h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My Mum is still consider and "incomer" by natives of Devon (she's be told as much on rare occassions) because she wasn't born there, but has lived there for 26 years! Tribalism is an odd thing.

I think Tacitus wrote about the same thing Ste, occuring for German troops stationed in imperial Rome. He said that the German troops that made up the Praetorian Guard had more affection and love of "Germany" than the native Germans.

Ok, cricket & golf don't excite me, but scientific chunk of Dealer's list is amongst what I'd pick myself for the best/most interesting stuff that's come out of Britain. Yes, its all cool stuff, I just don't think 'pride' sums up the right feeling towards it, and certainly not national pride. Why does it make a difference to saying "Euler! Hell yeah!"? If there's a past event I'd root for then its the French Revolution. Voltaire? Damn straight!

Oh mathematics is getting all up in it, eh?

Maybe it is one of personal taste how one likes to express oneself. I think the previous post sums up pretty well how I feel about the British, and I think if I *were* British that would be pride.

I would just like to end by saying: JOHN FORBES NASH is in hooooouuuuse!!!!!

The best thing about being English is that a nice cup of tea will solve all the problems you are likely to face in life (which to be honest in England aren't that scary or dangerous)! Yay for tea!

I definitely want to visit England!

Godspeed you sons of Albion!

Things I love about the UK;

1) Our ability to laugh at ourselves. So far as I am aware no other nation has such a rich tradition of comedy that involves self-ridicule, from The Boy Himself to Green Wing.

2) Our absolute bloody-mindedness in the face of authority

3) Our refusal to put sporting events in their proper perspective. *When* will we learn that '66 and '03 and the Ashes '04 were once in a lifetime, never to be repeated events and that going out in the quarter-finals is about punching our weight? Hopefully never.

4) That given our chronic lack of perspective regarding the above, we can still make an absolute hash of hiring a national team coach.

you're just so spot on Blues.

And just now I heard on the radio that Rooney has actuakky broken TWO bones in his foot. When will England play in a major final again, and it actually be about FOOTBALL?

The world cup is not just about football it is "An unfolding drama" and often like a deck chair can be an unfoding comedy too.

Anyway....should we be proud?

Well it depends what you mean by proud, but as far as Ive seen it being done, no we shouldnt be.

People tend to be proud in a "we are better than you way" and a lot of the time its over things that have nothing to do with them at all. Why is anyone proud to be from the same country as Newton or the same town as Beatrix Potter?

Pride can mean different things. "Say it loud Im black and Im proud" always seemed to me a pithier way of saying Im black but I refuse to feel ashamed of this.

I dont think anyone should feel down cast or upbeat for anything that they are not directly or indirectly responsible for.

one love

Pride is a dangerous word - I think we should take pride in our achievements, but then we could ask how much of those are due to environment, genes or background ?

I suppose when asked my nationality I take a certain ammount of pride in being English, possibly I have a totally mis-conceived notion of how the world views us, but then (in typically English fashion) I take pride in the negative responses too sometimes.

Its hard to be proud when you're facing a Spanish policeman, and you suspect he views you as another mindless English drunk, but still, overall, I suspect I take an inappropriate pride in my nationality.

>Pride is a dangerous word - I think we should take pride in our achievements, but then we could ask how much of those are due to environment, genes or background ?<

Any pride based on heredity would have a very high chance of turning into jingoism. As for environment, I suspect someone could claim to be truly proud of the fact that they live in the flattest, most cultivable part of what is surely the most geographically privileged piece of land on the planet

Addendum.

Military: Ah, we seem to be surrounded by water. In your own time, feel free to chop down some of the vast natural supply of timber to make a few boats - problem solved.

Economic: And while we don't have to spend much on the tiresome game of arguing where our frontiers are, we might as well make a few bob from the splendid array of resources at our disposal.

Climatic: OK, so it rains a lot, but that just means loads of fertile soil and people indoors exchanging ideas.

Technological: Look - coal, iron ore and water right next to each other - and lots of time indoors to work out what to do with them...

Sounds like ingenuity should top the list, then.

Actally Hypatia, I think you're spot-on there...

Ste

>Pride is a dangerous word - I think we should take pride in our achievements, but then we could ask how much of those are due to environment, genes or background ?<

That's the self-effacing Englishman talking there! We're conditioned to see pride as boastful rather than self-esteem. There's a fine line between boastful pride as seeing oneself as better than others and self-esteem pride as in thinking well of oneself without comparison with others.

Exactly, Teasswill. Whenever I listen to the piece of music that makes the English part of me feel most proud (I'm half-Scottish), Elgar's 'Nimrod', it's only self-esteem pride I'm feeling.