Overall, 39% of U.S. adults say they are “extremely proud” to be American in the most recent poll.
Meanwhile, only 18% of those aged 18-34 said the same, compared to 40% of those aged 35-54 and 50% of those 55 and over.
18% is still too high. As Obama’s pastor said, God damn America! Americans have very little to be proud of at this point.
What is there to be proud of? An illegitimate court, house and senate bought and paid for by corporations and foreign governments, a capitalist economy that crushes 99.99 percent to lift the 0.01 even higher? These are points of shame, not pride.
Honestly I’m pretty proud of how well turned the ship around on gay rights. Like in the span of a decade there was like a 40% opinion swing on that. We’re still not where we need to be and it seems like it’s getting worse though tbh. I think Europe overtook us on that front because I feel much safer here in Germany being gay in public.
How (generally) genuinely nice and outgoing everyone is in the states. (Outside of the south where it tends to be a very fake in my experience.) In the states I’m mildly introverted, in Germany I’m usually one of the most outgoing in the room.
Our multicultural foods and stuff. You’re never more than a stones throw from really good Mexican, Chinese, Thai, etc. food anywhere in the US.
Turning right on a red light, the European mind cannot comprehend it.
Air Conditioning.
Handicap accessibility.
Our national parks are unparalleled.
Probably a few other American gems I could think of if forced to.
All that being said I’m immigrating to Germany right now and the grass is very much greener over here. I have no desire to live in the US again. I’m definitely not proud of America anymore, but I am proud of a few things about America.
Just saying that cars turning right on red have almost run me over as a pedestrian multiple times.
Yeah, our and driver- and car-manufacturer-friendly policies have a measurable impact on the safety of non-car users of public infrastructure.
Not a great example IMO.
Pretty damning with faint praise there really.
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I’m sorry, and I know this isn’t the point you’re trying to make, but the idea of someone asking an American why they’re proud to be an American, and they respond with “air conditioning” is just so funny to me that I’ve been giggling like a moron about it for the last 20 minutes.
It’s hard to have true perspective on what it means to be an American with my limited travel. I’ve never been out of the country. I’ve been to most southern states, but live in the west coast now (much prefer it here) and am very aware of my bubble. It doesn’t take interaction from people living in countries with free healthcare and great work reform to know that our shit is fucked, though. Proud - not yet. Determined to make this a better place - yes.
Can confirm, am German and not proud to be an American either.
Ironically many Americans are proud to be [pick any European country].
Which I always found is considering they nor their parents nor grandparents had every set foot in that nation.
It’s like me claiming to be Polish-British because my mum’s family came here in the 1600s. It’s stupid.
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Nah, that’s weird.
In Australia, if you were born here, you’re Australian. That’s it. I have lots of friends whose parents are from all over the world - UK, Ireland, Italy, Greece, India, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, The Phillipines, NZ. Almost 50% of Australians have a parent who wasn’t born here.
But if you ask any of those first generation Australians where they’re from, they’d all say Australia - not their parents country.
The American obsession with race/lineage/DNA tests is just weird.
How dare you!
The kids under 35 have only known post-911 snooping, bigotry, military adventurism, the 2008 mortgage crash, housing and education costing multiples of what previous generations paid (in adjusted dollars), COVID insanity, a political system that is completely inaccessible to them and utterly uncaring about their needs, and, finally, a climate being actively accelerated to disaster.
The wonder here shouldn’t be at their lack of patriotism. It should be at the fact that they aren’t setting fire to everything, murdering politicians, billionaires, and their lackeys, and generally grinding everything to a halt.
I feel like there’s also the fact that everyone who has comfortably been established tells them they’re lazy and aren’t trying hard enough…to get past all the barriers those greedy people have set up
And that we have the resources to make sure they don’t die and their teeth don’t fall out…but they don’t get it
And the fact that the elites have convinced them somehow that voting is pointless… They need to get shaken out of that.
If everyone who was in that 82% voted, the republican party would die overnight
I thought we were living in 2023. Why be proud of coincidence to happen to born in a location? Feel lucky compared to other locations, maybe that makes more sense.
Yeah, I’ve never understood it. Especially when that location gives you privilege over people in other places. You’re proud because you were born in a wealthy country due to no control of your own? Fuck your pride, there are people starving to death. Feeling lucky you’re not one of them, fine. Being proud of it? That makes you an asshole.
I guess the other way to think is. You should be proud America helped in developing the internet, uk for penicillin, Greece for democracy etc. what’s wrong in that?
Italy for pizza
Don’t forget lots of people have nuclear bombs now… that’s pretty cool.
What does that have to do with pizza.
You can cook a pizza very fast in an atomic blast.
there is an optimal distance from the grocery store, where a nuclear blast would cook the frozen pizza section to perfection
It’s conceivable that one would be proud of their country for the actions their country takes, both domestic and/or world stage. Like I’m sure the people living in those Scandinavian where a vast majority of their country is healthy, happy, and even their criminals are treated with dignity and respect can be proud of how their country has turned out.
I don’t think it’s a common interpretation to feel self-directed pride due to one’s country. Unless, maybe, you’re the president or someone who makes actual decisions for the country.
I’ve met plenty of people from Africa: Kenya, Ghana, Mozambique, Sudan, Ethiopia; who are great friends and colleagues to this day from my days at NASA JPL
Incredibly brilliant people live outside of Europe too
I do not mean to be dense but I don’t follow how your comment applies to mine.
European Defaultism is inherently racist, and it’s a constant problem on the internet with left-wing people who pretend not to be racist, but loathe people of color and the countries they come from, only ever referencing white European countries as some sort of fake “utopia” that doesn’t really exist. It’s one of the most common forms of racism on the internet
Yep, so many times Americans online say “the rest of the world” when what they actually mean is “Western and Northern Europe”. It’s so frustrating, and like you said more than a touch racist (usually unintentionally so, but that doesn’t make it any less shitty).
I’m grateful for having been born here, but I can’t find it within myself to be prideful over something that I had no control over such as the circumstances of my birth. I have a different concept of pride. I’m prideful for things that I’ve done such as reaching milestones, accomplishing goals, etc. I don’t hate this country, but I definitely don’t believe we’re the best, but I definitely don’t believe we’re the worst. For what it’s worth, it’s my home and I plan on staying.
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I’m 65 now. When I was a kid, I was relatively patriotic. Civil rights, moon landing, all that stuff. Now? Not so much. The US is still much better than many other countries but it’s not the world leader that used to be.
You should build an America that you can be proud of then.
Do what you can to make things better, it’s not the end for us yet.
I find Patriotism incredibly arrogant and somewhat ignorant of the world around you. I don’t care where you’re from, I only care about decent individuals.
Americans have not had it hard in a long time. No world wars have been fought on our soil. The wars we have been in since WW2 have not been very popular. I grew up gen X and we pretty much thought the world was going to end and that the previous generations handed us a pile of shit.
The kids now days look at all of us like a bunch of hypocritical ass hats. If I was a kid watching the shit adults are doing and talking about now, I would not be proud either. I would be embarrassed. I am embarrassed of what we have/are becoming. A lot of older people sit around and bitch about the younger generation but we are the ones that raised them. We are the ones not taking care of business like we told them they should. We are the ones babbling nonsense, disrespecting the law, doing all the things we told our kids not to do. Why the hell should they listen, or be proud or form the same values as we may have? We are literally showing them that none of this matters and then turn around and blame them for telling us all to fuck off.
A lot of older people sit around and bitch about the younger generation but we are the ones that raised them.
I believe that is a global problem, though. A lot of countries have massively aging populations. I feel like a youngster here in Germany, and I’m in my mid-30’s. Lots of old bastards telling my generation we are lazy and need to get off our asses. Sometimes I wish we could just take all these people and put them somewhere else so I don’t have to hear that shit anymore. :D
Ribbit
I think a lot of people are confusing “proud” with “glad”. I’m in the 35-54 range and I don’t think there’s much to be proud of anymore. And frankly I’m closer to embarrassed than indifferent on the subject given the progress we’ve lost in the last decade or so. But am I glad to be an American?
Sure, I’m glad I wasn’t born in Russia only to be a bullet sponge in an unjustifiable war.
I’m glad I wasn’t born in Afghanistan with the Taliban oppression.
I’m glad I wasn’t born in Syria during one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts in modern history.
I’m glad I wasn’t born to sift through cancerous e-waste or mine diamonds for a warlord in Africa.
I’m glad I wasn’t born into North Korea (self explanatory)
So, while I’m glad I wasn’t born under worse circumstances, I’m not proud that we’re directly and indirectly responsible for many of those circumstances.
But, I also don’t think it’s an unsolvable problem. We could make America a place to be proud to be from, but that’s a very long road from where we are right now and I fear that there’s also a lot of potential to get worse if the tinderbox is mishandled.And I’m glad to be an American
Where it’s not as bad as it could be
Grateful to be born here and it’s the safest place to be if another World War pops off or something. The older I get, the more appealing getting a secluded cabin in the woods or a tropical island sounds. I am ashamed to be American.
it’s the safest place to be if another World War pops off or something.
New Zealand would like a word.
True haha, but they’re pretty close to China and Japan. Not an ideal place to be when China goes crazy (er).
We’ve got something like the largest 3 navies and air forces in the world between all of our branches, and the most cutting edge military tech. Also, after these Congressional hearings over the past week or so, we apparently have alien tech on our side too lmao.
Personally, I’m halfway hoping for a civil war or, preferably, the South just splits off into it’s own shithole again. But I wouldn’t mind seeing us finish what Sherman started.
Like someone else said I’m greatful for where I was born and the circumstances I have. It’s the need for continuous improvement that causes this.
There has been a great disdain for a 40 year live to work lifestyle in America for a century now that I think can be cured with using the land in a more efficient manner, and giving people more options than they have through monopoly companies today. China just said fuck it everyone’s limited in video game time and you need to focus on studies.
The ideas I have are too large to be conveyed in some quick text post, but I see there still being room to innovate and also bring a brighter more sustainable, proud culture in USA out. It will take money time and resources, and the forming of a new mindset for continuous improvement rather than continuous consumption.
