NB: Initially I was asking imperial core comrades due to some potential common experiences that I was looking for but it was suggested that I widen the scope and I agree.
Coming from England where 90% of our culture is consumerism or lifted from America (so more consumerism) I have no affinity for what “makes me english”.
The only real culture or tradition in the England is bourgeois propaganda/bread and circuses nonsense like the opening of parliament or the queen’s platty joobs or bank holidays (lol).
As the proletariat/lumpen there is no culture outside of football and consumerism.
So to that end, what exactly makes one English? Chauvinism and imperialism? Two things that only really benefit the aristocracy.
We aren’t even “english”. We are mostly Anglo saxon but most of us have parts gaelic, celtic, norse, germanic etc history. We aren’t Anglo saxons really, we are just mongrels with white skin and no culture so I don’t get what the fucking nationalists are so proud of. Lol our fucking royal family is less Anglo than we are!!
I have no cultural ties to England, this country has only hurt me and millions of others. We have no beautiful cultural events, music, art etc. Its just homogenised capitalist culture shared with most of the imperial core. The same can be found in every country apart from Brit pop. Get in what a claim to fame.
I speak from an English perspective as scotland, Ireland and Wales DO have culture. But in England we’ve lost any we might have had. I even have Irish mostly and some Welsh and Scottish in me but I’ve never gotten to embrace or experience those cultures, it’s stomped out of you and erased through engloid chauvinism growing up.
As a country we’ve became a shell, white people existing to exist, no love or respect for our history because we have none. Its just rich people fighting other rich.
People might say knights and Kings etc but how is that my history? It’s the history of the aristocracy battling for their wants. As a “serf” we’ve just existed. They try to teach us English history in school and its just slaughter and exploitation. There’s nothing good. It’s all just murder and death and it’s not “we need to be better than our history”, it’s “this history allowed us to be better than everyone else” and that makes me sick.
So with this in mind, why would I care if another country took over? Say china came and ripped England from the royals grip, why would I worry provided I trusted them to look after the citizens better than our own government?
My allegiance isn’t to my country or some nostalgic memory of history, its to human beings. To the workers of this world and to that end what do I care of national identity and my non existent culture?
It’s struck me as a thought, does this exemplify why leftist or more accurately communist thought is such a threat to governments. Its not constrained by national pride or identity so those mechanisms and means of control fail right?
The only reason I see anyone for having any loyalty to England is because we are trapped here, and as traumatised workers without an escape we are doomed to just scrape some existence out of this wretched nation, living in fear that if we don’t swear loyalty to our flag we will die in hunger and pain.
I dunno I’m just sundowning I guess. Depressed and chatting shit.
Edit: I think I just need a hug lol 🤣
I will say I do wish this thread was also addressed to all our periphery comrades but I can see why you are specifically asking people whose relationships with their country and culture is mixed at best, not people who might actually have something to be proud of without a big fat asterisk next to it. It might be the source of the 1 downvote as I write this, and I love reading other people’s experiences especially people who live very different lives from mine, but I think it’s very normal and valid to want to relate to people with similar experiences, and the core vs. the periphery are definitely different living experiences in many ways (not all or even most ways though).
spoiler
___ In a way I do accept who I am. Nothing can change the fact that I was raised in America. I am a firm believer that every life, every niche, etc. has beauty to it and there is a lot of unique experience and identity with being an American in 2022 (this is not to say that other nationalities and time periods don’t also have this just as much, of course).
We are conditioned to be a specific way. We are accustomed to a very specific life and surroundings. We are the most brainwashed people on the Earth (give or take). American Exceptionalism is absolute cancer but there’s no denying that America is a very noteworthy entity and story within this era of human history (again not saying other countries aren’t).
I love culture from other countries but American culture is what I know best, a lot of it was stolen from Black Americans and other cultures but I’ve grown up with it and it feels a part of my life just like any other, albeit probably a little more alienated from us than other people with their own cultures. But yeah you know, music, food, language, movies, books, accents…
I hate a lot of American culture–reality TV, 4th of July, all the stereotypical popular stuff and plenty of the specific stuff–and until recently I definitely didn’t appreciate nor ever want to acknowledge that many of the things I like and take for granted are in some way American products.
You know I don’t know maybe it’s Stockholm Syndrome but I really do appreciate this all for what it is even though it’s so grotesquely ugly. Beautiful in its own right. A hellish abomination born from genocide, slavery, war and capitalism in its most unadulterated form.
I hate the blood that stains every brick of the house I’m in but I love and appreciate all the good and all the bad. The people, the land, the flora and fauna, the unseeable unknowable things like culture. I don’t know. I definitely am torn between wanting to stay and fight to unfuck this giant ass country from which all suffering seems to emanate and wanting to learn Mandarin or at least Spanish and GTFO of Dodge.
I don’t have any intentions of ever setting foot in G**** B****** but I’ll send some hug vibes over the 5G Xibuck Portal 😖~~~
I agree. Initially I was feeling so isolated as an imperial core member so it wasn’t intended as exclusionary but more focused on “I’m looking for these perspectives that i feel might relate”.
That said It does feel a bit arbritary as i read comments etc and I agree with your point so I’ve changed the name and added a NB before the body of text 😊.
Yeah I can see what you mean. I love the nature and fauna of the UK its beautiful but I guess my sad mind doesn’t see that as culture but as nature.
I’m in the same boat, if I could leave would I? Or would I stay and try to fix this knowing that by fixing it, it would probably help other countries in the long run? I honestly don’t know.
Thank you 🫂