Are you proud to be an American?

[rickb2202]

Hell yes im proud to be an American!. Like many of you I am disgusted with the people we have sent to Washington to serve our interest. Some make excuses for our elected leaders, they say they are out of touch with people outside Washington. I propose we solve their problem by moving them closer to the center of the country where they can see how we live and we commoners can have a little more access to our elected officals. , im thinking we move the whole shebang, casa blanca, house, senate and anything else they think they need to Tulsa. I will bet a bunch of them would throw in the towel once they see they cant live in D frickin C anymore.

 

[Profreedomokie]

Not as much as I used to be.

 

[Hoov]

****in A I am. Being an American is an ideal, not subject to definition by whatever government is in charge or by the people who worship it.

Sums it up for me. I wish we as a nation would be American and not something hyphenated. Okie-American just sounds doopid...

 

[Lurker66]

Just as the founders intended. States first, nation second....of course that changed with the civil war. Any other way and your just a bunch of assimilated former british subjects.

Okie by birth, American by MY choice.

 

[Billybob]

Just as the founders intended. States first, nation second....of course that changed with the civil war. Any other way and your just a bunch of assimilated former british subjects.

Okie by birth, American by MY choice.

Ah the Civil War, always a popular well received subject around here.

 

[n423]

Hell yaaaa......

 

[briarcreekguy]

Yep, I'm proud to be an American. Most of the problems we have in the U.S. are brought on by the political class and those in power, that feel the need to control every aspect of our lives.

 

[Jestik]

Of course. The rest of the world is plagued by endemic corruption at all levels. We piss and moan about some of our political problems here, but we have it SO GOOD here that sometimes we lose sight of the REALLY REALLY important stuff.

So yes, proud and happy to be an American.

 

[Blinocac200sx]

It's complicated.

 

[henschman]

I believe that pride is something that must be earned, by choosing values and acting so that you recognize them in your Self. I don't think it makes sense to take pride in a fact of biology and/or geography that you have no control over... so in the sense of just being from here, I have no pride in that. Still, being an American is a choice all of us make by continuing to live in this country, and I do take some pride in my choice to live in the place I believe is most consistent with my values, and in which many of the things I value are present... more so in my actions taken towards strengthening those values. So short answer: yes.

As an aside, some of the categories in that poll are pretty off-the-wall. I wonder what category they would pigeonhole me into... "business conservative," "young outsider," or "hard-pressed skeptic?" LOL. In ways I am all of those things. I certainly don't see myself as being a "typical American," thank God. I don't see having pride in being American as the same thing as having pride in my fellow Americans.

The question about whether honor and duty are your core values brings up more interesting issues. I would personally say honor yes, duty no. My honor is my commitment to my chosen values. However, I pursue those values not out of any perceived duty, but as my own rational choice.

The results of this poll don't mean much to me because I don't think very many people define these terms the same way I do; but it does bring up some interesting things to think about.