The song "Proud to be an American"

[quinnox]

Right wingers love this song, ever notice.
Its one of their staples. Why is that?

And why are some people proud of happening to be born in the United States? Isn't that simply an accident of birth?

[KansasVoter]

1. Borders are maps mean way to much to people. Like Texans.

[Ishoutandscream2]

24. I'm sorry? What is that again?

[Taverner]

47. Texas can bite me...

:evilgrin:

[Trajan]

2. Sing it Fee !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5zhz3hy62w

(Two chickens in every garage ?)

[gratuitous]

8. They got department stores full of cheap guitars

But when Sputnik plays 'em, you just go, Go, GO, GO!

[Trajan]

17. LOL ...

I was a Tubes fan back in the day .... They were unique .... I met Fee because his sister Sally lived in a house next door ....

Fee was last sighted hanging out with Dave Grohl during the recording of the next Foo Fighters album ... singing back up with Lemmy and Butch Vig, among others ...

Tubes concerts were freewheeling melees .... lots of fun ....

[Kurovski]

20. cool. (nt)

[gratuitous]

21. My college roommate had their early records

And yes, records. Ell Pees. Vinyl. See kids, back in the day . . .

Who knows what happened to that ragtag crew? But it was real rock and roll and fun.

[Trajan]

39. I had quite a few of their LPs

Unfortunately, Vince Welnick committed suicide a couple of years ago (piano) ... Im sure they could regroup, but maybe they are beyond even that ... They were fun while it lasted though ...

[stevedeshazer]

34. Cool. 'White Punks On Dope' was an anthem in the '70's

Saw them at the Paramount in Portland around 1977.

[Trajan]

42. Hey Steve ....

I saw them at the Roxy in Los Angeles about that time .... Crazy show, but tons of fun .... Quay Lewd in his platforms was hilarious ....

I REALLY loved the Synth and piano work .... RIP Vince Welnick ....

[stevedeshazer]

45. Double-plus cool.

:)

[LaydeeBug]

3. Because HW Bush made an on camera remark about how he loves that song

and it stuck.

[The Wielding Truth]

4. Did you know that the Battle Hymn of the Republic is sacred to the Teabaggers?

[malaise]

5. Every country on the planet has at least one song with that same shit

but we all know that Samuel Johnson was correct - patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel

[Hugabear]

6. Never been one for overt displays of patriotism or nationalism

Yes, I like my country. But I don't believe my country is any better than others. And as another poster pointed out, its just sheer accident of birth that I'm an American.

[white_wolf]

50. I have no problem with patriotism in small doses

but the problem is it can be twisted so easily into nationalism or even Fascism if people aren't careful.

[Dawson Leery]

7. Samuel Johnson would have much to say regarding this.

[undeterred]

9. Goes along with the phrase "Freedom isn't free".

Which inevitably means you gotta keep paying for it by having a war somewhere.

[Dangerman]

10. I don't hate my/this country...

But GOD! I HATE that F***ing song!

In my opinion, it's portrays the US as an EMPIRE. It really says "God Bless America and TO HELL with the rest of the world."

Every time I hear this song, I make a tantrum! I'd rather listen to Megadeth's "Sympothy of Destruction" than this! :mad:

[digitaln3rd]

11. I think David Cross says it best about Lee Greenwood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3Bb-pZTcmQ

Personally I'd rather cut myself with a million rusty blades and jump naked into a pool of salt water then listen to that horrible song.

[cynatnite]

12. According to many of them it was gawd's will. n/t

[Barack_America]

13. Because it's a crap song filled with superiority and arrogance.

[Lint Head]

14. Lee Greenwood who wrote the song was booed by veterans when the song

was on the charts because he was a draft dodger.

[Frank Cannon]

26. "I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today."

I imagine that line didn't sit too well with the people who REALLY put their asses on the line for the country.

[fishwax]

44. according to Snopes, the story about Greenwood being a draft doger is false

http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/greenwood.asp

[Obamanaut]

60. Inasmuch as 'Snopes' discounts this as being false, might you provide

a link to some sort of article that reported it?

[alarimer]

15. It's actually called "God Bless the USA".

Stupid, insipid lyrics and meaningless patriotic masturbation.

[Dangerman]

18. meaningless patriotic masturbation...

Agreed. :mad:

[donheld]

54. Different song

[Fuzz]

16. On the accident of birth and patriotism, Bill Hicks said it best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYKy-xPq178

[CanonRay]

19. You're just not thinking like a Rethug

Gaaawwwwd made you be born in Amurica. That's why you're so special.

[Kurovski]

23. Praise Jesus!

And fuck the rest a all y'all!

[Dappleganger]

22. It's way overdone.

IMO that's what kills it for me.

[david13]

25. It is much the same as that pathetic bumper sticker. I saw one just

the other day, again.
"The Power of Pride".
What is the power of pride? Zero, that is what the power of pride is. Pride without a basis for it, without having done some good thing to warrant it, is nothing but bald arrogance.
Their book, the bible, mentions 'pride comes before the fall'. Or some such thing. I have heard it said that pride IS the fall.
What about Vietnam? Are they proud of that?
dc

[Frank Cannon]

30. I'd always heard that pride was the sin that got Lucifer cast out of Heaven.

I do believe that was a major theme of Milton's Paradise Lost.

I've seen that bumper sticker before, and I just shrugged and assumed it was a Satan worshipper driving the car.

[Kurovski]

32. LOL

+1

[MrSlayer]

27. I prefer "Proud to be a Canadian" by Dayglo Abortions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAbisg02JD4

[Kurovski]

36. That made me want to punch something.

Any song that uses the word "shithole" in it is alright in my book.

[Kurovski]

28. I think it's cause they mama and pappy done hated they's guts!

Hear me now: see, they find the love they weren't given in normal family ways, by going off and yapping up a flagpole so as to feel a belongin' with the others what also had neglectful, cold an' too drunk ma's an' pa's.

It jes brings a body to tears, may God spare they sad, lonely souls!

[LarryNM]

29. The Words Didn't/Don't Reflect Reality

I remember thinking our freedoms were being taken away when the song first came out and it has only gotten worse in the almost 20 years since. If you loose your life's earnings, this is one of the Last of the Industrial Democracies you would want to be in to have to start things over.

[Kurovski]

31. It's that old now? I was thinking this waqs the one that

came out after 9/11. Am I thinking of a different song?

[LarryNM]

33. I Thought This came out around the time of the first Iraq Invasion (n/t)

[fishwax]

38. it came out in 1984 n/t

[TheMightyFavog]

59. Written for the GOP convention, IIRC.

To me , the song sounds like a jingle for a cheap beer commercial rather than a patriotic song.

[Kurovski]

40. Thanks. (nt)

[fishwax]

37. It came out in 1984 n/t

[Kurovski]

43. Thanks. I was thinking of the song:

"Where were you when the world stopped turning" (9/11)

[fishwax]

46. ah yes, I remember that one -- at least that was better than

"Have You Forgotten?" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_You_Forgotten%3F_%28song%29

[JI7]

35. that song is just horrible, just HORRIBLE , and i like our national anthem

so it's not because i don't like any patriotic songs.

[Mojorabbit]

41. George Carlin's take on patriotism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDgmjL6z2jY&NR=1

[Arctic Dave]

48. Fuck that song with a rotten pineapple.

This Land Is My Land, is the shiznit.

[Kablooie]

49. Check out this Westboro Baptist Church version on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOrz5k0jWdU&feature=related

From a BBC documentary "The Most Hated Family in America"

[Kurovski]

51. Awww. they're my favorite aggressively psychotic dickwads.

Such cute simpering pieces of filth, presumptuous self-appointed stand-ins for God.

[jotsy]

52. exceptionalism.

There's a song called Little Tin God on Don Henley's End of the Innocence album; I won't post here what's at Youtube, the imagery on it is drenched in right wing taint.

The lyrics to the song are at the link for context.
<http://www.lyricsfreak.com/d/don+henley/little+tin+god_20042060.html>

And you can give the song a listen here
<http://new.music.yahoo.com/don-henley/tracks/little-tin-god--612535>

This is the part I think at issue here, from the second verse I think:

"...Well the cowboy's name was jingles
and he heard that there was trouble
so in a blaze of glory, he rode out of the west
No one was ever certain what it was that he was saying
but they loved he when he told them
they were better than the rest."

Pushing the selling points on one of humanity's most exploitable flaws, the desire to be more than equal. One of those things that should, IMO be chalked up with that which is too good to be true, and subsequently, not believable.

[JCMach1]

53. 'Proud to be a 'Murikan where at least I think I'm free'

at least that's how I change the lyrics...

[Contrary1]

61. And there it is...

As long as the sheep believe it, all is well.

[Qanisqineq]

55. that song brings tears to my eyes

Not because it is bad, or because I'm terribly patriotic. I like the song because it reminds me of my dad before depression. I was a kid when that song was out and he would always sing along to it. Then --boom-- depression. Maybe something happened that I was not privy to, I don't know. He just seemed to spiral down and it hasn't let up in about thirty years. And he stopped singing or playing guitar, too.

So, for that reason, that song and "Rhinestone Cowboy," and some other oldies he liked to sing/play guitar to, bring tears to my eyes for the memories. Unfortunately, they are kind of crappy songs. :)

[jotsy]

58. Try something a little newer?

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roDXSHSEuoo>

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0O2LMqnHGg>

I'm a mush bucket, so it's no surprise they push some on my bottom lip!

[Vickers]

56. That song came out a couple of years after I joined the USAF, and they

played it at EVERY function after that.

I didn't know a single enlisted person that liked it.

[Blue Owl]

57. Proud to have a lobotomy (is the subtext, I've always thought)

n/t

[spanone]

62. most of these crappy songs are about supporting war and the military