How patriotic are you?

Flash O'Groove · Jul 26, 2012

Russeljones said:
How do you rate Cancellara's chances vs Wiggins?

Honestly I have no idea. I wasn't able to follow cyclism this year due to tons of work, so I don't know their current form (except that they are both good in Le tour de France). But Cancellara has a hell of a palmares, so he should always have his chance. What do you think?

kragster · Jul 26, 2012

sunny_cali said:
Good choice - far better than rooting for the tennis chaps. Is baar kam se kam 5 medals ki apeksha to kar sakte hain....

Paanch? Daru peena chod do

On a serious note though, I think the day I feel really proud would be the day an Indian man/woman wins an athletics/swimming event.

Russeljones · Jul 26, 2012

Flash O'Groove said:
Honestly I have no idea. I wasn't able to follow cyclism this year due to tons of work, so I don't know their current form (except that they are both good in Le tour de France). But Cancellara has a hell of a palmares, so he should always have his chance. What do you think?

He should never be counted out, even if after the TDF Wiggins is the overwhelming favourite. I wouldn't bet on this

bluetrain4 · Jul 26, 2012

Good question. Slams and regular tournaments, I would always go with my favorite players. But, in MOST cases, I think I'd cheer for my country at the Olympics.

An example would be if Isner or Roddick played Tsonga. Normally, I'd root for Tsonga, but at the Olympics Isner or Roddick. Of course, if my countrymen lose, there's the great consolation prize of a one of my favorite players winning.

Federererer · Jul 26, 2012

Patriotism is the root of all racism

Russeljones · Jul 26, 2012

Federererer said:
Patriotism is the root of all racism

Deep, very deep.

FlashFlare11 · Jul 26, 2012

I'm American (born to Indian parents), but I'm not particularly patriotic. In tennis, I almost always root for the Swiss, French, Canadian, and German players. I would root for the Indian players as well, but Somdev Devvarman is almost nowhere to be seen (don't pay too much attention doubles, but will when the Indians go far). I like Fish's game, but the attitude of our American players rub me the wrong way, with players like McEnroe, Roddick, Fish, Serena, and even Harrison being infamous for their on-court behaviors (sadly I was too young for the Sampras and Agassi times, as I loved them).

In other sports, nationalities don't usually matter to me. If I like a particular athlete, I'll root for them regardless of their nationality.

DRII · Jul 26, 2012

TeflonTom said:
just the other day someone was tellin me that they dont teach geography properly in our schools any more

you showed them

Idiotic comment! I suggest you pay attention to context before attempting to critique. WTH does geography have to do with this discussion

A given your syntax, i would avoid mentioning anything regarding education...

DRII · Jul 26, 2012

Russeljones said:
Perhaps he meant that the culture was passed on as the populations of both the US and Canada were perdominantly made up of Europeans.

Well thats a very simplistic rudimentary view. American culture is quite different from that of Europe and is influenced by more than just individuals of European descent...

batz · Jul 26, 2012

Federererer said:
Patriotism is the root of all racism

Hmmmm.

If you'd said 'nationalism' I might have agreed with you. Patriotism allows people of many races to join together under a single flag/nationality.

Patriotism = the love of one's country
Nationalism (often) = the hatred of someone else's

Alchemy-Z · Jul 26, 2012

Federererer said:
Patriotism is the root of all racism

try Religion if you are looking for the true root.

stringertom · Jul 26, 2012

batz said:
I'm pretty patriotic - I'll always support a Brit player against Johnny Foreigner.

I also like to see the Americans and Australians do well - I think of them as lost children.

Thanks, Dad!

DRII · Jul 26, 2012

batz said:
Hmmmm.

If you'd said 'nationalism' I might have agreed with you. Patriotism allows people of many races to join together under a single flag/nationality.

Patriotism = the love of one's country
Nationalism (often) = the hatred of someone else's

Agreed...

gold star

Federererer · Jul 26, 2012

batz said:
Hmmmm.

If you'd said 'nationalism' I might have agreed with you. Patriotism allows people of many races to join together under a single flag/nationality.

Patriotism = the love of one's country
Nationalism (often) = the hatred of someone else's

There are no absolutes. One can only see beauty in a sea of ugly.

TeflonTom · Jul 26, 2012

DRII said:
Idiotic comment! I suggest you pay attention to context before attempting to critique. WTH does geography have to do with this discussion

A given your syntax, i would avoid mentioning anything regarding education...

"A given your syntax"

lol @ u brah

dominikk1985 · Jul 26, 2012

tennis_pro said:
This. Go Switzerland

you mean the country that allows the rich people of the world to hide their money there so that they don't have to pay taxes (OK like 5% in switzerland) and the poor people get even poorer?

I'm not really partriotic.

Flash O'Groove · Jul 26, 2012

batz said:
Hmmmm.

If you'd said 'nationalism' I might have agreed with you. Patriotism allows people of many races to join together under a single flag/nationality.

Patriotism = the love of one's country
Nationalism (often) = the hatred of someone else's

The love of one's country without any critical perspective often lead to hatred of the others.

DRII · Jul 26, 2012

TeflonTom said:
"A given your syntax"

lol @ u brah

You can quote :shock:

batz · Jul 26, 2012

Flash O'Groove said:
The love of one's country without any critical perspective often lead to hatred of the others.

A reasonable qualification mate - don't disagree with you.

DRII · Jul 26, 2012

Flash O'Groove said:
The love of one's country without any critical perspective often lead to hatred of the others.

The love of anything without critical perspective can lead to hatred!

i.e. Fedephants venom towards Nadal :twisted:

WhiskeyEE · Jul 26, 2012

TeflonTom said:
canada is a nice country with a lot to be proud of, but it has lots of ppl like WhiskeyEE who suffer badly from cultural cringe

i am not hugely patriotic because cheerin for the usa has always seemed a bit like cheerin a bulldozer. it dont really need ur moral support

i will be cheerin 4 the players i wanna see win. sometimes it will be yanks, other times no

It's not cultural cringe. I'm being as real as possible and have only voiced my perceived negative aspects of Canada in this thread. There are numerous bad things that I could say about the American culture as well.

TennisMaestro · Jul 26, 2012

Definately will support the Brits vs anyone else including my favourites (Fed and Tsonga).

Hood_Man · Jul 26, 2012

I'm quite patriotic, but I also have my favourites. Federer will be my favourite for the Olympic singles gold, but if he happens to lose then I'll switch to Murray all the way, and any British hopes in the mens doubles and ladies/ladies doubles.

Being Welsh I support any Welsh sporting hopes first, then if they lose I support Scottish athletes (father's side from Glasgow), and then it's any British hope left etc etc.

The Olympics is going to be fantastic. I'm looking forward to the opening ceremony on Friday and I loved seeing the olympic flame when it was carried past my work place a few months ago, all those happy screaming faces and waving flags, it was terrific. I might not see this again in the UK in my lifetime, so I intend to enjoy every moment

Russeljones · Jul 26, 2012

DRII said:
Well thats a very simplistic rudimentary view. American culture is quite different from that of Europe and is influenced by more than just individuals of European descent...

Wow. I guess I know now..

sureshs · Jul 26, 2012

batz said:
Hmmmm.

If you'd said 'nationalism' I might have agreed with you. Patriotism allows people of many races to join together under a single flag/nationality.

Patriotism = the love of one's country
Nationalism (often) = the hatred of someone else's

What is love of one's country? As far as I can see, people's love of their country is usually limited to people they agree with and identify with.

Leto · Jul 26, 2012

I am VERY PATRIOTIC when it comes to teams sports!

But for an individual sport, like tennis, I don't really care what country they come from, since it all boils down to whether I like that specific person's playing style/personality or not. (I don't follow doubles or Davis Cup all that much, so no opinion either way, when it comes to those situations).

Anyway...classic example: I'll put 100% of my support behind Venus, while on the flipside, I'll always root 100% AGAINST Serena

CaldwellYSR · Jul 26, 2012

I root for USA to win in everything I think we have a solid chance at winning. Basketball, swimming, gymnastics, that's basically all I've watched in the past Olympics. This year I'll watch tennis and I'd be overjoyed if an American won (Especially if it was Baker considering he's from my hometown) but I'll be rooting for Federer to win it.

That being said a match up between Baker and Federer (hahaha right) I'll want Baker to win, just won't expect it.

Russeljones · Jul 26, 2012

sureshs said:
What is love of one's country? As far as I can see, people's love of their country is usually limited to people they agree with and identify with.

I think when you consider countries with a national identity, there can definately be love for one's country. Conversely those who are part of a younger nation might not feel the bonds formed by history and tradition.

sureshs · Jul 26, 2012

Russeljones said:
I think when you consider countries with a national identity, there can definately be love for one's country. Conversely those who are part of a younger nation might not feel the bonds formed by history and tradition.

I know what you are saying and am intimately familiar with it. The love is usually reserved for the traditions/religion/culture/language that the person has been handed down. The love is absent for foreigners or minority groups who are constantly reminded that they are not really part of the country, even if the minority groups have been there for centuries.

BauerAlmeida · Jul 26, 2012

Antonio Puente said:
Canada's greatest contribution to international culture probably came when the drunk in Montreal drove Roger Waters to write The Wall.

:lol::lol::lol:

Rush and Bryan Adams are great contributions too.

It depends on how much I like the player and which Argentinian player he is facing. If, let's say Monaco plays Djokovic in an early round, I'll be rooting for Nole. I don't care much for Monaco and I know he won't go far if he wins.

Nalbandian is a player I really like and I would root for him if he was born in another country too, Delpo too, although not that much as David. In both cases I would prefer them to win against others players I like. If there's not a player I like left in the draw I will root for Monaco (or any other player from here who is playing).

I don't think Berlocq has a chance of winning a match probably.

Russeljones · Jul 26, 2012

sureshs said:
I know what you are saying and am intimately familiar with it. The love is usually reserved for the traditions/religion/culture/language that the person has been handed down. The love is absent for foreigners or minority groups who are constantly reminded that they are not really part of the country, even if the minority groups have been there for centuries.

I understand what you mean even if I have no knowledge of how minorities' attachments develop. Any books on the subject?

Leto · Jul 26, 2012

Russeljones said:
I think when you consider countries with a national identity, there can definately be love for one's country. Conversely those who are part of a younger nation might not feel the bonds formed by history and tradition.

I think there can varying levels of "love for one's country".

If I think of what's most important to me, there are several countries around the world that have the freedoms/political structures that I value most. From that aspect, those kind of countries will always be nearest and dearest to my heart.

But obviously, being born/raised/educated in a specific country, will always put it at the very top, if you end up with a positive viewpoint after all of those years of personal involvement. If the overall experience has been negative, then the opposite feeling would likely be the case (which leads to so many of the homegrown whackos/haters out there

).

Antonio Puente · Jul 26, 2012

Cesc Fabregas said:
The Wall is one of the biggest piles of ****e in the rock cannon.

Then, from your point of view, Canada doesn't even have that.

I suppose it's down to Michael J. Fox and Back to the Future.

JamieSafe · Jul 26, 2012

Pretty much not at all. I'll root for Federer to win, but that's simply because I see it as another tennis tournament

JustBob · Jul 26, 2012

I remember at the Vancouver Olympics, Americans complained that Canadians were too patriotic. Bwahhhhhhhhh!

Antonio Puente · Jul 26, 2012

Federererer said:
Patriotism is the root of all racism

In 1940, perhaps. In 2012, there is no such thing as a racially homogenous state.

WhiskeyEE · Jul 26, 2012

Antonio Puente said:
In 1940, perhaps. In 2012, there is no such thing as a racially homogenous state.

There is a ton of racism that stems from nationalism in places like eastern europe. Russia and Ukraine in particular. It doesn't matter if they're racially homogeneous or not (they definitely aren't, even back in 1940). But in Ukraine, you aren't considered Ukrainian unless you're ethnically Ukrainian.

Antonio Puente · Jul 26, 2012

WhiskeyEE said:
There is a ton of racism that stems from nationalism in places like eastern europe. Russia and Ukraine in particular. It doesn't matter if they're racially homogenous or not (they definitely aren't, even back in 1940). But in Ukraine, you aren't considered Ukrainian unless you're ethnically Ukrainian.

This thread is about the Olympics and cheering for your particular team. Few people will be cheering for a racially homogenous team or nation. So, it certainly doesn't follow that patriotism, in this instance, equates to racism.

WhiskeyEE · Jul 26, 2012

Antonio Puente said:
This thread is about the Olympics and cheering for your particular team. Few people will be cheering for a racially homogenous team or nation. So, it certainly doesn't follow that patriotism, in this instance, equates to racism.

Ah. Gotcha.

Flash O'Groove · Jul 26, 2012

Leto said:
I think there can varying levels of "love for one's country".

If I think of what's most important to me, there are several countries around the world that have the freedoms/political structures that I value most. From that aspect, those kind of countries will always be nearest and dearest to my heart.

But obviously, being born/raised/educated in a specific country, will always put it at the very top, if you end up with a positive viewpoint after all of those years of personal involvement. If the overall experience has been negative, then the opposite feeling would likely be the case (which leads to so many of the homegrown whackos/haters out there ).

You can also love some aspect of your country and hate some others. It is because I love my country that I'm so critical with mine.

IsnerFan · Jul 26, 2012

isner and roddick for gold in dubs!!

Sophitia36 · Jul 26, 2012

I can become slightly more patriotic during the Olympics, because I'll be watching sports I don't usually watch, and since the media follow the French competitors, I'll tend to root for them, too.

But normally, I am not patriotic at all, at least not when I really care about the sport.
None of my favourite players over time has ever been French, although of course, being in France, I am sometimes more exposed to French players so I can develop some sort of interest in them. For instance, I am quite happy that we have Tsonga, I think he's an excellent player, and he deserves to do well, but I won't be particularly rooting for him if I like his opponent better.
If Tsonga plays Ferrer, I'll be rooting for Ferrer all the way.

I get also particularly annoyed when French TV deprives us from great matches between foreign players to show us a French player in a relatively uninteresting match. :evil:

CCNM · Jul 26, 2012

Oh my. That's a hard question. While you want to see a player/team from your home country (in my case the USA) do well, you can't help but be happy for the "foreign" player/team who does win.

sportsfan1 · Jul 27, 2012

PrinceMoron said:
I am completely neutral, which means Swiss.

LOL, good one, what if there's an Isner vs RF final? (rhetorical question)

Cesc Fabregas · Jul 27, 2012

Antonio Puente said:
Then, from your point of view, Canada doesn't even have that.

I suppose it's down to Michael J. Fox and Back to the Future.

Haha, sorry just can't stand the Floyd. Don't mind Syd but dislike Waters and Meddle.

Federererer · Jul 27, 2012

Dark Side of the Moon is the greatest album ever made.

Cesc Fabregas · Jul 27, 2012

Federererer said:
Dark Side of the Moon is the greatest album ever made.

Not even close. It's crap.

Federererer · Jul 27, 2012

Cesc Fabregas said:
Not even close. It's crap.

haha, that explains a lot about you

kishnabe · Jul 27, 2012

I am not partiotic....I cheer only for the players and athletes that I like.

Daniel Nestor is one of them. While Raonic isn't!

Cruentus · Jul 27, 2012

Canada doesn't really have singles players that are going to medal.

Unfortunately Nestor can't use his regular partner, so I'm doubtful of his chances to medal as well in doubles.

Soooo...I'm cheering for Federer to win OG as well as put a bit more distance between himself and Djokovic at #1.

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