Poll: would you die for your country?

[CGAdam]

Nope.

I would make the other dumb bastard die for HIS country.

That is the goal of war, they say.

Already in the Navy, so it's an occupational hazard for me. Not as big as Army or Marines, but it's a real possibility.

 

[JaceArveduin]

Depends on who the "enemy" is. If it's going to affect my standard of living in a really bad way, then ya, I'll risk it. Otherwise I'll pass.

 

[PinochetIsMyBro]

No. Mostly because I hate what it has become ;_; oh America, you used to be so cool.

 

[RubyT]

If your not willing to die for it, then why live there? You obviously don't love it there very much.

What kind of whacky logic is that? I would never love something as abstract as a country. But I need to live SOMEHWERE...

 

[gabe12301]

The OP is gonna be pissed when he/she comes back to find we've totally deconstructed the question and left the pieces scattered all over the room. We're a bunch of mischievous semiotic imps.

nope. You all are part of my homework assignment and I got good results.

 

[Teh Jammah]

Depends on the situation.

Would I go off fight in a war that I don't agree with against an enemy whose threat is nebulous at best and is mostly motivated by knee-jerk response and presumably greed. No.

Would I take a bullet for the Queen or the current PM? No. Both are pretty replaceable. I'm generally ambivalent about the monarchy. And I didn't vote for the latter and think he's generally a bit of a C-unit.

If we were being invaded by some evil force that would erase the UK from the map and the only way to stop it would be to strap on a satchel charge flak jacket and run into x sensitive location and blow myself to shit... I'd like to think I would.

 

[Jake the Snake]

If someone invaded the US, and they needed soldiers...yes. I would fight.

 

[DrJapple]

Wouldn't that be like an accident while doing something else rather than specifically related to dying for your country like the op states.
There are very few circumstances when the death of a person who is not an abuser or some kind of power a better place.

Not necessarily. Depends on what exactly it is you are doing to improve your country.

The Libyan rebels, for example, are trying to make their country a better place.

 

[Boba Frag]

I suggest that the OP read 'Dolce Et Decorum Est' and some other Wilfred Owens if he thinks dying for his country is so glorious.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to serve one's country, but there's a difference between dying for it and being slaughtered like cattle on a battlefield far away from home, or seeing your legs end in ragged bloody stumps like so many men have experienced in Afghanistan.

Better to live for your people and contribute to making your society a better one to live in than dying mutilated in a ditch.

EDIT
Captcha, don't make me come up there.

 

[Insanity_Zero]

If it came down to it. Yes. I would risk my own life to protect it. Not because I love it in capacity, because in my opinion, if you're going to live there you might as well do your best to protect if you can.

Sure, I'm just one little bloke out of over a million. But it's still the right thing to do. That's why, when I hear stories of people calling war veterans murderers and despicable men, I call them idiots. Those men and women are fighting to keep you alive. To keep you free. Stop degrading them and give them a big-ol' thank you for keeping your ass safe.

 

[DaJoW]

No, much like I wouldn't die to save my house. Sure, my house would still be there, but I'd be dead.

 

[CrashBang]

Aaaaaaahahahahahahahaha no. I hate Britain and can't wait to leave. I'm planning on moving to Canada in about 2 years and I'm almost counting the days.

 

[werty10089]

If my country was actually in danger I would fight to defend it (though I'd probably try not to die). That would be about attempting to save lives though, not about the country itself- why should I feel proud of being born within certain arbitrary lines?
Would I ever participate in any of the wars we are involved in now? No. That isn't dying for your country, that's dying for your government's interests which frankly isn't worth a single life.

You seem to be a little naive, OP. How old are you?

You, sir. You get my stamp of approval. What people do not seem to realize is that you CAN'T die for a country. What, are you going to jump in front of a bullet of someone pointing a gun at the ground? When you die for your 'country' you die for your rulers. And anyone who's that akin to sucking dick is better off being a pornstar than a soldier.

 

[Mavinchious Maximus]

I would fight and try as hard as hell not to die for the core foundation that my country was built on. Not like it is now where the government is sending us to fight in the middle-east for a foreign country. I will fight to protect the people of my country not the greedy selfish federal part. If the government of our country becomes a threat to the core beliefs of freedom that our founding fathers built the country from, then they are no better then a foreign invader in my opinion.

 

[Woodsey]

For me yes. If your not willing to die for it, then why live there? You obviously don't love it there very much.

Says the person who'd happily go to their death.

(But seriously, that's a particularly poorly thought-out statement.)

OT: Depends. My country doesn't get an insta-pass just because its my country. Anyone who'll die for a slab of land because they were born between those lines on a map needs their head checked.

 

[Vivi22]

To someone from a refugee family some of the responces are downright disgusting in how entitled some people are.

While I understand where you're coming from, it's not a sense of entitlement that makes me unwilling to die for my country. For one thing, dying for your country rarely means dying to protect the lives and freedoms of those who live there. And while I will fully admit that a country such as the US and my home of Canada are certainly better in terms of freedom than somewhere like Cuba, that's not an argument for dying for those countries. Not when governments continually show either an inability to govern well or continually attempt to undermine our freedoms a little bit at a time.

Am I willing to die to protect my freedom and the freedom of others? Yes. Am I willing to simply say that I will give me life for my country? Never. My governments goals and views on how to run this country do not always agree with mine, and I will not simply give my life at their say so.

I can understand this may seem strange for someone coming from a country with less freedoms, but it's naive to simply assume that any government, even ones with the limits on their powers most first world nations have, are always out for the greater good of their citizens. And since government are the ones who send citizens off to die in wars, we have to remain ever vigilant when it comes to making sure they're sending people to die for the right reasons.

 

[Ursus Buckler]

No. I can safely say I'm the most unpatriotic man I know. My country (England) are a bunch of idiots and I will unashamedly go hide in another until they don't need me to die for them anymore.

 

[The_Echo]

For me yes. If your not willing to die for it, then why live there? You obviously don't love it there very much.

I will never be capable of loving a politically-bordered portion of earth enough to die for it. When it comes right down to it, no country is any different from another. The way I see it, I don't belong to a country. I belong to Earth. (But I still wouldn't die for Earth.)

(It should also be said that some people don't have much choice on the country in which they live. For example, I'm not yet old enough, nor do I have the money, to move out of the country. Sometimes people don't live in a country because they love it.)

EDIT: It's occurred to me that, even if I loved my country with everything I had, I wouldn't die for it. If I like it there so much, why would I leave?

 

[Twad]

No. The "country" doesnt care what you do or dont do. Because the country isnt someone, its just an idea, a concept. The concept isnt the one in control of the "country".

But one can wonder: How about the opposite? Would my "country" die for me? Would my "leaders" die for me?
Heck, imagine if the answer was yes.