I hear the drummer strike the sky. (Patriotism)

Member Name: peel.rebekah

Product:	Patriotism
Date:	11/10/01 (335 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Victor says "ello" to you all.

Disadvantages: He's covered in chocolate powder and mud.

What defines you as you?

Is it the colour of your skin? Your sex or age? Your profession? The clothes you wear, the music you listen to, the movies you watch, the books you read?

The country where you were born?

You see my question is this: If you are the first person to lay your towel by the swimming pool's edge in the morning, is it then prerequisite that you are German?

And if you have an eerie preference for holidaying in a caravan, is it the likelihood that you are of Dutch origin?

Aaah, but this one is slightly easier: If you wear Union Jack boxer shorts, eat fish and chips and sport a bowler hat, then you're sure to be....

Or, of course: If you holiday in Ibiza, turn a stunning shade of pink at the sight of dawn, get pithed all night long and brag about how many birds/lads you've laid on a channel 4 documentary, then you just have to be....

My point? Is that there are so many pre conceptions, stereotypes and generalisations all tied up in "Where do you come from?", and although sometimes laughable (sometimes just downright hurtful), these viewpoints somehow have a knock on effect to what we are PROUD to associate ourselves with.

And patriotism is about being proud isn't it? And it's harder to be proud of something in general when there are parts of it that you don't only not like, but that repel you with their ugliness.

I've always been a bit of a wet fish on this one and introduced myself as British (and when I was really ffffing stupid, Celtic); therefore I avoid the real issues, some of the larger scandals and bypass into a semi state of acceptance - a word that melanges my English birth place with my Scottish, Irish and Welsh pedigree.

By using this terminology, I used to feel I was free from my real heritage of: Football hooligans, skin heads, internal English nastiness to the other British countries, racism and boiled food..
.basically all those things that as intelligent and caring English people, we wince at being associated with....unfortunately with this terminology we still have to except the huge repercussions of The British Empire and that damn ugly British bull dog.

So really this terminology is absolutely pointless : All I do by using it is try to suggest that some sort of 'gypsy' blood runs in my veins and that I don't like boiled beef and carrots...err, well that much IS true.

This is a hard issue for me to get my head round: Here I am, English and white. I abhor political correctness, yet it traps me with the fact that as an educated and informed individual, I'm not SUPPOSED to be proud of where I come from - of what I am- I'm SUPPOSED to bow my head and mumble mumble under my breath...or do I rebel? Proclaim my undying love for Beckham and the boys? Slaver with oily fish and chips lips at the mere mention of the Queen? Acquire an interest in ferrets and whippets? And stand proud?

I'd have loved to. And now, I suppose, in my own way, I do.

But NOW, things are VERY different.

Because now, of course, I'm an English woman abroad, and I have slightly different exterior viewpoints to deal with.

At first it was all sandwiches at high tea, earl grey and Princess Di; Until recently it was teaching the charming MOROCCAN shop keeper down the road how to say "How do you do?" and "The rain in Spain..."

Strange, eh? But suddenly I was allowed to indulge myself in these slightly misguided views of what being English is all about....And I was allowed to be proud...I was allowed to be patriotic (ok, ok, I never did get so far as flying the Union Jack out of the window of my Parisian apartment, but maybe I could have...maybe).

And now?

Ahem. Living in a highly populated Muslim area (where most people now know me and my origins), those exterior viewpoints are chang
ing again.This is highlighted by Mr Chirac's slow, but sure, back shuffle into the shadows as 'our' Tony steps boldly forward into the limelight. If I wasn't already feeling a bit homesick...(that's just the pregnancy talking).

But what do I FEEL?

I'm SO proud of my language and of the beautiful things that my country(ies) has (have) produced; of its freedom of expression; the tie died hair of Camden; the deep, deep greenness of it all; of Remembrance day poppies; of politeness; of eccentricity; of the NHS; of grandfather clocks; of being able to hug - for a long time; Staffordshire and English bull terriers; the Scottish Highlands; sausages and mash; baked beans and Sunday roast.

I'm not proud of our Island mentality; our superiority complex; our downright susceptibility when it comes to the press; our inbred fear of that which we know not; our blue Labour government; our quickness to jump on bandwagons; our terribly fickle nature towards those doing better than ourselves.

So am I a patriot or not?

Ummn, yeh, I suppose I am, in a twisted, tea drinking, boiled food hating way.

I cheered my little heart out for the England football team when they won against Germany (I was lucky enough to be in England at the time - French TV doesn't air that sort of nonsense), and I'll be wahooping my way through the World Cup (however far we get): I notice that the patriotism within most of us rises to the surface during such sports or other grand occasions, and while that's a good thing for general morale, we have to be aware of when it's a bad thing too.

Before the recent events in America there was a resurgence of curious patriotism due to the illegal immigrants that were trying to get into Britain...

And after the recent events in America, patriotic blood is running even thicker and faster through the veins of those in support of the war....

What I want
to say is this: Feel free to 'reclaim' your Britishness or Englishness - our patriotism should not stem from other people's viewpoints or prejudice - But UNDERSTAND what it is you are proud of being, and do not blinker yourself with a word. Don't let your love of your country misguide you and stay as open minded as you possibly can.

I often try to imagine what it would have felt like to have been born in Germany: As a German, would I be patriotic or not? After three generations, surely you'd have the right to be forgiven for your forefathers sins - but then, of course, patriotism in Germany also has those OTHER undertones - so could you never be proud of the country that gave you birth?

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