Australia day rant - False Pride

I'm so proud to be australian.

No. Hang on.

Things that i'm proud of:
My musical skills.
The job i did on that table earlier today.
Having paid all my bills.

Things i'm not proud of:
The completely chance fact that I was born on a particular bit of land.

People have to do something a little more than just happen to have been born in a particular place to deserve to feel pride.

If one says that they're "PROUD" of their society, that their country is the shit, then so far as i'm concerned they're implying that the (immediate) society they live in is somehow fundamentally better than other societies (after all, how can one say that something is good without making a comparison?). This even though some HUGE percentage of our society is made up of people from ALL OVER THE WORLD. Name another land mass, people from there are living here. When people talk about pride in their country, they're talking about pride in it's people.

I'm ASHAMED to be associated with this bizarre and imaginary idea of some binding and fundamental "australianness" -
Apparently "mateship" is something that is indigenous to australia.
Apparently "A fair go" is something that is indigenous to australia.
Apparently cooking meat on a metal grill is something that is indiginous to australia.

Bullshit.

Thanks to this idea of national pride, now we've got to put up with people saying "un-australian" in place of "inhuman". That's just straight out and obvious racism, and it's PURELY thanks to the idea of pride in ones country. Want to see what happens when 'national pride' gets out of hand? Look up "nazi germany".

If not 'inhuman' then what does it mean? Let me know if you can think of a better synonym.


"Last time I checked, the world was round" - Bill Hicks.

The only time you'll ever see me waving a flag is if I also have a can of petrol and a box of matches.

I'm HAPPY to be Australian, i'm very lucky to live here, I live in a peaceful, prosperous place.

But proud? No.

___________________

in·hu·man (n-hymn)

adj.

1.

a. Lacking kindness, pity, or compassion; cruel.

b. Deficient in emotional warmth; cold.

2. Not suited for human needs: an inhuman environment.

3. Not of ordinary human form; monstrous.