Is nationality important?

[MissAlice]

Whoops I deleted mine.

I don't think it is fundementally important but given the cultural and philosophical aspects behind a country, it does help to educate the misinformed.

I personally don't define myself as a nationality mainly because I disagree with my country's government policies. Also, I've had a fair share of direct attacks made at me personally due to my nationality.

Yes I'm ranting...I just get sick and tired of people defining eachother in derogative way because of their nationality. There are stereotypes and then there are personal aspects of what it means to be ???.....

 

[Kathryn]

Can't say i'm a fan of being instantly assumed to be American. I resent that.

LOL, I guess that you're pretty easily offended. If someone automatically assumed I was Australian, I would think it was pretty funny!


In fact, a couple of times when I was in Europe, people DID ask me if I was Australian - I guess the Texas accent sort of threw them. I got a kick out of that.

 

[darkendless]

LOL, I guess that you're pretty easily offended. If someone automatically assumed I was Australian, I would think it was pretty funny!


In fact, a couple of times when I was in Europe, people DID ask me if I was Australian - I guess the Texas accent sort of threw them. I got a kick out of that.

Texas and Australian accents Righto...... A girl in my degree is from Kansas and if she talked any slower we'd all fall asleep. I've found that Northern Americans from the states closer to Canada have a clearer accent. I don't know why but a few of the southern accents i've heard really grind my gears.

I don't really care, i'm just not the biggest fan of American stereotypes in the world and to be compared to such stereotypes is like ahhhhhhhhh...... crisis time.

 

[Dunemeister]

I'm Canadian. That's important to me inasmuch as my Canadian status affords me certain benefits. Otherwise, it means nothing to me. My primary identity is "Christian" so I find I identify more closely with, say, Palestinian Christians than I do with my next-door religion-a-la-carte neighbour.

 

[Kathryn]

Texas and Australian accents Righto...... A girl in my degree is from Kansas and if she talked any slower we'd all fall asleep. I've found that Northern Americans from the states closer to Canada have a clearer accent. I don't know why but a few of the southern accents i've heard really grind my gears.

I don't really care, i'm just not the biggest fan of American stereotypes in the world and to be compared to such stereotypes is like ahhhhhhhhh...... crisis time.

I can see how some Europeans would get their English accents confused - most of them learn English from the British - so an American or Australian accent would be less familiar to them and less easily identifiable.

"Clearer accent" - oh, you must mean clearer to YOU. There is no "right or wrong" accent when it comes to the English language. Personally, I find most British accents to be much easier for me to understand than Australian accents, but it's because most British accents are more familiar to me. As an American from the south, I find that some Midwest and northern accents really grate on my ears, so I can understand your perspective. I also find British cockney accents to be quite tiring after about five minutes.

Sorry if it offends you to be occasionally mistaken as an American. Personally, I'm never embarrassed to be identified as an American or a Texan.

I also wouldn't be offended to be mistaken as an Australian, even though I absolutely detest Vegamite!

What does puzzle me though, is for someone to imply that it would be somehow embarrassing to be mistaken for an American. I think YOU are more guilty of stereotyping than the people you're accusing of stereotyping!

 

[moegypt]

Is it important to you to be American/Turkish/Egyptian/British/whatever ?

Should it be important?

What does it mean to be American/Turkish/Egyptian/British/whatever ?

For me it is not important... I am human is enough

 

[kai]

well it may not be pc these days but i am proud to be both British and English. and its very important to me. Its part of my make up my identity.

 

[McBell]

Global citizens, one world government, currency, religion?

never happen.
I mean just look at the division is Christianity alone.
Trying to ge tthem to unite as one religion would be much like herding cats.
Them when you think of all the other religions and their various divisions...

The only way it will happen is if there is only one person left on the earth.

 

[sandandfoam]

well it may not be pc these days but i am proud to be both British and English. and its very important to me. Its part of my make up my identity.

Britishness is very interesting to me.
I get slagged for being a Brit. Even though I don't consider myself British in some ways - while in other ways I do.
Somehow Britishness seems bigger than nationality. Haven't figured it out though.

 

[England my lionheart]

Like Kai am proud to be English and British,cool Brittania is very apt,especially for Music IMO

 

[Kathryn]

Dang it, I wish I was English.

 

[monta]

Britishness is very interesting to me.
I get slagged for being a Brit. Even though I don't consider myself British in some ways - while in other ways I do.
Somehow Britishness seems bigger than nationality. Haven't figured it out though.

:areyoucra

 

[MissAlice]

I wanna join the british force...

 

[Bloomdido]

It will be a consideration when we are ready to enter the Kingdon of God. We have Tony Blair doing a lot of PR for Britain and Gordon Brown is the son of a minister. With these credentials, us Brits should surely get a leg up.

 

[sandandfoam]

:areyoucra

hehehe. I know.
Half my family is or has been in the British Army/Navy RAF. Many of my family are Northern unionists. There'a a lot British I feel connected to.
I live in Kerry, I even vote for the shinners since decommissioning but there's still a bit of a Brit in me. Apparently. Doesn't make me any less Irish. Or does it?
Not sure it matters.

 

[Nothing]

It means Nothing to me.

 

[Kathryn]

I'm an Anglophile. I own every episode of Father Ted, AbFab, Vicar of Dibley, Black Adder, Goodnight Sweetheart, Coupling, and most of Fawlty Towers and Keeping Up Appearances. Also, every Shakespeare play ever made into a movie with Kenneth Branaugh in it.

I also own just about every book written by CS Lewis and GK Chesterton, and I know not only all the names of Henry VII wives, but also how they died and how many children they had - and their names. And who they married.

Finally, one of my ancestors sailed with Captain Cooke on the Endeavor.

That ought to count for something! I may be more British than some Brits!

 

[Bloomdido]

I'm an Anglophile. I own every episode of Father Ted, AbFab, Vicar of Dibley, Black Adder, Goodnight Sweetheart, Coupling, and most of Fawlty Towers and Keeping Up Appearances. Also, every Shakespeare play ever made into a movie with Kenneth Branaugh in it.

I also own just about every book written by CS Lewis and GK Chesterton, and I know not only all the names of Henry VII wives, but also how they died and how many children they had - and their names. And who they married.

Finally, one of my ancestors sailed with Captain Cooke on the Endeavor.

That ought to count for something! I may be more British than some Brits!

Wow! That is an impressive list. I would love to see the American version of 'Coupling'. Never got into the Vicar of Dibley but I am the double of Clive Mantle. You ever been over here? I was in Whitby for the Goth Weekend on Haloween.

 

[zenzero]

Friend stephenw,
You have stirred an hornet's nest here.
Find though we are born as humans first we do not realize that as humans being one race we never identify ourselves as *global citizens* but prefer to confine ourselves by creating divisions upon divisions upon division by creating imaginary lines of borders of cultures of color of religion and what not.
Kindly remember that existence itself is a *thought* and how many layers of *thoughts* each has to transcend to merge with existence which is what religion is all about; a way / path towards that oneness, which is simply created by our *thoughts*.

Love & rgds

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

Yeah, I recognize that you Brits have it all over us Yanks when it comes to literature. We're graffiti on the wall, compared to you, and I'll tell you, I'd rather read Dame Catherine Cookson than Danielle Steele, any time.