Are you patriotic ?

[janet0001]

Do you feel patriotic ?

I do feel patriotic and I got laughed at and basically mocked when I said it.

I was quite upset about that - AIBU?

And "if I had to choose between betraying my friend or my country, I hope I would choose my friend" as someone else said

You've got this the wrong way round.

It's EM Forster and it's the other way round: "If I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend I hope I should have the guts to betray my country."

Yes - silently so; proud to be produced from the land/sea/climate that's made me, like a wine 'terroir', that travels well too. It doesn't make me superior or inferior in any way, it just has produced me.

The nationalistic, political, religious, etc descriptions of British people I care little for and don't give a shit about. Respect for all is my maxim.

I feel the same, I'm British by accident of birth and that is all. I do like being British and living in England but that's not the same as patriotism.

Not particularly

Kind of. I feel about England like I might feel about an idiotic family member. I can slag it off but am pissed off if anyone else does.

No. I’m originally from somewhere that is very patriotic but it just seems to make narrow minded people. We’re all human, one world and all that.

British = not at all
Scottish = yes, I always say I'm Scottish rather than British. I don't really consider myself british (even though I technically am British I suppose).

I live in SE England though so it might be because I'm a bit homesick and feel very Scottish because I feel a bit like a foreigner sometimes

I probably feel similar to you op, in that I feel the country is my wider community and no community thrives unless the people in it care and contribute positively.
The trouble is that the word and often the flag has become synonymous with a version of fervent nationalism which makes it tricky to use it without qualifying what you mean, this thread a case in point.
We need a new word that suggests you want things to go well, would actively support that but aren't trying to threaten anyone else out of jingoism.

I think the UK has some spectacular countryside and beautiful buildings. We’ve created amazing cultural phenomena and have a wealth of talent across arts, technology, science, academia, politics and the like.

I’m also fond of our sense of (self depreciating) humour and our pub culture.

I don’t feel at all protective of these things, not ‘proud’ of them. They just ‘are’. I don’t feel proud of the flag and couldn’t give a fuck if we do or don’t win at any sports or music competitions - I don’t ‘blindly’ support the UK or England in anything.

I’m embarrassed about our standing in the world and how we’ve become a political laughing stock.

I’m patriotic in that I’m furious and devastated at what Brexit has done to our country and I’d love to be able to reverse it.

I feel the same, I'm British by accident of birth and that is all. I do like being British and living in England but that's not the same as patriotism.

I once saw somebody wearing a t-shirt that said "British by birth; English by the grace of God" - needlessly incendiary and a bit rubbish, but still found it slightly amusing!

Not at all. I am extremely proud of the city I come from, perhaps irritatingly so and I always support GB/England in sporting events but I'd never describe myself as patriotic.
Having said that, the word conjures up images of flagshaggers and royalist fawning. It's a shame really, despite the current problems, GB does have a lot going for it.

No not really. I don’t feel proud to be British, it’s not an achievement, the universe just put me here. I used to feel grateful, but like many pp Brexit and all that has followed has changed that.
I do however feel a desire to see a level of ‘Britishness’ maintained, but this isn’t because I think we are intrinsically better. I just love that France is France and Italy is Italy. I love that we have differences in our food and our culture and I’d be sad if the world became one homogeneous blur of people. I do wish we’d stop seeing those differences as bad and reasons to engage in us vs them but instead embrace what make us all so different and yet essentially the same and respect how that brings experiences and diversity into all of our lives.
And as for the Union Jack I think that needs reclaiming from Farage. I am ashamed to say that I feel no affinity with that flag, and won’t until it becomes a symbol of something other than division.

I'm patriotic in that I'm proud to be Irish, I wouldn't choose to anything else. HOWEVER there are so many problems, housing, healthcare, take your pick. So i'm not proud, i just am.

Yes to this.

Nope. Honestly I would never say England if I was asked where I'm from when im abroad and I probably would even say Britain (although I'd prefer that) I WOULD say my city though. I love it!

No. I seem out of step with the majority of Brits. "We" elect absolute tools to govern us and put up with Eton educated privileged refusing to invest in our children and our future. Embarrassing.

I'm Irish and am glad to be but I'm not proud to be, because I achieved nothing by being so.
I enjoy sporting events where I support Ireland as it brings people together and we all share something similar and there is always something therapeutic about people coming together in a common cause , but pride is not really what I feel.

I know it's not the thing to say on MN but I love being from Lancashire, England and the UK and I'm proud too. I'm sure that it will be made out that that makes me some sort of phobe but I don't care.

You say you're Irish and you waste tea ? I don't think so 😅

I think being patriotic to an extent is fine. I always call myself Scottish rather than British and am pro-Indy, but I don't go overboard on it. I cringe myself inside out when I hear some folk giving it the whole 'proud Scot' thing.

The problem is there's a fine line between patriotism and jingoism, with the latter being catastrophic for the UK over the last decade, in my opinion.

Yes I'm patriotic. I want what's best for our country and the people in it.

I just love that France is France and Italy is Italy. I love that we have differences in our food and our culture and I’d be sad if the world became one homogeneous blur of people. I do wish we’d stop seeing those differences as bad and reasons to engage in us vs them but instead embrace what make us all so different and yet essentially the same and respect how that brings experiences and diversity into all of our lives.

Agree @JackyinaTracky

The word ‘patriot’ in England has been hijacked by the far right - the Brexitty flagshaggers like Farage and Johnson, and the likes of the EDL, the BNP, and ‘characters’ like Yaxley-Lennon. It is associated with racism and football hooliganism - the very worst of Britain. So I would not align myself with them by calling myself a patriot. I note that many people here are talking about being proud to be British, but they’re actually proud to be English and know relatively little, and care less, about the rest of the UK. What do you know about the history, politics, geography, sport, education, etc. of Wales or Northern Ireland? I’m guessing ‘not a lot’.

@JassyRadlett you are completely correct. Blame my loose use of language. Using the word *choosing". Instead of "" choosing to betray". Me a culpa. And thanks for putting it right