this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2023
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[–] 1984@lemmy.today 59 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

The entire idea of fighting "for your country" is ridiculous to me. It's not my country.

Almost the entire human race has no influence on the events that occur at all.

[–] FredericChopin_@feddit.uk 32 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Everyone I know thinks I’m a weirdo because I’m not patriotic to my country. The way I see it, I was born here by chance and so I don’t particularly love my country more than any other, except that it’s more familiar I guess.

I’ll happily ~~through~~ throw as much shade at my own country as I will any other.

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Exactly, we get randomly born in a spot on Earth and then we are supposed to feel love for our country? Why?

Is there anything to be proud of for each country? All I see is politicians trying to gain popularity by lying, wars being started and finished with lies and propaganda, and citizens being generally unhappy and ignored.

[–] FredericChopin_@feddit.uk 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It’s the same for religion too, it’s incredibly fortunate that most people are born in the right place for their religion of choice.

I do think every country can be proud of some things they do, but they should also be equally ashamed of other things they do.

Politicians are only really interested in the length of their term(s), they’re not invested to do anything outside of that.

Hardly anybody cares and I don’t know if I envy, resent, or pity them for it.

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think I feel anger about it, but I have also given up on them. The future will only be worse. I think we were much better off in the 70s and 80s.

[–] FredericChopin_@feddit.uk 3 points 1 year ago

I was born in the 80’s so don’t recall a lot, but what I do know is that my dad worked in a warehouse, my mum didn’t work and we had pretty much whatever we wanted, went from the UK to Orlando on holiday every year. And I had two siblings too.

You couldn’t even support yourself now working as a professional let alone a warehouse worker.

Nobody seems to acknowledge it though they’d always be like yeah but we got paid less.

[–] dandroid@dandroid.app 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I’ll happily through throw as much shade at my own country as I will any other.

I'm more likely to throw shade at my own country because I am more informed about the goings on of my own country. If I were to talk shit about France, I would just be talking out my ass. I have no idea what's going on there.

[–] Nemo@midwest.social 7 points 1 year ago

If I criticize the US, it's because I demand better from the nation that I live in and support. If I criticize France, it's just for funsies.

[–] FredericChopin_@feddit.uk 1 points 1 year ago

For most countries I would agree. I would say I know just as much, if not more, about US politics compared to the UK (my country of residence).

[–] mobyduck648 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

For me my country is things like the institution of the local pub, liberal use of gallows humour, and deeply despising the idea that cities and fields ought to be organised on regular grids rather than things like Parliament or the monarchy. I love my country in the sense of the former, I think I’ll live out my days frustrated and pessimistic about the latter.

[–] masquenox@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It’s not my country.

Yep... it's always "our country" this and "our country" that when they need you to play cannon fodder - and when it's all over, it just goes straight back to being their country. No different than rich people telling us how we're "all in this together" during COVID.

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's cute how they tell everyone we can just go vote to have a lot of influence on things too. :)

As if any of us has any influence on what's going on whatsoever.

[–] vegai@suppo.fi 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's not ridiculous when the most probable enemy has a significantly worse governance.

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

This is how they keep humanity not moving forward. By making us focus on our differences instead of our similarities. An eternal conflict that never ends, preventing our species from focusing on other things than war with itself.

[–] vegai@suppo.fi 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I fully think that every euro spent on defense is a horrible waste of resources in global sense, but it's necessary to prevent every place on this planet being ruled by who are essentially barbarians.

[–] richieadler@lemmy.myserv.one 3 points 1 year ago

Tribalism is probably innate, but we should fight it, not embrace it.