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[Ehndras]

I will forgive them, however, because they brought us Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Who, etc.

+1

[Pnx]

Fun fact, Brits are generally not patriots, in fact, the US's brand of patriotism can be kind of disturbing to Brits (personally I think the way you all get your children to swear allegiance to your country in a religious way every day at school is adorable, it's so quaintly North Korea). The modern day Brit is usually not very patriotic, and accepting of the idea that their country might not actually be the best in the world...

...

Unless we're talking about football in which case fuck you guys, all your countries suck.

[Gamerlord]

Some parts of England are pretty nasty. (e.g. gangs, getting knifed in the park, having the shit beaten out of you because you once dated a girl who's going out with some arsehole, etc)

[Pnx]

Some parts of England are pretty nasty. (e.g. gangs, getting knifed in the park, having the shit beaten out of you because you once dated a girl who's going out with some arsehole, etc)

Isn't that true of pretty much everywhere?

[Ehndras]

That's the thing. Brits are just sort of... There.

Americans, well, we are indoctrinated from the moment of our birth into an extensive system finely tailored to ensure our explicit complicity in the socio-political machinations of corporate America.


...And then somewhere along the line, a dodgeball to the head makes us all semi-normal again. Somewhat.


<_<

[ChairmanPoo]

Europeans like to make such claims, but when push comes to shove, too many people are too nationalistic to make those claims stick in anything other than individual cases.

[lordcooper]

Most of the other Brits I know find nationalism/patriotism highly disturbing.  It's what makes our country the best.

[ChairmanPoo]

Most of the other Brits I know find nationalism/patriotism highly disturbing.  It's what makes our country the best.

I see what you did there.

[scriver]

That's the thing. Brits are just sort of... There.

Americans, well, we are indoctrinated from the moment of our birth into an extensive system finely tailored to ensure our explicit complicity in the socio-political machinations of corporate America.


...And then somewhere along the line, a dodgeball to the head makes us all semi-normal again. Somewhat.


<_<

So that's why they forbade dodgeball in gym class.

Europeans like to make such claims, but when push comes to shove, too many people are too nationalistic to make those claims stick in anything other than individual cases.

It is possible to be disturbed by other's nationalism while being nationalistic themselves, though. I know I am, though mostly for joke purposes rather than actual pride or opinion that my "nation" is the best one ever and unable to do wrong or mistakes ever. We also have to remember to separate nationalism and nation-centrism. For example, I often feel like I talk too much about Sweden this and Sweden that here on the forums, but it's also because I just don't have much experience from outside it.

[lordcooper]

To be fair, I think the Swedish have more reason to be nationalistic than a lot of others.  Finnish people can also be as patriotic as they want, they've earned it.  It's just always astounded me that the most patriotic of the western nations is (arguably, I guess) the most assbackwards one.

[scriver]

Goddammit, don't reinforce it!

[Delta Foxtrot]

Goddammit, don't reinforce it!

Kalmar über alles!

[Flying Dice]

Of course, a lot of the really scary nationalism and state-religion stuff started up fairly recently, not least because of the Cold War. I seem to recall reading that, for example, there were fewer people who actively practiced any sort of religion just after the end of WWII than there are now in the US. [CITATION NEEDED]. Then there is the whole thing about how the "Under God" was only added in 1954 (screwing up the flow of the thing); the people who added it believed (or claimed) that they were quoting the Gettysburg Address, when the implication of Lincoln's use of that phrase was 'God willing'. Though of course we all really know that it was done to make us different from the godless commie pinko athiests.

Funnily enough, the pledge is the one area where I'm cheering on the Jehovah's Witnesses, because they've been combatting the requirement of children to recite the pledge (as it is idolatry, in their view) since 1940, if I remember correctly.

Finally, enjoy the Bellamy salute:

[Shakerag]

How hard is it to take a u off the end of a word anyway?

Because, technically, in Japanese the only consonant that isn't followed by a vowel is "n".  All syllables in Japanese are either a vowel, a consonant-vowel pair, or "n". 

Ok, well, there's consonant-consonant-vowel, and "y" acts like a vowel sometimes too. 

In speech, however, sometimes the trailing vowels are all but dropped.  "Desu" being one example. 

[Leafsnail]

Because, technically, in Japanese the only consonant that isn't followed by a vowel is "n".  All syllables in Japanese are either a vowel, a consonant-vowel pair, or "n".

I know, I have half a GCSE in Japanese (speaking and listening.  Writing would be way beyond my horrible handwriting ability)!  I meant in terms of interpreting the word as an English speaker.