Why Are Minorities "Proud" of their Heritage and does that Pride Cause Problems?

This is also true.

 

Why are Texans proud to be Texans?

 

I'm proud of my heritage. I'm more proud to be an American though.

I know subtle truths in what it means to be a minority. I see it in the mirror each day. The representation asians get in the media is also different than other races and vice versa. Same applies to initial reactions with new people.

Tuning all that out is denying the current reality. I'm a big fan of accepting it and improving the situation though.

I know enough to recognize that I'm partial to my own team. Mention the Drexler trade and you'll connect with me more than talking about Shaq or LeBron. I might talk trash but I'm not gonna hate about it though.

I also understand that people have had a lot less than me and have nothing to go by except for the love of their nation, blood or heritage, but there are also those who have more and are just as bad. And there are those who exploit it to get by.

Instead of wishing it away and pretending or praying it doesn't exist, you gotta confront it head on. Staying in our comfort zones is partly responsible for this.

 

Don't worry, just keep it warm for the Colts until next year. :grin:

 

While true, it doesn't really fit reality. I think Germans take pride in being German, just as French people are proud of being French, and Americans are "proud to be American". Pride isn't really a rational idea.

 

But that is only true of a 47% segment of American society, right?

 

Depends on the race. I'm white, so I'm well aware of where my ancestors come from and what nationalities I am (and aren't). For a black guy, whose ancestry is largely unknown, and whose ancestors (and even ancestral homeland) were stripped of cultural heritage, he has no nationality to be proud of, but he has his race. That's why African-American culture is so pronounced.

 

I had a similar thought, of Southerners who are proud of their heritage. It's hard to do with the shadow of slavery hanging over it, but if you're born Southern, it can be hard to turn your back on your heritage all the same. And others will take offense and think you should be ashamed and conflate Southernness with racism and put pressure on you to denounce your heritage. But not everything about Southern culture is bad.

Of course, there is a bad way to be proud of being a Southerner. Embracing the racism of the past, trying to foist identities on others and enforce conformity, or having prejudicial attitudes against people who aren't Southern or giving preferential treatment to those who are -- those are probably bad ways to show pride in being Southern, and are more or less equivalent to a black person only befriending blacks, automatically voting for Obama, calling all white people racists, and calling blacks who don't do those things Uncle Toms.

 

Your not born with "race". "Race" is a social construct that has little biological or genetic basis.

Get it right.

 

Doesn't matter. Nationality is something people are born with. If they change nationalities later in life, they may change their pride, or they may carry it with them. That said, it's still something that people are born with and proud of - which was the whole point.

 

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No one is proud of their nationality unless they are "taught" to be proud of it. It has nothing to do with birth.

 

It's not chili if it has beans in it!

 

Wait, are white people not proud of their heritage?

 

White people were a little too excited about Braveheart for my taste.

 

Let's not get carried away here.

 

You can be proud to be part of a particular social group that supports one another and, in some way, contributes to the success of others within that group.

If someone is proud to identify themselves with a particular group, but they aren't particularly contributing to the success of individuals within that group, then that makes little sense.