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I did grow up here, and no-one gets to tell me that I don't belong. If you think I don't feel confident enough to tell people that to their face, you're wrong :)
Sure I do try and respect those I disagree with - I don't see that as a negative.However I'm not holding back out of lack of confidence, I genuinely do think national identity - as a widespread social construct that people to varying degrees hold close to their own sense of identity - is more complex than just thinking England is better than the rest of the world.
And I do think reducing it down to that is dangerous in the wider sense because it gives many people no room for their own identity. I do think if we had a healthier understanding and discussion about what being English or what being British could be, in all its various forms, perhaps we wouldn't be in this situation. You say there's little intelligence to go round - I believe treating people as if they're unintelligent is more to blame, unfortunately that's something that has built up over decades.
hoefla-
Sure I do try and respect those I disagree with - I don't see that as a negative.
I wouldn't disrespect someone entirely over just one aspect of their personality either. I am being a bit feisty about this. Ultimately I just see it as dangerous to allow nationalistic jingoism any more air than it's getting recently. Too many wishy washy arguments about it's ok for this reason or that. All that does is empowers the worst kind of nationalism in the dark recesses of peoples minds. We built the Spitfire because we're the greatest nation on earth sort of bullsh*t.
I just don't see an example of nationalism that doesn't have an air of superiority about it and there are plenty of other ways to galvanise people so we could just drop that one. I guess I'm just triggered!
Regarding intelligence, I call it as I see it. So many people unable to break out of very simple traps in life. Not really lazy, just working at the limit of their problem solving capacity and lacking the ability to solve anything more complex. Hanging on to a flawed model they have of how life should work because that's what they've learnt to do. Some well educated people lacking intelligence too. If people were as interested in economics or global politics as they are in 'strictly' I might change my mind.
Airhead
I could have phrased that better. I see this quite a bit with friends who were not born here, they are less likely to take the fight to the idiots. I understand why. There's so little intelligence to go around in a massive part of the UK population, it really helps if you've grown up here because the idiots don't get to tell you that you don't belong enough to have a low opinion of England.
I don't mean to single you out for criticism, it just seemed that you are being thoughtful respecting people you disagree with. That's not my approach, not for age or experience or illness.
Anyone who thinks that England is better in any way than the rest of the world needs to be told to pipe down. Not in the Olympics or engineering or language or philosophy or fighting or any other matter are we a universally superior country. So those opinions can get in the sea. Nationalism and a national identity is no use to make a success out of a country so it's not much use to me.
Yes, it was used to dismantle colonialism but it wasn't the successful part of it, countries just had to work to shape the economic and cultural life of the country and that had everything to do with recognising and building bridges with other nations, collaborating through trade, science and culture.
I was just suggesting that you have not yet reached the point where you are confident enough to tell English idiots that to their face based on what you had said about respecting different opinions.