(no subject)

[melwil]

From sangerin
Ten things (or more) I love about the USA

-The people who smiled at us in San Fransisco, finding snow in Yosemite, the immensness of the Grand Canyon
-Hershey Bars
-Aaron Sorkin and Joss Whedon
-The guys who taught us how to have a snow ball fight on the banks of the Rio Grande
-Ben Folds
-The political system - almost as crazy as ours (a bit more name calling in the House of Reps and you'll be there)
-Washington DC - the Smithsonian, the Vietnam War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol Building
-Autumn leaves
-Simon and Garfunkle
-Gettysburg and Harpers Ferry
-The snow in Taos
-The Bill of Rights

twinkledru asked an interesting question about what it means to be a person from your country.

What does it mean to me, to be an Australian?

When I was growing up, when I was at school, it was about a fair go, mates, the ANZAC spirit (as long as you made fun of the Kiwis), making fun of the Poms while reading the women's magazines for news about the royals . . .

What does it mean now?

I think I want to think on it a bit more. Anyone got any ideas?


I'm empty and aching and I don't know why

Comments

[sangerin.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to answer that question for either of my countries, and can't do it. Then again, I've never been that firm on the Australian side of my identity. Has something to do with the fact that I live here and don't have to spend time justifying it...

[midnight-tribe.livejournal.com]

Heya, just wondering around scratching my bum and bumping into journals :P

I don't really tend to define myself based on national identity. In fact I'd say I don't really have a sense of national identity at all and tend to think pretty ill of nationalism (it seems to do more harm than good). If anything, I love the way Australia is fairly socilist in nature, and I don't ever want to see that go. Compared to a lot of nations, Australia is a shining beacon in this respect (compare our medical system to the US, compare our social safety net to the US etc). If that means I have to pay more tax to have these things, then that is fine. :) So I suppose I am trying to say that I identify with the lifestyle quite a bit, I think it's superior in the amount of respect it has for the freedom of the individual and encouraging self-actualization as opposed to forcing people to be a cog within some giant machine.

I actually think we could go further, but that would involve me engaing the crazy socialist lefty side of my brain, and none of us are ready for that! :P