I’ve never really gotten this, or any sort of jingoistic feeling, about my neighborhood, my city, my state, my country or my planet. It’s just where I happen to find myself situated, but I meet people who insist on proclaiming, “Oh, I HAVE to live here–it’s terrific, no better place in the galaxy, no, sir!!” and cite the nebulous quality of their own spot: “Great dog-walks! Wonderful restaurants! Very low crime! We have the second amendment here, you know! Best movie house in the city just fifteen blocks from here, very convenient! I’m equidistant between Zabar’s and Central Park, it’s perfect! The beach is so close!” etc bbbyyy. I could go beyond mere geography, and examine the human quality of Pride in general, but this one aspect of it seems peculiar. Seems to me that often as not, people find out things about the area they live in and THEN take pride in it,as if the area’s qualities reflect well on them. Most of the time, they didn’t even select the area–they grew up there, or found an affordable apartment there, and only then found out the stuff they’re now so proud about.
Do you brag about the place you live in, and if so, why?
However I see people driving around with stickers on their cars proclaiming “Aussie Pride” and, for God knows what reason, I hope for their cars to burst into flames and for them to die in the burning inferno.
That’s funny, I also think Australia is the BEST place (for an English-speaking twit like me) to live, on the entire planet. I just happen to live 10,000 miles away.
But if I lived there, I still don’t think I’d brag about it.
I think the neighborhood I live in is very interesting, though it has as many negatives as positives. For example, we don’t have the usual representative government – we’re run by a state corporation. So every year unofficial elections are organized and people vote on issues they care about, and the results are sent in to the state, and the state government can throw them all in the trash if they like. I do feel some pride in dropping my vote in the box and joining people who are trying to make a statement about wanting local democracy. So yes, local pride in where I live.
I love living in New York City because of all the international culture, museums, parks, and such, but I don’t feel pride in it because I don’t think I have had any appreciable impact in making it what it is.
I didn’t think about my country much until I lived abroad for a few years. I came back with a much better perspective on the pros and cons of the USA, and I love living here, but I am ashamed of the US probably as often as I am proud.
I’ve never really understood it either, nor pride in a flag.
Except that recently, I traced my family tree and discovered that seven generations ago, my ancestors lived in the same village as I do now - granted, the bloodline hasn’t moved outside a 50 mile radius in all of the intervening time, but it happened that I moved back to the home of one of my unknown ancestors, and this did imbue me with a sort of sense of belonging.
I don’t know that I’m proud about it, that’s not what I’d call it, but I am vocal about the fact that I do love my city. I just love it here. This is where I want to live for a long time. It suits me. Driving or walking around this particular place makes me happy. I cannot think of another place in California that I would rather live, except maybe SLO and it’s hugely expensive and full of old-family types that don’t make you welcome.
That’s not to say that this place has no problems, but so what? I love it here and hope we don’t have to leave.
I don’t think it’s that unusual to love your home. It seems to be something of a human constant.
But it doesn’t make a lot of sense to be attached to things that happen to you–where you live, what country you live in, etc.–and pride is responsible for a lot of otherwise avoidable conflcits. Often, people are most defensive about things that, upon reflection, they actually aren’t all that aTtached to, they just never considered the alternatives. PeoPle dislike their neighbors, bristle aginst local laws or customs, suffer in the climate, but–the place they live in is THE BEST!
I get quite patriotic about London, particularly my part of it, and also about England, though less so. This doesn’t extend to jingoism though, because I’m perfectly happy to acknowledge the place’s faults. And I don’t have flags or bumper stickers or anything, but I do really want an ancient map of the area and I have loads of local history books and fiction set here.
I don’t now why I have this parochial patriotism really, and try to tone it down sometimes and not get too defensive. However, right now I’m on a course to be a local tour guide - I’ve worked s a tour guide before, but in a different way - and a lot of the 100 museums I’m visiting this year are local history museums, so obviously I don’t try to fight it that much.
I see many cars with the South Carolina state seal (palm tree, crescent moon), both within and outside its borders. SC and Texas are the only two states I’ve noticed this tendency. I don’t know what it is about SC that inspires such…“pride” (because I can’t think of another suitable word) compared to the vast majority of other states. I think it’s somewhat cool, but don’t understand it; or, alternatively, I don’t understand why most other states would foster the same sort of enthusiasm.
The other thing that sometimes happens is reaction to ignorant or inaccurate things outsiders may say - for example, in a discussion somewhere on the web once, I was asking for recommendations on a small chainsaw, and someone said something to the effect “why would anyone in England need a chainsaw? Do they even have more than three trees on that little island?”. I’m not sure whether it was just ignorant, or if I was being trolled, but it got my hackles up in a way that could be mistaken for pride in my homeland.
The places that I’ve lived that I’ve liked are often nationwide laughingstocks: Texas and Arizona. Still, once you go past the laughable politics, they’re great places.
I’ve lived in three US states and many different towns/areas/neighborhoods, and haven’t found my life, or feelings about where I live, to be very different in any of them. So I understand where you are coming from. However the places I have lived have all been pretty nice, with many amenities. If I had found myself in a violent, dirty slum I’ve sure I would have hated it and done my best to get out of there as soon as possible.
I’m glad I live in the USA simply because my life is a cakewalk compared the majority of the world population. However I don’t ‘love’ this country or have patriotic feelings. In fact I often have the contrary. As good as I have it here, I still get annoyed. Often by patriotic people.
I guess I see where you live as a matter of chance more than anything, and it just doesn’t make sense to be personally proud of where you were born.
I don’t really get this feeling but I think I understand it’s origin. It doesn’t make sense in that the belief is not logically justified, but it makes sense because it makes people feel better (which seems to be a huge factor in many people’s outlooks.)
People want to feel good about what they have. It’s comforting to believe that the place you ended up living is the best place in the world, that you have it better than those other losers in that other place, and your life is as good as it gets. You are lucky/wise/authentic/successful/whatever enough to live where you do.
I think loyalty to a group might have something to do with it to.
I’ve chosen to live in the middle of the sticks. When people ask why I would do this, I do tend to point out the reasons I’m happy here. That doesn’t mean I’m so emotionally attached to this place that I will cry and have a pity party when I have to move.
