It’s one of those things that consistently strike as hypocritical to me. I see many people boast of their heritage, their genetic past, while knowing absolutely nothing about it, or even expressing any interest in learning about it (I mean, not even reading about it). This is targeted at those who display pride in it to let the others know, not picking at anyone in particular because I see too many expressing it. Okay, so you are a proud Irish. Do you know who the current President of the Republic of Ireland is? Have you even been there? Can you speak some the language? So you are a proud of your German heritage, but do you know the history of Germany? Dialects? Regional geography? Natural vegetation? Lifestyle or local psychology? I don’t know what exactly these people are proud-it’s like their pride comes from a well of ignorance itself. “I’m of German descent!” So? How am I supposed to evaluate it? Am I supposed to know more about it than you yourself, or am I supposed to just base it strictly on stereotypes?
What does it have to do with you?
If I love Paris … why should you care? I don’t need to speak French well to love it. I don’t need to know the history in order to love it.
I am a hundred percent mutt. I am rather proud of that 
Like I said, if you brag to other people about your German heritage, you better know something about it.
I know the history of most nations I can find in my family tree better than those living there, prior to finding out.
And no, I’m not proud, just impressed someone was keeping track of this stuff. I recognize that as fundamentally different than actual genealogy in the physical sense of what happened, because 1000 years ago, anyone who’s descendants survive today survive in most everyone on this forum, not to mention a bunch of people nobody can ever trace, who are the bulk of everyone’s ancestry.
I can’t really point and say “Oh look, an ancestor was king of Ireland” and claim credit for shit. If “it” survives in me, “it” came from somewhere preceding that guy as well, in the Cognoscape of the Mind. I’m pointing at a exceptionally generic trait that had a opportunity to express itself, and coincidently was recorded for posterity.
But as a lover of history and logic, it does excite me to be able to calculate that a lineage is traceable. Just, it gets silly at times. I can take a Crusader- many proud Muslims have Crusaders in their family tree as well BTW, I can take a Crusader, and does thus mean I can claim Palestinian or Israeli Descent, just because a few were born or died, had children within a area we give to those two modern political expressions? We see everything GPS wise in a modern context, and don’t consider that the past, in not being modern, didn’t even have it’s "moderness’ originate in these areas we like to say are the ancestors to our society. Ideas hop skip around fast, nothing turns over so quickly as culture, it is a poor foundation for historical identification.
For me, my ethnicity has been mostly a mystery until recently when my Mother(who was adopted) found her birth Mother (already deceased). Her Father is still an unknown.
My Serbian Grandmother and her Sisters, my Great Aunts, spoke more English than Serbian unless they didn’t want people knowing what they were speaking about. I know random words and was always fascinated with the Serbian language, not so much with the old Yugoslavian lands since that area is always in turmoil. Ethnic cooking is something that I’ve tried to incorporate as traditional but slow roasting a lamb or pig over an open fire is more for large, feast gatherings. The Serbian Orthodox church traditions were maintained by my Dad’s Mother’s side of the family, all the priest’s visits to bless the houses, the graves, oversee funerals, and the weddings. My love of incense was stirred by the movements of the Serbian priests.
I’m trying to keep some traditions associated with my ethnicity alive, but much is new to me or still unknown. My pride, my connection, shines through the dishes I prepare in my kitchen.
Actually for so many, heritage is just about all they have even if they know pathetically little of it. Pride is a security blanket, you don’t take such an important security blanket away just because it irritates you.
Why does it irritate some people?
Think Phyllo, heritage matters differently for you living in the UK, you look around and know your ancestors cone from somewhere abouts.
In America, everyone is from somewhere, even mist native Americans can say they came from a different part of the country originally, and can trace this.
It has a element of universality, like Pokemon trading cards. Our ancestors mixed more, so we can point to a wide variety of nationalities. Plus, it is just cignitively satisfying to go through all the records, see old images. Do I look like them, behave like them? Did my family pass through this area or that area?
I just don’t have German, but Pennslyvania Dutch as well. That’s two different kinds, I don’t have to look to some fool like Arminius or Leyla and have it dictated to me what “German” actually means, as their puny country never had a monopoly on it.
But nobody is stopping the people from re-connecting with their roots now, yet, people still choose to seek their heritage pride from cultural stereotypes.
I am of Irish descent and have been to Ireland at least ten times
I can speak one word of Irish but everyone always spoke English
I have read up on Irish history and so I know about my ancestry
I would go and live there if I had a passport and enough money
I am proud of every inch of me… do you deny me/anyone that, Pandora?
I think your hair is stupid Magsj, and would have you shave it off if I could.
It would do a lot of you good too to lose some weight. If the Donald won’t grab it, means you can afford to loose a few inches.
Just saying, aimed at no one specifically.
I am proud to say, or not so, 50% Mongol, and 50%
Swabian. The Mongol part is tainted, I am afraid, and that is why perhaps Why Joker has changed his tone.
It would be absurd to spend much money to join Heritige.com, when if it becomes an obsession to seek out antecedents, all one has to do is to have the nearest Mormon temple do it for free.
But then for me it’s a no brainer, since I actually was well acquainted with my German family, bless their hearts.
No…but as what? How well do you know your roots?
Stereotypes are considered fun for the most part like the photo you posted. Take also into consideration that the majority of us live in denial in order to keep happy, sane or at least keep life bearable. We do not want to know dirty little details and secrets. Denial is another security survival blanket. Look at how governments write their history. One paragraph on the bad, just to be semi honest and pages about the good. Germany is still trying to put Naziism into footnotes but, since it is the most recent the world harps on it. The USA wants slavery a footnote but, it keeps being used. Give both a few hundred years and history will have both just minor footnotes.
Denial, blind pride, just how people survive.
I believe that in the specific case you are referring to, where someone has no interest in their heritage outside of the label and maybe a holiday of stereotypes, we are seeing the remnants of tribal “instincts” not unlike sports team loyalty. There is not much if any conscious acknowledgement or consideration that occurs. I believe this is largely tied to IQ and/or lack of personal development. I believe the tribal instincts are present in all people but to varying degrees and now due to the “conveniences of modernity” and politicosocial engineering. Yeah, thats probably not a word. Also, the “security blanket” idea fits in here I think.
On another level are those who are connected to their heritage still like 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation immigrants, those with close families who, for example, grew up with grandparents that told them stories of the old country, “only spoke Russian” and they learned the language that way, who may visited relatives in that country and have a “natural” (for lack of a better word) pride due to a real connection. Many towns have a German-American Club or Portuguese-Canadian Club and the like where those of European descent, normally people still closely tied with their home country go to be around each other and strengthen those connections. There are also various flavours of “Orthodox” churches, again where people strengthen connections to the culture and language. I think a large percentage of people fall into this category. Pride stems from the connections and the emotions and bonds that are present. History may or may not come into play, it is the connections and bonds and emotions that are the root here (along with the tribal instincts).
People who may not have those immediate connections, strong familial or otherwise close ties to the “old country” but desire them, I think makes up most of the remaining people. They are just like the previous group, but don’t have the benefit of the existing connections. Here you will find many of the “historian” type people I think. Those who have to create their connections directly, indirectly or vicariously. Here the root of the pride is like the previous group, may or may not be exaggerated from compensation and in many cases does come from a conscious study or seeking out of the connections, and knowledge of history, accomplishments and shortcomings (maybe).
Of course, I don’t believe these are hard and fast rules and people can move or mix between the general categories, and is also dependent on the individual and their life choices, upbringing etc.
Where do extremists, religious or otherwise, fall? The short answer is I think it is a mix of all categories.
If you are asking what the merit of tribal instincts or tribalism are, that’s a different kettle of fish I think.
I tend to agree with the OP. Pride in your heritage… pride in what exactly? I guess one could compare it to pride in any other concept… people are ignorantly proud (liberals/conservatives) or bandwagon proud (insert sports team here) fans or proud of their kids or proud of (insert accomplishment here). Some seem instinctive, other seem feigned.
I’m a white mutt - I don’t have an abundance of pride in my heritage, perhaps because I don’t have a profound awareness or understanding… wasn’t instilled enough into me as a value being raised perhaps… I don’t have shame either.
Maybe it makes sense to qualitatively approach pride… political pride, bandwagon pride, pride in work, whatever…
Heritage pride… maybe if I considered myself a minority the pride would be more justified (for lack of a better word). Seems to me like a lot of people have “American” pride - I would say some of these people know more than others.
Just rambling i guess
You have not given a reason why my hair is stupid, in order for you to justify my shaving it off… do you even know what my hair looks like?
My hair is awesome… to me.
The Donald should take that advice… doesn’t exactly look like slimmer of the year does he.
Quite precisely (on both sides… actually) mum and dad having traced their ancestry at school… and I guess having been confined to an island for centuries makes it easier lol.