Musings on the concept of pride

[Dids]

This started when Guids made some post in OOT about being proud to be Scicilian.

Got me thinking.

I'm proud of my own personal accomplishments.

I'm proud of what father and grandfathers have done.

I'm proud that the WSU Cougars are having a good basketball season (I grew up in Pullman, but did not attend WSU).

I'm proud that the people I've hired are almost universially great employees and pretty sharp people.

I don't have much pride attached to things like my race, my state, my country.

I started this thought with the basic premise of "race pride is dumb, because what attachment do you have to people of your race beyond the obvious". Then I thought about those aspects where I do derrive pride from those trivial attachments.

I thinking "Why do these things matter to me. Why do I get some value out of these items, and not from others?".

Some of it is obvious, I care about what affects me directly and those things over which I had control.

Some of it is more distant. Specifically the sports example. Why the hell does what some team with whom my only interaction is as a fan, fill me with pride when they win? I haven't done anything to help them.

And if that's the case, and I can feel pride in something to which I'm only tangentially attached, why don't I feel similar in terms of racial identity or nationalism?

(racial identity is a trickier one for me, since I'm a total european mutt and don't really indentify as anything but "white")

So:

Beyond the obvious, what groups do you belong to, or associate yourself with that fill you with pride when they accomplish something?

Why?

[PITTM]

Post deleted by [censored]

[Shadowrun]

proud to be jewish

[blutarski]

You're confusing race with culture, I think. There is no Sicilian race, but there is a Sicilian culture- a collection of values, traditions, etc. If Guids participates in those traditions, it's easy to see how he could have pride for them.

As for your question, I don't understand why people have such a connection to things like college teams when they didn't attend that school. Or why people in Europe fight fans of opposing soccer teams.

I'm a Redskins fan, but I'd never take a punch for them!

[blackize]

[ QUOTE ]

I'm a Redskins fan, but I'd never take a punch for them!

[/ QUOTE ]

BLASPHEMY! If you haven't taken a drunken swing at a Cowboys fan, you can't call yourself a Redskins fan.

[miajag]

People just like to belong. It's the same reason fraternities, street gangs, etc. exist.

[[censored]]

I'm interested why you (and others who feel the same) would take pride in the WSU basketball season but not in your country? Does this mean for example when WSU wins a game, you feel proud for being from Pullman but when America does something you consider good in the World (tsunami relief for example) you don't feel proud at all for for being from here. Seems really weird considering you have absolutely no involvement with the basketball team but are able to be involved in a small way through voting, paying taxes, donating, being a good citizen in , with your country

[[censored]]

as for racial identity, I think its fine to be proud to be black, Hispanic, and even white so long as its limited to appreciating your ancestry and not being ashamed or feeling inferior to others based on race. which is really what the concept of black pride was about. When it goes from that to feeling superior to people based on race, which is where white pride (power) came from its a problem.

seems like a lot of people take something really simple and make it complicated.

['Chair]

I'm proud to be an atheist (and at times when convenient, GT Alum).

EDIT: forgot the why. atheists do not conform without at least some thinking for themselves. As for the other...I'm a fair weather fan who rarely watches/goes to games.

[censored] - I don't find it odd that dids finds pride in one non-tangible [sports team] and not the other [nationalism]. The older I get, the more things I learn that make me sad about the politics in most countries...and ESPECIALLY in the US. Its hard not to drudge up all bad memories of something that is so impacting on your life (like you said, taxes, prohibition, etc)...where as a basketball team could have 5 losing seasons and you could still love em for that one game back in '03 where they upset a top 10 team.

I think my point is that the gravity of the two example situations is what separates them...at least for me.

I do think that you are right on about the race pride.

[guids]

I could give a [censored] less about sports, I view people who are proud of thier sports teams (and Im comming from St. Louis, wehre even male fans would blow Albert Pujols), as suckers. I guess its pretty much the same as the chicks who make sure to catch up on what Brad and Jennifer are up to everyday. I just cant understand getting all riled up over a bunch of people who dont pay my salary, and dont give a [censored] about me (this also may have to do with the business Im in too?). I love my culture though, my grandpa explained to me how hard he had it in Sicily, and how tough the people there are, plus I just think it has great food, drink, culture, etc. Im also very proud of the USA too, I dont se how anyone couldnt be.