To not understand how people can be 'proud' of their nationality?

[awayintheclouds]

Phrases such as 'I'm bloody proud to be British' baffle me and I genuinely can't understand it.

How can you be proud of something (such as your nationality) when you had no determination over it, and it was essentially just an accident of birth?

Horrible things about this county aside, I think there are still several things to feel proud about today.
I'm proud we don't have the death penalty.
I'm super proud of our NHS until it's dismantled
I'm proud of our gun laws.
I'm proud of our lovely countryside

Am I proud to 'be' British? Not in a 'save Tommy Racistson' kind of way but I don't wring my hands and apologise for where I was born. If that makes sense

In my opinion it is mostly people who have nothing else to be proud of who say that. Not only British, any nationality.

Well you may have had no control over it, but you certainly contribute to it.
It's more than where you are born, it's a whole cultural and belief system.

Where we live (in another country) the locals are quite rightly proud to live here - it's clean, safe, friendly, great schools and medical care -

Why wouldn't you be proud

**FeralBeryl
Tommy Racistson OMG hahaha

I should clarify this isn't an attack on people who say they're proud to be 'British' - it applies to any nationality, because to me the logic (or lack of, perhaps) is the same.

I agree with you away - unless you've emigrated, applied for and jumped through hoops for citizenship, your nationality is an accidental of birth.

It would make more sense to be grateful than proud.

Surely one can be proud of one’s country’s values? Nationality is your group identity, one stage up from your family or village. Do you never say that you’re proud of your family?
You have a role in shaping your nation, just as you do in your family, albeit a lesser one via the ballot box.
I’m proud that my country is s democracy with civilised values and human rights, compared to many other places in the world. I’d rather be a woman in the U.K. than Afghanistan or Saudi for example.

Just because you're proud of something doesn't mean it is without fault.
awayintheclouds you also have no control over who your parents are, would you think it odd to be proud of them (presuming you are, but you get my meaning)?

I’m totally with you in finding it a hard concept to understand. I feel incredibly grateful to live in a democracy, for increasingly equal rights for women, for the NHS and free schooling for all, along with many other things. But I’m not proud. Im not proud to have been born into an immigrant family or of our country of origin either. To me these thIngs are facts and not something to be either proud or ashamed of.

It’s just being picky over semantics really...

When people are proud to be whatever nationality, we all acknowledge that it’s shorthand for they’re proud of their nation and pleased they’re part of it.

But we can celebrate culture- our differences is part of what strengthens us as a global society.
And nationality is very tied up with culture.

I don’t get it either. I was born in the UK to Irish parents and whilst there are parts of both countries and cultures that I like and admire, I’m not ‘proud’ of them like I’m proud of my degree or being able to plank for 2 minutes. Those are things I worked hard to achieve. My place of birth and ethnicity are not my achievements to be proud of.

I agree OP. Why proud?

I'm very glad I live here, there is so much about this country to be glad about - the things FeralBeryl metioned among them - but I'm not sure proud is the word I'd use.

I had very little input, none tbh, into how this country has evolved so what would I have to feel 'proud' about; in fact this fiasco over leaving the EU should be making everyone feel anything but proud.

I've had cause to use the NHS in an emergency situation recently and my god, I was massively impressed with the service and treatment I received, but again how do I take pride in it, it's none of my doing? I was just bloody thankful and grateful that we have that.

Massively pleased and lucky that I live in a country with such freedom
and our level of democracy, although that's not always perfect, but proud? Not really.

OP, I've never understood this either. It's much the same as being proud of one's family name--just not logical.

I can certainly understand feeling incredibly lucky that my parents happened to citizens of Ruritania or that my surname sometimes eases the way but not taking pride in something that's a matter of chance. Pride though strikes me as false fellowship in one instance and utterly unwarranted egotism in the other & it might be that often one is overtly encouraged and the other quietly so for the sake of others' ends.