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Correct flags

This is an entertaining thread. It goes to the heart of identity, how we group people into tribes. We don't even agree on how to group people.

@Abingdonboy earlier insisted that he was British, on the basis of his current passport+where he was born. @Indian-Lion and @American Pakistani insisted he was "really" Indian, on the basis of his support for India and he's supposed parentage.

Is this a normal pattern for people from the "old" country, that they identify people by where they came from a couple generations ago?

Interesting related note: Americans of Irish descent (carefully worded) visit Ireland. They tell the natives there "I'm Irish!" and the natives deride them - "you're not Irish unless you're born here and raised here!" So, for @Indian-Lion and @American Pakistani, are they Irish? What are the rules?

I am descended mostly from German blood 3/4 and some English plus God-only-knows (you know the English, sex with everything). So, what should I use as a flag? I would consider myself simply American, but I wouldn't want to deceive anyone.
 
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This is an entertaining thread. It goes to the heart of identity, how we group people into tribes. We don't even agree on how to group people.

@Abingdonboy earlier insisted that he was British, on the basis of his current passport+where he was born. @Indian-Lion and @American Pakistani insisted he was "really" Indian, on the basis of his support for India and he's supposed parentage.

Is this a normal pattern for people from the "old" country, that they identify people by where they came from a couple generations ago?

Interesting related note: Americans of Irish descent (carefully worded) visit Ireland. They tell the natives there "I'm Irish!" and the natives deride them - "you're not Irish unless you're born here and raised here!" So, for @Indian-Lion and @American Pakistani, are they Irish? What are the rules?

I am descended mostly from German blood 3/4 and some English plus God-only-knows (you know the English, sex with everything). So, what should I use as a flag? I would consider myself simply American, but I wouldn't want to deceive anyone.

Your parents raised you better. Our tribes are in turmoil because of these first generation problems. I am sure their grand kids will be as american as you are, knowing and caring what happens in Germany will be at a minimum or becoming irish at paddy's only on St Patricks day. Joining these websites to defend the old country would be the last thing on their mind. From what I see if they have to come defend their old country, what would be missing from their americanism?
 
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@Abingdonboy earlier insisted that he was British, on the basis of his current passport+where he was born. @Indian-Lion and @American Pakistani insisted he was "really" Indian, on the basis of his support for India and he's supposed parentage.
I've never had a problem admitting i am of Indian origin, this is not something I have ever hidden and I am in fact very proud of this. My issue is with the arbitrary nature of the rules- the way the system has ALWAYS been has been your flags denote present location and nationality and NOTHING else. By this criteria both my flags should be the British flag without question. One of my flags was changed to the Indian flag without my permission or knowledge and can't be reverted back to the UK flag by myself.

Why should it be one rule for me and another for everyone else?

My signature sums it all up.
 
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This is an entertaining thread. It goes to the heart of identity, how we group people into tribes. We don't even agree on how to group people.

@Abingdonboy earlier insisted that he was British, on the basis of his current passport+where he was born. @Indian-Lion and @American Pakistani insisted he was "really" Indian, on the basis of his support for India and he's supposed parentage.

Is this a normal pattern for people from the "old" country, that they identify people by where they came from a couple generations ago?

Interesting related note: Americans of Irish descent (carefully worded) visit Ireland. They tell the natives there "I'm Irish!" and the natives deride them - "you're not Irish unless you're born here and raised here!" So, for @Indian-Lion and @American Pakistani, are they Irish? What are the rules?

I am descended mostly from German blood 3/4 and some English plus God-only-knows (you know the English, sex with everything). So, what should I use as a flag? I would consider myself simply American, but I wouldn't want to deceive anyone.

Ofcourse if you are aggressively defending & supporting your native land(Germany) in every other thread(even if it is Germany vs USA) then people will ask you to change your flags to the country you love support & die for. For instance in several occasions i've seen people picking British Muslims by their country of origin(whether it is Pakistan or any other middle eastern/central asian country, or Nigeria or Morocco or Algeria, etc)...so why this double standards? Those people should also be termed as British Muslims.
 
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Not accusing, just curious. Cultural differences fascinate me. There is clearly a difference between the expectation of some countries/peoples and others. Say, Ireland and Pakistan in my examples. So, I like to ask around to get a better feel for how universal this is in a particular culture. As @Abingdonboy says, what are the rules? I would imagine a pakistani site might adopt Pakistani rules, no problem, but it would be nice to have them spelled out. I could then compare to a comparable European or South American site and perhaps gain some insight into the cultural differences.

I've also read accounts of American Chinese going to China and emphatically refusing to be categorized as Chinese when native Chinese took one look at them and declared them to be Chinese. Interesting. I'd like to understand that identification phenomenon better. When someone is or isn't "one of us" or "one of them".

As a Muslim Pakistani, do you identify more closely with Muslim Indians, or Hindu Pakstanis? Is nationality a bigger deal, or religion? or is it some other factor (sharia/non-sharia, pro-Arab/hate Arabs, skin color, geographic proximity, etc)?

And of course do not feel compelled to respond.

Oh, for the record, I have no affinity for Germany. I don't consider myself German at all, it's just a historical curiosity that some of my ancestors once lived there.
 
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I've also read accounts of American Chinese going to China and emphatically refusing to be categorized as Chinese when native Chinese took one look at them and declared them to be Chinese. Interesting. I'd like to understand that identification phenomenon better. When someone is or isn't "one of us" or "one of them".

These people are American. Me on the other hand, I have never for one second consider my self anything other than Chinese, even though my passport say otherwise, for work related reasons.

We are who we say we are. If they think they are American, they are American. If you say you are American you are American and not German.
 
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@Mussana , correct your flags - You may not be able to broadcast your views with correct flags. Your reasons are best known to you, but what ever they are, you can not be a false-flagger here. If you do not correct your flags, you will be banned.
 
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Can't change my location flag...

I want to change it with Spanish flag.
 
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@Mussana , correct your flags - You may not be able to broadcast your views with correct flags. Your reasons are best known to you, but what ever they are, you can not be a false-flagger here. If you do not correct your flags, you will be banned.

so how does this flag thing work?

say, what if I have a New Zealand citizenship now? Does my origin change?

Though I understand where people want to see my biases are i suppose.
 
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so how does this flag thing work?

say, what if I have a New Zealand citizenship now? Does my origin change?

Though I understand where people want to see my biases are i suppose.

Your POV really determines who you are. If one's world-view is Pakistani and their reason for being on PDF is because of that. Then I suppose they would want to identify themselves as such. Many do so, even though they reside somewhere else.

The location flag, of course should be what it is.
 
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so how does this flag thing work?

say, what if I have a New Zealand citizenship now? Does my origin change?

Though I understand where people want to see my biases are i suppose.

If carrying a different passport made people automatically become citizens of that country mentally it would not be called the "melting" pot. These passports take a few generations to activate as intended.
 
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If carrying a different passport made people automatically become citizens of that country mentally it would not be called the "melting" pot. These passports take a few generations to activate as intended.

it seems I am caught between two worlds. But as crazy as it sounds, I am beginning to adopt my new home increasingly every year.
 
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