so many people want to come here?

Answer 20

Perspective from a Canadian:  You have a very short memory, dear boy.  The Brits can look back on 400 years of abysmal colonialism and your treatment of those people you colonized.  So there's not a lot of reason for your country to brag about it's past.  A lot of the current conflicts around the world are a result of decisions you made on behalf of the Empire during colonial times. We are still paying for that.

Regarding Americans?  It's called brash egotism.  Because they're a young country (relatively speaking) they haven't reached that stage of sophisticated egotism.  The reason they think they're number one?  Because they can bomb with impunity anyone they so desire.

Answer 21

Now, I wasn't around to see this, but I was under the impression that this "Americans give me a bad taste in the mouth" sort of feeling is relatively new. I was taught, by both teachers, and others who were around to experience it that Americans were very highly thought of in the early and mid part of the century, especially after WWII.

Nationalism is a bad thing since when? Yes, I know, the idiotic geographically ignorant americans are more likely to catch attention and p**s off the rest of the world-and admittedly it's gotten to a slightly outrageous point of nationalism. I know when kids are little we're basically telling fairytales as far as American history(which we must learn SOOOO much- I've only gotten one class that did not focus on American history and that's Western Civ. - I learned american history all through elementry - then all of 8th grade, then Western Civ, then American history 1, American history 2, and then Government-primarily focused around the American government) I never heard one mention of the French helping us out, according to the books we won the war on our own. Then again according to the books Columbus was a hero and not afterwards convicted in his own country, the pilgrims did NOT slaughter the indians(I remember bringing this up in my 3rd grade class after my mom-who doesn't believe in sheltering children, told me the indians were actually killed, and my teacher told me it was blatantly wrong), and so on and so forth. It's all designed to basically make America look like the underdog with integrity. And it kind of chaps my hide that still at my age-while not an adult, I've reached an age that I can drive, I can make sound decisions - teachers are still MAKING us say the pledge of allegiance.

I mean, the only downside to nationalism I can think of is that it can cause people to shut out other countries, cultures, and be unwilling to learn the practices of other cultures that may seem odd to us-evident in some of the loud-mouthed Americans that, as I said p**s the entire world off . The good thing is that it provides us with an identity-which according to some literary figures America does not naturally provide-we don't have national customs, or if we do it's on "neutral" ground, most people identify with their heritage(i.e. Italian American, African American, etc.).

So, there's good in bad in the amount of patriotism in America. The bad is that it can sometimes be decieving, the majority of the world is pissed, our pride can get dangerous, etc., etc.  The good is that EVERY country needs nationalists for it's health, regardless if they're annoying or not.

On another note, because of my dad's job, he(and occasionally I) have the oppurtunity to talk to people in the far corners of the world.. I recently was talking to a man from India when my mom and I went to play along on a business trip(and he's gearing up to go to India in another month) and he said that he thought it was astounding that in the short time America has been a country, it's made leaps and bounds-fifty years ago the civil rights movement was just happening and now we have an African american man running for the highest office of government in our country. It is extraordinary if you think about it.

Answer 22

I am not sure, all i know is that i have to say the pledge everyday in school and its getting so old.

Answer 23

Because when some self centered snob tries to tell us how to behave or think; we can tell them to buzz off--even when they are considered a so called 'authority'.

When the elected temporary leaders do a good job for persons who do not have their same belief systems and do not ignore the individual rights of all persons in their district, they tend to earn a good reputation and are re-elected.

Answer 24

How can you not want your team to win? Yes we cheat a little (you guys aren't innocent either) but we get the job done and seem to have a lot more fun than everybody else. Also, the ruthless society label was assigned by popular culture, which is an enlargement of what's going on. For example, I have two classes of Brits based on movies I've seen: the "bloody drunk" and the "high-class s****. tea sipper" I can't imagine everybody from Britan is like that, so not all Americans are like what you say.

Answer 25

Who really cares if Britain or USA has flags in school rooms or not?  If you guys don't want them that's fine.  But if we want them then don't past judgment on us because we don't pass judgment on you (in terms of flags).  And trust me, your Empire screwed up the world just as bad as ours especially in the Middle East.

Answer 26

why should we care what people from other countries think of us?

Answer 27

Is it bad to love something and be proud of it? We get proud of our kids, our sports, many things. Don't you?

Unfortunately, if we, as a country keep listening to the lost media, we will have the same thoughts as the lost Europeans.

I still think there is a shift coming - that there will be move towards the right, as more and more people see that liberal/socialist thinking is NOT freedom nor liberty.

As for pride in my country, if you believe in the Constitution, our liberties and freedoms (some being taken away by the libs and courts) all you need to do is go to any other country and KNOW that ours is where the heart belongs - where freedom and liberty exists for all people, even if we, as a country made mistakes in the past - why then are people risking there lives, their very reason for living, to come here? How many people flee Cuba, and head southward? Even those who leave africa, entering europe, then head for the USofA - why?

Hey europe - you don't have to like us, in fact you can hate us, just remember, as the historians would point out, 1919 and 1940 and afterwards.

There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! --my dad..

For some reason this brings to mind..

that immortal quote of Bill Murray in "Stripes":

"We're Americans. Our ancestors were thrown out of every decent country in Europe".

Too bad we can't return the favor and get rid of our dregs of society and send them back.

Answer 28

Patriotism is a healthy part of American life.  If the US sucks so bad, why do so many people want to come here?