Proud To Be Miss Cellanean!

[Mighty Jalapeno]

This is all the props Hugh Laurie needs....

[Rook]

I wouldn't say I'm proud in the proper sense of the word, but I do like being British, mainly because of some of the brilliant stereotypes we get (viz, that a neutral or 'well spoken' British accent denotes high intelligence, a super villain, or both).

A [slightly] more serious reason I love being British is our history of invention and inventors. Dyson is one of my favourites, but other than that I can never really remember what we're responsible for

[Jessica]

There are a lot of brits here...
Why am I the only one proud to be Canadian?

[SecondTalon]

Because Mighty Jalapeño doesn't count, apparently.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

There are a lot of brits here...
Why am I the only one proud to be Canadian?

See the original post, maybe?

By me?

[SecondTalon]

No no, you don't count.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

Awww.

*has teh snifflez*

[timt]

Proud to be australian for the freedom, security and the people. Not proud to be Australian for the nanny type laws and the whiny government.

[SecondTalon]

Don't worry, MJ.. I still love you. And so does Cypress Hill.. they wrote a ton of songs about how they love MJ and...


...

wait, now that I think about it....

[Jessica]

Oops. Couldn't see any of the youtube videos, and couldn't tell for what country you were supporting.
sorry :\

[Mighty Jalapeno]

Don't worry, MJ.. I still love you. And so does Cypress Hill.. they wrote a ton of songs about how they love MJ and...


...

wait, now that I think about it....

"How Could I Just Kill A Man" was about me, though...

[Jessica]

I shall post youtube links when I get away from work.
they will be awesome.

[EdgarJPublius]

At a more normal Time of day, I can't believe I forgot that we have one of these:

that is really quite large (the largest in the states at least)

['; DROP DATABASE;--]

CANADIAN BEER.

Also, our flag is pretty cool, and we invented some things I can't remember.

[Spoffin]

I love the fact that everything thing in Australia stands a chance of dealing damage. And we may just be the best sporting nation ever (per capita).

If we were playing Top Trumps with Australia, it would win on Most Poisonous AND Spiky Things.
The platypus, an apparently cuddly animal, has BOTH.

[Zak]

I can say "Duuuuude" as much as i want.

[Eps]

I'm pleased to see my fellow Brits "up in this piece" (um...) representing the UK. Although I'm not a fan of crass jingoism, it does strike me that the British reluctance to make a big deal out of national pride sometimes means that people don't appreciate how lucky they are to live in the UK (as compared to most other far less affluent / democratic / etc. countries in the world).

Things I love about Britain and being British:

- Not just a composite flag, but a composite nation, made up of two Kingdoms (England and Scotland), a Principality (Wales) and a Province (Northern Ireland).
- The fact we're relatively well-travelled; comes with being an island nation, I suppose.
- The food. People who think British food is awful are living in a dream world, and need to open their eyes to the amazing food we have in the UK. In fairness, there is a reason for this amongst Americans: the passed-down horror stories of American GIs billeted in the UK in World War II (when hardcore rationing was strictly in place).
- Sophisticated sense of humour and wit - not that other English-speaking countries don't have this, but for the UK even more so.
- British people have full democratic freedoms, and the Queen plays only a symbolic role in affairs of state. Yet we have the most famous and respected monarchy in the world. It strikes the perfect balance, being as far from a watered-down pseudo-monarchy like some other European nations as it is from Swaziland-style rule by royal decree.
- The sense of sporting fair play (relatively speaking). Eroded in the modern day, maybe, but still much more prevalent than in other countries. In particular, college sport in the UK is about amateurism, taking part, getting fit and enjoying yourself, not about 'student stars' and coaches paid millions per year.
- This is historical, but we stood alone against the Nazis when everyone else in their way had rolled over and the US had not yet entered the war. The Battle of Britain, in which we repelled an atttempted Nazi invasion, was one of the greatest battles in history as well as being the first major battle fought almost exclusively with air power. Following this, years of sustained bombing of the UK by the Luftwaffe completely failed to demoralise the public.
- Similarly, our reaction after the "7/7" Tube bombings in London. Panic and hysteria? No - people just got on with their lives exactly as before. Terrorists bomb the London Underground? Have a nice cup of tea and a piece of cake, then move on! That made me feel more patriotic than almost anything else. Religious fundamentalists hoping for a GW Bush style instant military retaliation must have been howling in frustration at the relative non-reaction of the British public to the provocation of the attacks.
- Ancient and unique architecture: my dad's local pub is almost a thousand years old. Enough said.
- Finally, the subtle but definite culture of politeness. British people who think we are full of chavs/scallies/neds etc. and don't have one anymore should maybe travel a bit more. What I like about British politeness in particular is that it's not ritualised politeness like in some parts of the US South or, even more so, Japan. It's almost unconscious: of course you don't push into a line, for example. It's not Because You Are Being A Gentleman/Lady. It's just, you know, not something you do.

Of course, there are plenty of good things about living in the US, my home for the last couple of years, too -- but we have plenty of Americans who will be happy to point them all out (let's have some love for Cajun and Creole cuisine, huge wilderness areas, American hospitality and a culture of personal liberty!)

[Zak]

Man, the south is crazy. Everybody calling each other sir or ma'am... Southern hospitality is the best though, and their cornbread. Mmmm...

[cypherspace]

- The food. People who think British food is awful are living in a dream world, and need to open their eyes to the amazing food we have in the UK. In fairness, there is a reason for this amongst Americans: the passed-down horror stories of American GIs billeted in the UK in World War II (when hardcore rationing was strictly in place).
- Ancient and unique architecture: my dad's local pub is almost a thousand years old. Enough said.

The food is partly amazing because it's so varied thanks to the multiculturalism of the UK, which is a relatively recent development.

And to go with the architecture - the history. Oh, the history! There's... so much of it!

[SecondTalon]

Calling people sir or ma'am is unusual? Huh...

[bbctol]

Totally pwning on the most powerful country on Earth, then slowly rising to eventually be the world's only superpower. Plus, cowboys.

[Insignificant Deifaction]

The Empire Where The Sun Never Sets.

Claimed by... what? 5-6 nations in their prime?

[Sir_Elderberry]

Well, I like America pretty well. Certainly in recent times our world image has taken a blow, but I'm confident that's a temporary thing. We seem to be on track to elect someone good in 2008 (My money's on either McCain or Obama to actually win it, and I like them both.) Our government is very well-designed and defined, and when we have an election, people accept it and move on rather than go to civil war. (2000 an exception, get over it guys, Bush won, I don't like it any more than you do.) Besides that, we're America. Economic and technological prosperity, superpower, fun times all in all.

I am from Oklahoma though. I guess I can say that the people here are generally nice and have the classic "common folk" values of hard work and such. Sadly, it's also a politically unimportant state that ranks near last in good things and near first in bad ones.

[Torvaun]

Wisconsin. We have good beer, which would probably make me proud if I drank alcohol, we have good cheese, which does make me proud, and in general, we have the best schools in the United States, MIT, Berkley, Huntsville, Harvard, and Yale being the only exceptions I can think of. We're also a swing state, politically, which means that my vote counts a hell of a lot more here than it does in, say, Massachusetts.

[Rippy]

Canada: (mostly wikipedia'd)
- Failed state index is "sustainable". By comparison, the U.S. and England are "moderate", meaning there is some instability. Only Canada, Australia and the Scandinavian countries have that rating.
- Generally in the top 10% of every kind of index or country comparison
- Very low population density, lots of natural resources
- Generally not a douche on an international scale

As a bonus, during the summer the temperature often gets above freezing!

[Pandercolour]

There are a lot of brits here...
Why am I the only one proud to be Canadian?

What has Canada done to be so proud of? I can't think of one thing that isn't overshadowed by other countries.

[Zak]

Calling people sir or ma'am is unusual? Huh...

I live in southern california where the standard, unisex greeting is dude.

[MotorToad]

CANADIAN BEER.

Also, our flag is pretty cool, and we invented some things I can't remember.

You've reminded me of something American I'm proud of. BEER. Yeah, I know, everyone thinks the worst beer in the world is mass produced in the US, and it is, but the best beers in the world are also American. Dogfish Head, North Coast Breweries, Sweetwater, Flying Dog, Anchor, and dozens of others. It's Really Great Beer.

We seem to be on track to elect someone good in 2008 (My money's on either McCain or Obama to actually win it, and I like them both.)

I don't want to jinx it, but holy damn hell I HOPEHOPEHOPE it's one of those two. If not, I'm going to Vancouver.

What has Canada done to be so proud of? I can't think of one thing that isn't overshadowed by other countries.

They may not have moon landings or a global empire, but neither do they have intra-city battles over civil rights or a habit of invading France, nor do they force their women to wear hats over their faces. I'd take that trade.

[Torvaun]

We seem to be on track to elect someone good in 2008 (My money's on either McCain or Obama to actually win it, and I like them both.)

I don't want to jinx it, but holy damn hell I HOPEHOPEHOPE it's one of those two. If not, I'm going to Vancouver.

Prediction: Clinton is going to be the Democrat candidate, and will then lose to McCain. Personally, I'd prefer Obama to McCain, but McCain is my second choice of people who are still running.

[Mighty Jalapeno]

I love the fact that everything thing in Australia stands a chance of dealing damage. And we may just be the best sporting nation ever (per capita).

If we were playing Top Trumps with Australia, it would win on Most Poisonous AND Spiky Things.
The platypus, an apparently cuddly animal, has BOTH.

Redback, Funnel-Web, Blue-ringed octopus
Taipan, Tigersnake and a Box jellyfish
Stonefish and the poison thing that lives in a shell
That spikes you when you pick it up

Come to Australia
You might accidentally get killed

Your life's constantly under threat
Have you been bitten yet?
You've only got three minutes left
Before a massive coronary breakdown

Redback, Funnel-Web, Blue-ringed octopus
Tiapan, Tigersnake and a Box jellyfish
Big shark just waiting for you to go swimming
At Bondi Beach

Come to Australia
You might accidentally get killed
Your blood is bound to be spilled
With fear your pants will be filled
Because you might accidentally get killed

[Azrael001]

What has Canada done to be so proud of? I can't think of one thing that isn't overshadowed by other countries.

Them thar's fightin' words.

The USA, in order to gain it's freedom had to shoot a lot of people and had a big long war. We basically said, "Hey, we're going to be an autonomous country now ok?", to which Britain replied "Ok, sure."

In WWI, after every other allied power had tried to take it, Canada captured Vimy Ridge. We did it in an extremely ingenious way too. (I am to lazy to make links to Wikipedia right now, it is late.)

Canada declared war on Germany independently during World War II under Liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, three days after Britain. The first Canadian Army units arrived in Britain in December 1939.[18] Canadian troops played important roles in the Battle of the Atlantic, the failed 1942 Dieppe Raid in France, the Allied invasion of Italy, the D-Day landings, the Battle of Normandy and the Battle of the Scheldt during the liberation of the Netherlands in 1944. The Canadian economy boomed as industry manufactured military materiel for Canada, Britain, China and the Soviet Union. Despite another Conscription Crisis in Quebec, Canada finished the war with one of the largest armed forces in the world.[18]

We archived our goal in the D-day invasion faster than everyone else, and actually had to slow down, to let everyone else catch up. Not to mention the "devils brigade", which was a joint Canadian, American group of soldiers who were the precursors to today's special forces. They had impossibly low casualties, and were captured even less frequently.

In the late fifties to counter the threat of long range Russian bombers, the Avro Arrow was developed. It was the best interceptor of it's time, and is comparable to many fighter craft still in use today. (The prime minister at the time however was a loser (who probably recieved kickbacks from the US (either the government itself or a large corp, I don't know.) when he purchased a few ICBM's with no warheads instead) ordered not only the program halted, but the blueprints and the prototypes destroyed. As a result of this most of the engineers who worked on the project ended up moving to the USA and joining either Boeing, or NASA, or some other now huge company that produced similar things.)

Canada has played a leading role in UN peacekeeping efforts. During the Suez Crisis of 1956, Lester B. Pearson eased tensions by proposing the inception of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force.[30] Canada has since served in 50 peacekeeping missions, including every UN peacekeeping effort until 1989

Not only that, but we have something like 80% of the world's unfrozen fresh water, more oil than any country but Saudi Arabia.
See the link that I will break down and put here

We also have the worlds best nuclear power plant (or up there anyways) and more other natural recourses than you can shake a stick at.

That is all off of the top of my head, with a little back up from wikipedia.

[The Cosmic Fool]

Suffice to say those are the international political reasons why Canadians should carry a sense of pride.

If you're looking reasons like that (which I don't think is the best idea), here are a few more:

- We're the largest producer of uranium. (Surpassing Australia, even though they have the largest reserves.)
- Second largest country. (Not that we can actually use most of it.)
- Following World War II, we had the 3rd largest navy in the world. (Some sources say 4th.)
- We produce an ungodly amount of oil. (Though, this potentially could be disastrous for us.)
- Despite my opinions on how miserable our state of political affairs is, we still live in one of the most livable countries in the world. If you ignore the politics, it's a pretty easy going life here.
- We've had universal health care for a long time. (This isn't an attack on Americans. We have significantly less issues facing us than you do, which makes true universal health care a very hard road to get to, or impossible.)
- Besides Afghanistan, we've had a pretty clean post-war peacekeeping/military track record.

I prefer to look at it this way. The more powerful Canada becomes, the more corrupt and criminal it will become. We currently don't have the population (and never have) to really become anything besides a minor player in the world affairs. I certainly wouldn't trust Stephan Harper with any amount of real power anyway. I wouldn't really trust anybody currently in our political arena with anything. They're horribly inept and nobody here takes them seriously, so why should anyone else?

[Mighty Jalapeno]

Fear Our Zombie Overlord!

[Azrael001]

So do you think that we should pull out of Afghanistan then? Are the lives of our soldiers, more important than those whom they protect? Until it is stable we can't just pull out. Unlike Iraq, most of the Afghans actually want us there.

And as far as Prime Ministers go Harper is one of the better ones (even if he does look like a zombie )

[JayDee]

I'd like to nominate Rule, Britannia! for addition to the list.

See, I associate that song with a different Britannia.

Erm... haggis? Oh yeah, haggis. And the daft jokes that can be played on the very ignorant concerning its life in the wild, before the pre-Burns'-night haggis hunt.

Burns is defiantly reason to be proud of Scotland (I was far more excited by seeing my surname in connection with Burns than I would be seeing it in connection with royalty.) And man, I could murder a haggis right now. Where by right now I mean the entire period of time since I was in Scotland four-and-a-half years ago.

If anyone in the Newcastle area can tell me where I can get some haggis, or find a Burns night locally, I'd be forever in your debt.

Come to Australia
You might accidentally get killed

I heard that song just the other day.

Australia has some of the best comedians in the world, too.

[The Cosmic Fool]

(Off topic: Overthrowing the political system of one country through raw force usually leads to greater problems than before such force was applied. In regards to the Afghan people, if we're so righteously just and we owe it to them to stay then we should consider invading every other country that isn't a democracy. You're forgetting that it isn't that simple. We didn't go in there to liberate the people - we went there to find Bin Laden and end the Taliban regime, etc, etc.)

On topic, I always thought he looked more like a vampire really. With a pedo-smile.

[TheTankengine]

Also from Kentucky:
Corvettes
Toyota Camry, best selling vehicle in the US, made in Georgetown, KY
Also the best selling truck in the US, the F-150, made right here in the Ville
Shitloads of bourbon
Marijuana (I've heard Eastern KY puts out more than Calif, this site says it was second in 2005 production)
St. James Court Art Show, the largest outdoor art show in the United States
Probably the world's most premier horse race, the Kentucky Derby

[Gaz]

I love the fact that everything thing in Australia stands a chance of dealing damage. And we may just be the best sporting nation ever (per capita).

If we were playing Top Trumps with Australia, it would win on Most Poisonous AND Spiky Things.
The platypus, an apparently cuddly animal, has BOTH.

Redback, Funnel-Web, Blue-ringed octopus
Taipan, Tigersnake and a Box jellyfish
Stonefish and the poison thing that lives in a shell
That spikes you when you pick it up

Come to Australia
You might accidentally get killed

Your life's constantly under threat
Have you been bitten yet?
You've only got three minutes left
Before a massive coronary breakdown

Redback, Funnel-Web, Blue-ringed octopus
Tiapan, Tigersnake and a Box jellyfish
Big shark just waiting for you to go swimming
At Bondi Beach

Come to Australia
You might accidentally get killed
Your blood is bound to be spilled
With fear your pants will be filled
Because you might accidentally get killed

Saw them live last year.

[thecommabandit]

- Finally, the subtle but definite culture of politeness. British people who think we are full of chavs/scallies/neds etc. and don't have one anymore should maybe travel a bit more. What I like about British politeness in particular is that it's not ritualised politeness like in some parts of the US South or, even more so, Japan. It's almost unconscious: of course you don't push into a line, for example. It's not Because You Are Being A Gentleman/Lady. It's just, you know, not something you do.

One thing that has suprised when going to other countries and meeting other people is that people notice how polite I am/we are. Like when I went to Japan, I was tacking "arigato" on the end of everything and they actually had to tell me that you don't have to say thank you when someone passes you the sea grass at the table =P (at least, I think it was called sea grass - it was like clear noodles made from jelly). And some of the foreign students in my classes talk about how over here everyone says "please" and "thank you" for loads of little things, instead of just where you're actually asking for something that someone would have to go out of their way to do or when you've actually done someone a favour. I mean, taking the little polite things on the end of everything is just second nature - I guess it's just part of our society. The only bad thing about it is that foreign people who are unaware of this little nicety can sometimes appear rude when they don't say please or thank you.

[Angelene]

Hmm, this is an interesting exercise in patriotism, let me see.

Well, we're historically known as the land of saints and scholars so it should come as little surprise that Ireland has been home to such luminaries as James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett, CS Lewis, Thomas Moore, Jonathan Swift, George Bernard Shaw, Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde for heaven's sake.

And home to one of the seven ancient universities in the English Speaking World...


Musically I'll avoid citing the obvious, and instead remind folk that the genre defining My Bloody Valentine were formed in Dublin. And where would the world of cinema be without Kenneth Brannagh, Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson, Daniel Day Lewis, David Kelly, Cillian Murphy, Peter O'Toole, Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan. Not to mention our homegrown comedians, including Dylan Moran, Dermot Morgan, Graham Norton et al.

And yet we seem to be most famous for Guinness, Jameson, Leprechauns and Shamrocks. I'm sure I could go into landmarks and the like, but it's about what makes me proud to be Irish, and our place in the arts is what does it pour moi.