I guess it's down to being proud of being involved in a community where you don't have to fear going down the street and that you've contributed to building one of the highest standards of living in the world.

Again, greatfulness to my fellows is more the feeling there for me.

Maybe you need to contribute more to the community to feel a sense of pride then.

I'm reminded of something Funky said yonks ago.

It says a lot about the people of this forum, that they can express sentiments that they're "proud" of a man on the other side of the world's ability to be a cunt, but they aren't proud of the society they live in.

Not everyone has the same feelings about doing the same things you know.

Well it's quite clear what it means to Joffa. He clogs up ET just to bump his post count.

To be fair, ANY public holiday is a reason for Joffa to boost his post count.

You should see what he does on Lincoln day...

Another long weekend for the public servants , it shits me that those who work on the real AUS day get nothing extra, while those that have the REAL day off , get to double dip on monday . We are truly the land of the long weekend (and i am a very proud aussie).

I take it you're a hospitality worker then?

Yep , cooking in a pub .Don't get me wrong , good luck to those who get the day off .

Edited by jg: 25/1/2013 01:53:15 AM

Many on this forum have never had to fend for themselves in THIS country, hence their lack of appreciation for what we have and how good we have it.

The wankers will equate "Australian values" with getting on the piss and racist boganry, but for me Australian values are a sense of equality between people and opportunity for all to better themselves if they put in the effort. Freedom of religion, association and political affilitation are part of it too.

We're far from being a perfect society, and there is much to improve, not the least the Aboriginal situation (although I'd argue that nearly 200 years of institutionalised discrimination can't be undone in the next 50 or so, but more still must be done today). But overall most people around the world view us very well, and would love to live here, which is a very good indicator of the society we are.

Not to be proud of that is the domain of the kind of people who don;t appreciate how good we have it.

I don't want to start this argument again, but...I find it humorous that people will say on one hand "We're lucky to have been born in a country where we've got things so good" and then go on to say "We should be proud of being from that country".

If it's luck that put me here (and it was), then I don't see it as something to be proud of.

It was luck that saw you born here. But you could be literally ANYWHERE in the world right now, and you're still here.

Maybe if you contributed something to society you'd have more of a sense of pride at having helped to make our social environment unique and one of the best in the world.

I await with bated breath for you to let us know what you have contributed to this society of ours.

I was going to write a response to this, but I honestly just don't care. This covers it nicely:

FFS, give it a rest.

So what you're saying is that if I work for charity, help the youth and contribute towards building the country that we identify as 'Australia' I shouldn't feel proud of that.

Last time I checked working for charity isn't an "accident of birth", so no, that's not what he's saying.

well as he said, it's pure accident as to whether you're on the giving or receiving end of that.

In your original statement you said nothing about receiving charity (that I'll agree with you on, is pure luck), but giving to charity, helping the youth etc is something you can be proud of as you attained that, only you can make yourself do that (bar court imposed orders, but still, that's of your own actions etc)

Edited by jlm8695: 25/1/2013 03:51:08 PM

Yes, but it's down to pure luck that you're born in a country where we're majority on the giving end, rather than the receiving end of said charity.

I'm not sure a raging arrogant asshole (yes, takes one to know one) like George Carlin is exactly the kind of person you want to be quoting about this topic either.

Rofllllllllllllllllll

[youtube]xGRZpzie2vc[/youtube]

-PB

Or people whinging about having to pay a carbon tax. Poor battlers. No really.

You know you're Australian if ...
1. You know the meaning of the word "girt".
2. You believe that stubbies can be either drunk or worn.
3. You think it's normal to have a Treasurer called Wayne.
4. You waddle when you walk due to the 53 expired petrol discount vouchers stuffed in your wallet or purse.
5. You've made a bong out of your garden hose rather than use it for something illegal such as watering the garden.
6. You believe it is appropriate to put a rubber in your son's pencil case when he first attends school.
7. When you hear that an American "roots for his team" you wonder how often and with whom.
8. You understand that the phrase "a group of women wearing black thongs" refers to footwear and may be less alluring than it sounds.
9. You pronounce Melbourne as "Mel-bin".
10. You pronounce Penrith as "Pen-riff".
11. You believe the "l" in the word "Australia" is optional.
12. You can translate: "Dazza and Shazza played Acca Dacca on the way to Maccas."
13. You believe it makes perfect sense for a nation to decorate its highways with large fibreglass bananas, prawns and sheep.
14. You call your best friend "a total bastard" but someone you really, truly despise is just "a bit of a bastard".
15. You think "Woolloomooloo" is a perfectly reasonable name for a place.
16. You're secretly proud of our killer wildlife.
17. You believe it makes sense for a country to have a $1 coin that's twice as big as its $2 coin.
18. You understand that "Wagga Wagga" can be abbreviated to "Wagga" but "Woy Woy" can't be called "Woy".
19. You believe that cooked-down axlegrease makes a good breakfast spread.
20. You believe all famous Kiwis are actually Australian, until they stuff up, at which point they again become Kiwis.
21. Hamburger. Beetroot. Of course.
22. You know that certain words must, by law, be shouted out during any rendition of the Angels' song Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again.
23. You believe, as an article of faith, that the confectionary known as the Wagon Wheel has become smaller with every passing year.
24. You still don't get why the "Labor" in "Australian Labor Party" is not spelt with a "u".
25. You wear ugh boots outside the house.
26. You believe, as an article of faith, that every important discovery in the world was made by an Australian but then sold off to the Yanks for a pittance.
27. You believe that the more you shorten someone's name the more you like them.
28. Whatever your linguistic skills, you find yourself able to order takeaway fluently in every Asian language.
29. You understand that "excuse me" can sound rude, while "scuse me" is always polite.
30. You know what it's like to swallow a fly, on occasion via your nose.
31. You understand that "you" has a plural and that it's "youse".
32. You know it's not summer until the steering wheel is too hot to handle.
33. Your biggest family argument over the summer concerned the rules for beach cricket.
34. You shake your head in horror when companies try to market what they call "Anzac cookies".
35. You still think of Kylie as "that girl off Neighbours".
36. When returning home from overseas, you expect to be brutally strip-searched by Customs - just in case you're trying to sneak in fruit.
37. You believe the phrase "smart casual" refers to a pair of black tracky-daks, suitably laundered.
38. You understand that all train timetables are works of fiction.
39. When working on a bar, you understand male customers will feel the need to offer an excuse whenever they order low-alcohol beer.
40. You get choked up with emotion by the first verse of the national anthem and then have trouble remembering the second.
41. You find yourself ignorant of nearly all the facts deemed essential in the government's new test for migrants.
42. You know, whatever the tourist books say, that no one says "cobber".
43. And you will immediately forward this list to other Australians, here and overseas, realising that only they will understand.

:lol: :lol:

:lol: Most of australia doesn't know the meaning of the word girt :lol:

(what is the meaning of the word girt?)

Encompassed or surrounded by.

Now your national anthem makes so much more sense :lol:

Australians all let us ring joyce,
for she is young and free.
With gold and soil and wells of foil,
our home is gurbadee.

Our land a bounce,
in natures gifts,
of beauty, ritchy rare,

In history's page,
let every stage,
avdance australia fair.

Edited by afromanGT: 26/1/2013 07:00:27 PM

monday off is what it means to me. and the big blue is generally on so i just relax and watch that. in my job we don't work on australia day so it just means a day off.