# I don't live in "The Homeland" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 5, 2002, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-live-in-the-homeland/127122 "2002-09-05T12:41:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-live-in-the-homeland/127122/1 "2002-09-05T12:41:16Z")
I live in the United States of America; that’s what my country is called. However, over the last year I’ve been hearing the phrase “the Homeland” from various government officials. What the hell is that about? I don’t live in the Motherland, the Fatherland or the Homeland. When I think of countries that refer to themselves that way, I think of rabid nationalism and dictators-for-life with a cult of personality. Am I overreacting here? ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-live-in-the-homeland/127122/2 "2002-09-05T12:59:52Z")
If you’re not with us, you’re against us. You fucking traitor! I don’t know, Baldwin - I guess it’s one of the examples of patriotism that we’ve seen since 9-11. Some genuine and touching, others silly and overdone. FWIW: Germans sometimes refer to their country as _die Heimat_, meaning homeland. Maybe it’s a well-covered German conspiracy to assimilate the United States! ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-live-in-the-homeland/127122/3 "2002-09-05T15:31:41Z")
Do you live in a house or apartment? Is that residence not your home? Does it not sit on the land of this nation? There you go, it is your home’s land or homeland for short. See, wasn’t that easy? They were merely pointing out the obvious and you got your drawers in a bunch over it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-live-in-the-homeland/127122/4 "2002-09-05T15:42:23Z")
Do you live in a house or apartment? Is that residence not your home? Does it not sit on the land of this nation? There you go, it is your home’s land or homeland for short. See, wasn’t that easy? They were merely pointing out the obvious and you got your drawers in a bunch over it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-live-in-the-homeland/127122/5 "2002-09-05T16:05:02Z")
I get the same impression as you do, Baldwin, from the word “Homeland.” - Jackbooted thugs, political purges, ethnic cleansing. (Then again, I picture Medieval knights killing Arab babies in the name of God and the Pope when I hear the word “crusade” so I may not be the Bush Administration’s target audience). It could be worse, they could have actually chosen “Fatherland.” ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-live-in-the-homeland/127122/6 "2002-09-05T16:45:45Z")
> [@](#): > > (Then again, I picture Medieval knights killing Arab babies in the name of God and the Pope when I hear the word “crusade” so I may not be the Bush Administration’s target audience). Thanks for reminding me; I slapped myself on the forehead when I heard Bush use the word “crusade” last September, in a speech intended for an international audience. Regardless of the shortcomings of Bill Clinton and Al Gore, I kinda miss having two Rhodes scholars in the White House. Of course, it’s more important what a country does than what it calls itself, but I’ll keep living in the U.S., an imperfect but darn good nation. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-live-in-the-homeland/127122/7 "2002-09-05T17:53:02Z")
I’m with you here. The USA is a great place to live, for all it’s flaws, but referring to a crusade, or the homeland, or for that matter a “war on terrorism” always makes me wince. Also, am I alone in thinking that the “war on terrorism” will probably be going on for the next couple of decades? I mean, we’re never going to eliminate terrorism. The most we can hope for is to bring some terrorists to justice. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-live-in-the-homeland/127122/8 "2002-09-05T18:12:58Z")
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who cringes at the word ‘homeland’. It’s so…so…well, I don’t know the word but I’ll get back to you when I figure it out. What’s really ironic is, as much as I hate the word homeland, I think I want to buy a house in the Homeland section of my city. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-live-in-the-homeland/127122/9 "2002-09-05T19:41:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Also, am I alone in thinking that the “war on terrorism” will probably be going on for the next couple of decades? I mean, we’re never going to eliminate terrorism. The most we can hope for is to bring some terrorists to justice. Don’t be so negative! I’m sure we’ll wrap up the War on Terrorism the same time we win the War on Drugs. What a day that’ll be! ---
**Author:** ![Kalashnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kalashnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalashnikov)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-live-in-the-homeland/127122/10 "2002-09-05T20:15:25Z")
I agree, it’s seriously creepy. It also makes me think of that movie “Amerika”, which divided what was the US into regions including one called Heartland.