Originally Posted by Taunton Blue Genie
There's none so patriotic as someone who has always lived away from their perceived rootsThis might be an interesting discussion if it stays on the subject that Wozza began.Surely not. I'm sure that you are as genuine as all those who take part in New York's St Patrick Day's Parade
P.S. Should we really be proud of our roots when we had no say in what happened in history? And, equally, should young Germans, for example, have any shame regarding the actions of their forefathers as it's the other half of the same coin.......
I have never described myself as patriotic. That to me implies 'false pride' and 'my country right or wrong'. Samuel Johnson's line 'patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel' is still true today - although he used that as a put down of Pitt's misuse of 'patriotism' for political purposes.
A sense of identity or of roots does not require pride or patriotism. As I said above I feel both pride and shame at different parts of Welsh history - but mainly connection. Whether we had a say or not in what made our nation seems to be missing the point. Identity is not all about personal achievement - it is a messy and often irrational and confused set of emotional ties. I don't see the point in over-analysing that.
Also I'm not convinced that New York Irish and Sheffield Welsh have the same experience. One is about people who have mainly never set foot in Ireland, distance, disconnect, 'Old Country' tales, plastic shamrocks, franchise Guinness and a background of Tammany Hall and the NYPD (similar in Boston). The other is about a short drive to the border, watching my team at away grounds close to my home and walking the streets of Cardiff up to a dozen times a year!
And our bucket hats are better!
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