White Sun of the Desert

May 11, 2007

Patriotism: American vs Russian

Americans love their country and hate those who don’t agree.

Russians don’t love their country and hate those who agree.

Posted by - tnewman @ 7:53 am, Posted under: Russia

9 Comments »

  1. Russians don’t love their country, how do you know that, you slimey scumbag

    Comment by Roob — May 11, 2007 @ 9:59 pm

  2. [...] Tim Newman pinpoints the difference between Russian and American patriotism: “Americans love their country and hate those who don’t agree. Russians don’t love their country and hate those who agree.” Share This [...]

    Pingback by Global Voices Online » Russia, USA: Patriotism — May 15, 2007 @ 2:15 am

  3. Americans love their country, but hate their Government. We’re all descended from fugitives and malcontents. Our ancestors didn’t come for freedom, they came for a chance to make a living. Half of them were starving to death in the old country.

    Comment by Larry Barrow — May 15, 2007 @ 9:33 pm

  4. Hmm … while I understand why you might offer the perspective, that Russian’s don’t love their country (and hate those who agree), I can’t think of any Russians who would exactly agree with that statement.

    Like many things American, I suspect Russians see American pride in our country as an exaggerated and false thing – like the big free smiles that we gladly dispense. In some ways it is, many of my fellow Americans have this blind belief that we are vastly superior to every other nation in the world, without ever having set foot outside our borders.

    By the way, I thought you were British – why do I often get the sense that you wish you were American? :-) Should we add a statement like “The British love their country, but hate the French and mock the Spanish and Italians”?

    or perhaps under Tony Blair, a few might say:

    “The British love their country, but only when the Americans tell them it is permissible to do so.”

    Comment by W. Shedd — May 15, 2007 @ 11:27 pm

  5. Hmm … while I understand why you might offer the perspective, that Russian’s don’t love their country (and hate those who agree), I can’t think of any Russians who would exactly agree with that statement.

    Actually, my wife found it posted, by a Russian, on a Russian web forum and sent it to me. I simply reproduced it here, one because I thought it funny, two to see what the reaction would be. My wife agrees with the statement, as does the only other Russian friend of mine I have discussed it with. All of us appreciate it is intended more as a joke than to be taken seriously.

    In some ways it is, many of my fellow Americans have this blind belief that we are vastly superior to every other nation in the world, without ever having set foot outside our borders.

    That description could adequately apply to most nationalities. Americans are no better or worse in this regard.

    By the way, I thought you were British – why do I often get the sense that you wish you were American?

    Nah, I like being a Brit. I just liked America when I was there, found the people very friendly, and I don’t find the Americans to be any more or less annoying, arrogant, or insufferable than any other nationality. It all comes down to individuals at the end of the day.

    Why I probably come across as being very pro-American is because I make a point of correcting, or at least arguing against, a lot of the ludicrous stuff that’s written about America. Frankly, most people who hold strong opinions on the USA, usually criticial opinions, have a shockingly poor knowledge of the place, its history, its governmental systems, its policies, and pretty much everything else outside its food and entertainment industry.

    This would probably my most prominent example of this in the last few weeks.

    Comment by Tim Newman — May 16, 2007 @ 12:40 pm

  6. Yep, I agree with your general point, regarding the ludicrous stuff written about the US. It is very easy for me to fault certain policies about my own country and I think they are fair topics for discussion. But too often these topics devolve into craziness. Many Russians have been quite pronounced at stepping up the anti-American rhetoric lately; it is an easy and familiar pattern to fall into. Consider the Kremlins latest spinning of Putin’s own remarks, clearly intended to compare US unilateral actions to Nazi Germany(!). I can easily fault US policy in Iraq and other foreign policy initiatives, and see this current government as being uncompromising in dealing even with our allies. However, I’ve yet to see any signs of the US conquering nation after nation, citing a policy of reuniting all American peoples under one flag, collecting up millions of ethnic minorities into camps, and systematically killing them.

    I asked Katja about that phrase, regarding Russians not loving their country – she somewhat agreed, somewhat disagreed. Self-image of Americans is pretty closely tied to our country. We’re big flag wavers, you see flags on front lawns, cars, in front of businesses, etc. here. I don’t see that being the case of many within the Russian Federation, where their ethnicity is something apart from their nationality.

    Then again, I bump into enough Muscovites (Muscovichi?) to know that many there imagine Russia as an almost perfect place, and how dare you say anything against it, you f*cking American, etc.

    As for the Brit thing, I just was looking for a way to rib you a little. I’ve been all over Europe, but never to the UK (despite almost all my ancestry being English, Welsh, and Scottish). I’m very poorly qualified to make any comments regarding life in Great Britain.

    Comment by W. Shedd — May 16, 2007 @ 9:34 pm

  7. [...] Wir werden wohl nicht lange auf eine entsprechende Antwort aus den üblichen Kreisen warten müssen. Der erste der sich hierzu, in gewohnt arroganter und überheblicher Weise, äußern wird dürfte Tim Newman sein. Für diejenigen die ihn (noch) nicht kennen, das ist der Ölbaron mit der Zigarre, der für seine russophoben Ausfälle bekannt ist. Patriotism: American vs Russian ; Americans love their country and hate those who don’t agree. Russians don’t love their country and hate those who agree. [...]

    Pingback by Russlands Raketen ... zwei Thesen im Vergleich « ?????????? ????????? — May 30, 2007 @ 9:11 pm

  8. Wtf? LOL is this a way to provoke an insult from a Russian person? Pfft. It was empty, and it failed.

    Comment by afafsfa — June 3, 2008 @ 4:08 am

  9. That is a LIE!Don’t speak for all people. Russians who don’t love their country are not true Russians. I, personally, love my country and don’t really like anyone who doesn’t like it. That includes Americans…some Americans hate Russia,our people, our everything. Well I strongly dispise them for that.Plus, not all Americans love America. And an example for that case is our lovely President Obama, whom i actually truly and sincerely adore with all my heart because hes one step closer to what America needs to be (MORE LIKE EUROPE).

    Comment by Aziza — June 3, 2009 @ 6:10 am

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