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by nickik 5481 days ago
I'm not a big fan of patriotism either but saying your proud of your country is basiclly what almost everybody in every country sais.
2 comments

I agree with his points (now): It's not the pride in itself (we can argue if that is helpful, but that's not what mhd critizises). It's the phrase used (or - a couple of phrases, plus maybe the general tone) that leads to really nasty subtext.

The translation is incomplete. He didn't write "Ich bin stolz auf Deutschland" (I'm proud of Germany), he used "Ich bin ein stolzer Deutscher" (I'm a proud German), a phrase that is heavily (ab)used by the far right, the extremists.

Im from Switzerland im well awair of what you translated I agree that the phrase is (ab)used by the extremist but just because somebody sais it I would say he is a extremist. A person that hacked NPD isn't like an extremist just somebody that probebly is just a bit to much of a patriot. You can find enought people like that and the are not all extremists.
You must not be Canadian.

The whole "I'm proud to be X" would sound a bit rude or ignorant in my circles.

> The whole "I'm proud to be X" would sound a bit rude or ignorant in my circles.

Of course it's rude. Everyone knows that you're supposed to say "I'm happy/proud to not be an American."

No, that's not what I'm getting at. I'm trying to convey a different perspective.

For example very few houses or business here have flags. It's mostly a car-dealership / cottage thing.

It's actually just jarring to see how many flags are on display in the US even without getting into political sympathies. It's the visual equivalent of someone shouting in public.

> For example very few houses or business here have flags.

That's because you know that most of you are "not American" when you're in Canada.

Travelling Canadians outside the country tend to sprout flags.

Canadian flags. In Canada. As a comment on Canadian culture and US culture-shock. More clear?
My point is that just because somebody sais something like that you should just juge him to be a nazi. Spezially if that someone just hacked some nazis.