Things about your country that make you proud

[teh_gunslinger]

Greece

I am proud of the ancie... haaa got you there!

I'm not proud of Greece's ancient history. Because, get this, it has NO CONNECTION to Modern Greece! Most countries have existed for centuries now and can say that they have such a thing as a modern history...

Did you know that Greece only became "Greece" in 1828? Before that, Hellenic Space (the geographical concept of Greece) was conquered by Ottomans, before that by Byzantines (Eastern Romans), before that by Romans, before that by Macedonians... before that...

Right. There had never been a true Greece! City-states of old only had religion (Olympian Gods) and many different dialects of the same language to unite them. An Athenian wasn't a greek, he was an athenian with greek education. I've heard people talk of a Greek Empire, but no...

Yeah as you can see, I hate stereotypes concerning greek history. Greece has definitely no resemblance to what Ancient Athens might have looked like... our Ottoman relics though, those that really are part of Greece's modern identity... some of them I do like.

Can't beat souvlaki, mousakas, or bouzouki!!

Thank you a thousand times for this post! It's like when people say that they are proud of vikings as a part of Danish history. BS. Denmark didn't exist. Fuck off with the vikings.

Incidentally I study ancient Greek history. I guess the closest there is to a Greek Empire is the Delian Legague. Don't know if you would agree?

And souvlakis are the best fucking thing ever!

 

[Agent Larkin]

We discovered half the world?(Portugal) Then those stinky Brits came and stoled it from uss!!

Nasssssty Britsss....ssstealing our precisssoussss landssss!!!

Yes but then they saved your asses during the peninsular war...

OT We Invaded Canada!!!!

 

[Drazier]

Let see America... give me 4 years and I'll have a good answer.

 

[Lonan]

For Canada I would have to say that part of it has to do with so many people's misconception about it. Things that people think suck but are actually amazing, like our armed forces are extremely involved in most the wars past and present even if they don't get as much admiration from other countries for it.

The armed forces are small, but that's very good, because as you mentioned, we get involved in world affairs a lot, so having a big army could result in using it in a nation damaging way as with what happened with the U.S. and Iraq. As humans we are primaly motivated to use what we have because we are worried it will disappear or be taken by another predator or something while we sleep (just guessing here) so we feel the need to use what we have as soon as we get it. With the HUGE amount of military power the U.S. had, and the highly war like and motivated armed forces and people, finding a reason to go to war was inevitable. It's not even very hard, there's plenty of bad people in the world who rule countries and don't have nukes, so the U.S. can go in their and "liberate" them. A relatively small army is good, it keeps us from spending too much money on war, so it can be spent on healthcare, education, and maybe even the environment (gasp). Just thought I'd say that.

 

[hopeneverdies]

Well I'm glad that America was the test colony for the Brits.
Remember how we had to fight for our independence? Did really any of your other colonies throughout history go to war against you for freedom? India came close but because we taught our mother country a lesson about imperialization, New Zealand, Canada, and many others didn't have to.
So I'm proud that we could teach our betters something.

 

[Cubilone]

Greece

I am proud of the ancie... haaa got you there!

I'm not proud of Greece's ancient history. Because, get this, it has NO CONNECTION to Modern Greece! Most countries have existed for centuries now and can say that they have such a thing as a modern history...

Did you know that Greece only became "Greece" in 1828? Before that, Hellenic Space (the geographical concept of Greece) was conquered by Ottomans, before that by Byzantines (Eastern Romans), before that by Romans, before that by Macedonians... before that...

Right. There had never been a true Greece! City-states of old only had religion (Olympian Gods) and many different dialects of the same language to unite them. An Athenian wasn't a greek, he was an athenian with greek education. I've heard people talk of a Greek Empire, but no...

Yeah as you can see, I hate stereotypes concerning greek history. Greece has definitely no resemblance to what Ancient Athens might have looked like... our Ottoman relics though, those that really are part of Greece's modern identity... some of them I do like.

Can't beat souvlaki, mousakas, or bouzouki!!

Thank you a thousand times for this post! It's like when people say that they are proud of vikings as a part of Danish history. BS. Denmark didn't exist. Fuck off with the vikings.

Incidentally I study ancient Greek history. I guess the closest there is to a Greek Empire is the Delian Legague. Don't know if you would agree?

And souvlakis are the best fucking thing ever!

Thank you back! I'm very glad to find someone who actually thinks a little before he makes easy-to-make general bragging! Danes are the best! *raises Carlsberg*

The Delian League (in greek we call it the "Athenian Alliance") was indeed some kind of "empire". But it was mostly a militaristic league, with Athens forcing everyone to obey. An empire is supposed to be multicultural, or spanning many peoples; how can an empire consist of greek-speaking city-states forced into an alliance? Hardly an empire.

Anyway, the Delian League clashed with the Peloponnesian ones in the Peloponnisian War (also considered ancient greeks today. Go figure). So Athenians fought against Spartans/Corinthians. But today it doesn't matter doesn't it? They were all "Ancient Greeks"...

 

[teh_gunslinger]

Thank you back! I'm very glad to find someone who actually thinks a little before he makes easy-to-make general bragging! Danes are the best! *raises Carlsberg*

The Delian League (in greek we call it the "Athenian Alliance") was indeed some kind of "empire". But it was mostly a militaristic league, with Athens forcing everyone to obey. An empire is supposed to be multicultural, or spanning many peoples; how can an empire consist of greek-speaking city-states forced into an alliance? Hardly an empire.

Anyway, the Delian League clashed with the Peloponnesian ones in the Peloponnisian War (also considered ancient greeks today. Go figure). So Athenians fought against Spartans/Corinthians. But today it doesn't matter doesn't it? They were all "Ancient Greeks"...

*Sees your Carlsberg and raises a Μύθος*

And no, you're right in saying that it wasn't an empire. I guess you can say that what the Greek poleis had in common was the language and a range of shared Hellenic ideals. But apart from that you have to search hard for a more bickering bunch of states. No offence meant I hope you know.
But again, the idea of nation states was not really on the table at that time. But at least the Delian League/Athenian Alliance made Athens quite wealthy. Gah, now I want to go to Greece again.

 

[chris89]

My Country's great past (United Kingdom) and what we have given the world.

A few from Technology stand points.

Jet Engine
Supersonic Airliner
Hovercraft
The Railways
Underground Railways (Subways)
Heavy Metal & Pop music
The Merlin Engine, In other words we made the P51 Mustang great.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Oh yea Grenwich Mean Time. (GMT 0

 

[ae86gamer]

What makes me proud of America?

Marvel comics started here. And songs like this.

Spoiler

[sup]Ok not really this song, but it is rather funny.[/sup]

 

[SnowCold]

We fought and won in triumpht in plenty of wars.

We invted alot of weapons, including the Desert eagle and the Uzi, which are used by alot of armies around the world (even by our enemys).

We also inveted alot of todays tecnolegys, including ICQ, and the "Did you mean:..." feture in google. and we have the highest patent the person ratio in the world (or second after the USA can't remeber)

Yet the world hates us, oh Israel...

 

[Redingold]

A tiny little island with only a few natural resources that dominated the world for centuries, had an empire that the sun never set on.

We invented TV, the internet, the jet engine and radar.

We birthed Shakespeare, Newton, Orwell and Churchill; and sheltered Marx, Freud and Marley (Bob).

We gave the world pop music (The Beatles) and good rock music (The Rolling Stones), we explored the artistic highs of rock (Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd) and smashed it all down (Sex Pistols and the Clash).

We curbed the power of kings (Magna Carta) and resisted the forces of tyranny whilst our allies failed or hid.

And I'll damned if we're ever openly proud of any of it!

Go Britain!

It's a shame that the only things we lead the world in now are arms production, CCTV cameras per capita, wine importation and tea consumption. And I'm not even sure about arms production (I read it in a magazine).

 

[Radu889]

Umm...

We invented Dracula?
Romania sucks a big one anyway.

 

[SnowCold]

Thank you a thousand times for this post! It's like when people say that they are proud of vikings as a part of Danish history. BS. Denmark didn't exist. Fuck off with the vikings.

Weren't the vikings from Sweeden and Norway?

 

[SnowCold]

Also, we have some of the most beutifull women in world. (even the arabs agree with us on this one)

 

[Mr Cwtchy]

We're responsible for the creation of many awesome nations that exist today. (Canada, Australia, etc.)

 

[The Oddfellow]

We used to have a kick ass empire (GREAT Britain)

 

[Cowabungaa]

We also became the most tolerant and free country in the world where arts and culture flousrished as people from all over the world came to the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands to seek refuge from racial and religious prosecution.

Nowadays this legacy continous. Examples of these are gay rights and the "legalisation" of drugs (which is a good thing, very low addiction rates and a lot of control over drug culture) and legalized prostitution.

Holland a tolerant country?! I experience it as apathy, not actual tolerance. Most people around me just don't give a damn about anything. No I can't say I'm really proud on anything Holland did. Except for giving birth to me that is...ok that was a bad one.

 

[martin's a madman]

A tiny little island with only a few natural resources that dominated the world for centuries, had an empire that the sun never set on.

We invented TV, the internet, the jet engine and radar.

We birthed Shakespeare, Newton, Orwell and Churchill; and sheltered Marx, Freud and Marley (Bob).

We gave the world pop music (The Beatles) and good rock music (The Rolling Stones), we explored the artistic highs of rock (Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd) and smashed it all down (Sex Pistols and the Clash).

We curbed the power of kings (Magna Carta) and resisted the forces of tyranny whilst our allies failed or hid.

And I'll damned if we're ever openly proud of any of it!

Go Britain!

Britain made the Jet engine? I thought it was the Germans with the ME 262. Oh nevermind, that was the first jet fighter plane.