r3dn3ck

My best friend comes up to me the other day and says he's had an epiphany and is now ashamed of being an American. This struck me as quite possibly the worst possible thing for someone that's fully capable of picking up and leaving for any country he wants...permanently. Don't want to lose my only really solid friend.

I counseled him in my own way, with a comparison to something I heard a really smart man say, "Be a credit to your race". The really smart man was some upstanding member of the Black community (I can't recall who it was... probably Alan Keyes or Bill Cosby) telling people that they needn't be shamed by the negative aspects of their culture but simply be a shining example of all the good things about it.

My way of thinking is, picking a president (and vicariously through that choice choosing American foreign policy) is a lot like going to an adult novelty shop. You just pick the dildo that will hurt the least. That being the case, there is never a time to be shameful of being American. All you personally have to do is speak your voice at the voting booth and otherwise be a shining example of all the things about the US that are noble, caring and good.

Discuss. Do you agree with me? Why or why not?

WaterDR

Your friend is being an idiot. I say let him go. I am not trying to be harsh, but I have been to a dozen other countries. If he thinks it is all that bad here, then let him try somewhere else. He will be back in 6 months.

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PColav6

Let him go live in Africa for a week and he'll be the most patriotic son of a bitch around when he gets back.

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Evil Stang

If any of my friends ever said that to me i would personally take them to the border( 10 minutes away) and kick their ass out of the country.

StreetRacer

hoooraaas and flag wavin aside, i think your buddys on the money...i come from a long line of patriotic men who served their country and i'm the latest...i can be proud of my flag and still ashamed of where we are today...hell i'll go as far as to say that any true red white and blue American has got to be a lil twitchy lookin at the state of things...our democracy has never been so far from its people...we have a group in power that has made it "unamerican" to disagree with anything they say...a true patriot knows THAT isnt american...maybe your best bud is the most patriotic of all



ps...pick a dildo that will hurt the least? lol...hell of an analogy there r3d...i just go to the adult shop for the latest "lily thai" movie

mpt_1962

Yeah i would have to say he just doesnt see how good it is(can be) in America. Yeah its not as good as it should be, but im in iraq and these people have it pretty bad out here. They dont walk down the streets, like we do in ANY city, without worrying about getting blown up or shot for NO reason. I dont know much about other countries, but im learning about iraq since im out here and interact with the people, the police, and the iraqi army. The people out here are scared to live in their country. I know your friend isnt scared to live where he is, but he just needs a lil reality check sorda say. Show/educate him on how other countries have it going right now and let him know he should be proud of where and what he is. An American.

StreetRacer

his bud never said we were the worst country...he said he was feelin a lil ashamed of our country...me too...we're sellin out to china..we're in the middle of a war we shouldnt be in..we act like israels attack dog...half our leadership has one foot in jail...america may still be the best country but john wayne wouldnt be too happy with today...only a coward would be ashamed of it and leave anyway...patriots stay and work for change

r3dn3ck

valid points the lot of em.

he seems to understand my point of view. His feeling isn't shame for america... it's shame for being American. I think he's just afraid of being disliked. He seems to have an inordinate compulsion to manage what people he'll never meet have to think about him.

I'm a little more grumpy.. I don't really care what people think. I care what they do.

jjtgiants

Sometimes I feel the same way your friend does, but towards California...ha ha...then I go visit some crap state and realize it's not so bad here.

But seriously I think he's overreacting. I don't know your friend, and he might be doing this, but if he's that ashamed and wants to do something about it he needs to get out and volunteer for whatever Presidential candidate he thinks can change the country. I've always felt that if you don't vote or volunteer for the candidate you are supporting then don't bitch when you get stuck with an idiot like we have now.

It's a reality that many countries don't like the U.S. because of our foreign policies, but there are LOTS of countries that love us because we help them. I agree with the others that if your friend left this country he'd see how good we really have it here. It's not perfect, but not bad enough to leave.

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JackThe Ripper

If somone wants to be ashamed of the administration that is one thing, being ashamed of being an american is rediculous.

people seem to fail to realize anymore that America is NOT Bush and the govt, America is NOT the forriegn policy, America is NOT the military and the conflicts.

America is the PEOPLE.

The government is just a tool to keep things running smoothly. The government should be controlled by the people not the other way around. Sometimes tools get rusty and sometimes they need a little maintenance and sharpening. I think we are going to see that here in the next 15-20 years.

but dont be ashamed of being American because the elected leaders are a bunch of asshats. America is the source of so many wonderful things, new tools, innovations, medicines, art, beauty, literature, science and knowledge.

To say yer ashamed to be an american because of the current administration and the foriegn policys and stuff, well, thats just fucking stupid. Rather than be ashamed, do something about it.

Anyone who is not proud to be an american can quite simply GTFO

StreetRacer

whenever i start to wonder :

http://sagebrushpatriot.com/america.htm

StormsGT

Who do you think started the whole selling out to china thing???? It wasn't Bush. It was your lieing shit for brains clinton.

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r3dn3ck

Wrong... it was Nixon who opened up diplomatic ties and enabled China to become the worldwide economic power that it is.

Every president since then has been trying to manage the inevitable threats to stability that come when you open the door to the world's cash and technology reserves to a country only recently beginning to enter the industrial age.

Don't forget that China has languished 50 years behind the other 2 world powers in many key areas of industrial development. They're not evil... they're just trying to make it through till tomorrow with some internal sense of order and security. There are always going to be bad apples in the bunch that use the opportunity granted by those instabilities to raise a ruckus inside and outside of their borders.

07 cobra

I would like to thank you for doing a hard job in a hard place. And I for one will be ready to stand and cheer each and everyone of you great Americans when you return Home.
Keep your ammo dry your head high and when on the street your ass low and the selector lever on rock and roll

CarnageCAB

Ok tell him these two things.

If he is scared of being killed by his fellow Americans, then move to Canada on account they have almost a 1-100 ratio of murders/rapes/robberies compared to America.

But if he is scared of being killed by another country tell him to stay here and be quite on account we are the strongest and best trained country when it comes to war.

machnjo

I can certainly understand how your friend can come to be ashamed of America. I think America is in the throws of an identity crisis and has been for quite some time. There are multiple rifts of ideas and idealism that has split the american people into so many different factions, its hard to choose what it means to actually be an american. All the time not realizing that having the choice and the ability and right to choose is the essence of what were are as a nation and a people.

I'm not ashamed of our country or of being an American. The ideal of America, that of freedom in all forms is coveted by billions of people and immulated by countries around the world. I'm not happy with our current leaders, of which, come election day, I will express that unhappiness when I vote. But, we have to realise, we put them in office, we allowed them to dictate our current foreign and domestic policy and if your ashamed of that choice, vote to change it.

As for your friend R3d, tell him to join the Peace Corp and spend 2 years abroad in a second or third world country and he'll learn how privilaged he was to be born an American. A friend of mine did just that, he was ashamed to be amercian and thought he needed to get out of the country and actually do some "good". 2 years later, he walked off a plane, kissed the tarmac, drove straight to a McDonald's, and never again said anything about being shameful.

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CarnageCAB

If you want to know a secret... Your vote does not count.

Mixedbreed02GT

i'll never be ashamed to live here or be an American, but sometimes I am ashamed of the actions of my government, and the choices they make, and when I'm around foreign visitors, or tourists, I just feel awkward at home they view us. I am also sometimes ashamed by how some American's act, and the things they do, but I'd rather live here than anywhere else...only other place I would consider moving is New Zealand.

We have some Japanese students here on a foreign exchange, and they come to our church, and they are just in shock at how we act, and destroy each other verbally, physically, mentally, and how we don't take of our bodies, our laziness, and our irresponsibility with money, and how fewer young men and women are planning for their financial futures, instead they are just blowing it all.

(when i say our I mean American's overall)

CarnageCAB

yeah you can pretty much go anywhere in america and find all the stuff you just listed. How america got to be so lazy idk. how the most lazy is the most powerful idk. and how can we change.....who knows...

IHATECHEVY4324

IM ASHAMED OF ASHAMED AMERICANS!!!!! DONT LIKE IT, GET THE **** OUT COMMIE!!! ILL EVEN PACK YOUR BAGS YOU GODLESS HIPPYS!!!!!!!!!!!

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Cheddarbob

Wow man ive seen all your posts so far you need to relax

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Mixedbreed02GT

im just ashamed that people bitching about things in this country call themselves Americans and refuse get off their ass and do something constructive about what they are ashamed of.

SRQ

No, I'm not ashamed, and these guys are right, you're friend is an idiot, sorry. I rarely want to get involved in these threads because of my passion for politics, but I have to say that anyone who is "ashamed" to be an American, really doesn't deserve the right to be an American, do they? You don't have to go around waving flags all day, but if you don't feel at least a drop of pride when you consider that we live in such a nation that allows your friend the freedoms of speech and assembly to be stupid and not think when he talks (as when he mentioned he was ashamed to be an American), then something's wrong.

Ok, I'm done *LOL*

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