Heritage Album - Is your ethnic heritage important to you and if so, why?

Is your ethnic heritage important to you and if so, why?

Yahoo! Canada Answers Staff note: This is the real Scott Thompson! Catch Scott on the CBC's genealogy program Who Do You Think You Are? (http://www.cbc.ca/whodoyouthinkyouare/?.ca) on Thursday, December 6, where he will be researching his roots. Along the way, he debunks a treasured family myth, uncovers a family scandal in Ontario and travels to a small village in the UK to learn about an ancestor's tragic circumstance.

Public Comments

I am Indian and so am happy for everything I have here. I have great parents, great backing, great support and everything is good here. so yes I am happy I am who I am!!!
Mine is - my grandmother has done a lot of research of our family tree...she's gone back hundreds of years, back to my 8th great grandmother being burned at the stake as a witch in Germany, to Icelandic Vikings...it's all very interesting. I've got Icelandic, British, Scottish, Irish and Metis all in relatively recent generations of my family history, and much more when you go further back.
My father's family settled in the Niagara peninsula in 1787, from the Hudson Valley in New York, so they were United Empire Loyalists... and my Mom's family was from Verdun in Montreal... French-Canadian to the bone... how my Mom and Dad have managed to stay together through 47 years of marriage, I'll never know, but, yes, I am extremely proud of my ethnic heritage.... seems a good historical Canadian heritage, with a volatile mix of fiery French-Canadian Catholicism and stoic Orangemen Protestantism.
Yes very much so. It's part of my roots, part of who I am. You can't deny your heritage, or believe it has no impact on your life. In fact it very much shapes and defines you (me) personally. I can't speak for everyone, but my (Italian) heritage is very much evident in every aspect of my life. My religion, my traditions, what we eat, how we love, embrace, dance, celebrate, grieve, all of it. I am very proud to pass on this heritage to my children too, and am grateful and fortunate to have the roots that I do. Passion drives us, sometimes that is good and sometimes that's not so good, but at least we feel and we love. I will never forget the first time my children and I watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". We were just exploding in laughter throughout, because our culture and the Greek culture are very similar, and we could just relate to every aspect of that movie. It was brilliantly done and reflected family life, it's expectations and the culture, beautifully. I don't agree with people who think heritage isnt important. Although I do understand that it doesn't mean much to some, perhaps rightfully so, in that history isn't always kind to all or it may seemingly have no relevance. But I do believe the lack of roots, the lack of some sort of foundation, is what is messing up a lot of people in today's world. Having some sense of self, through one's heritage, gives people something to live by, a base to start, somewhere to begin. I'd rather have that, than be wandering around aimlessly and lost spending my whole life in search of who I am. I know who I am, and my past, whether I like it or not, very much shaped my foundation. I'm not saying I conformed and settled and became a cookie cut out of those who came before me, but I very much appreciate the heritage I do have, what it has brought to my life, and I CHOOSE to keep it a part of me or at least close to my heart. My children understand the value of this too and understand that although they are Canadian, their heritage is Italian, Scottish and Irish, and it means a great deal to them, knowing where their parents and grandparents before them came from. They very much appreciate their backgrounds and the values that go along with them. And as they mingle with others, they are eager to explore the differences amongst their friends cultures too, and embrace the fact as Canadians we all really stemmed from other cultures and I think that is why we all mix very well together. I disagree that pride in our past is something that should or does divide us. It is not our heritage but our selfishness, intolerance and just plain bigotry, greed, and hate that turns people against one another. Even if we started out with identical pasts, humans would find some reason to hate the other. Our cultures have nothing to do with it, as there are good people in all cultures just as there are evil ones. ====== And remember this, in the end, all we have is our past. That is what we sit back and reflect on in our golden years, the tales our offspring will tell, and what's left to remembered of a past generation by future ones. We all create culture, for life is culture in progress--kids today even create sub-cultures do they not? Everyone needs something to live by. So to deny culture is unimportant is pretty well denying that life is unimportant. And to quote Hammer from the next page, "If you are not proud of who you are, you are proud of nothing." And that does not take anything away from the next person. It just shows you respect who you are and if you respect yourself, you are bound to respect others too. ====== And one more note: above all, we are all CANADIAN first and should think that way no matter what our heritage. If not for this great country none of us would have the freedoms and liberties that we do. Our Canadian culture is something we need to pay great heed to, that it is preserved, and ensure that it gets the respect that it deserves, thus cultures, although embraced must also make compromises to ensure that which unites us, does not become fractured and thus divide us.
Absolutely...doesn't make me better or less of a person, but it gives me a basis for understanding why and what I am made up of. For example, W5 aired a program recently on "Pursuit of Happiness". Sonja Lyubomirsky, the researcher on what people happy has determined that 40% of an individual's happiness is determined by their genes. I'm sure that that's not all that is determined by genes.
Yes it is important to me. Coincidentally, this past week I had started to search by grandfather's background. He was one of the Home Children (orphan) brought to Canada. He was one of 123 children landing in Halifax in 1890, with the Mr. Quarrier's Party. It is quite exciting to learn of one's history. It adds a special dimension to one's life, almost a completeness. I am looking forward to the journey.
No, it is not. As an individualist, my primary concern is with self-improvement without regards to societal norms nor expectations. Ethnic and racial heritage are not of my choosing so, in my opinion, it's quite foolish to take pride in something you had no say-so in. Also, such ethnic pride implies a sort of bias or ethnocentricity on the part of the person displayin it, whether her or she realizes it or not. This is not akin to stating that I would actually be ashamed in any way of my background since I am able to accept it nevertheless. However, I think that true pride should be reserved for one's own constructive efforts, not in predetermined biological traits or environmental upbringing.
Yes, It's the values I belive in! It is the legacy of my genotype! It is the way I think, It is who I am, the way I look, I talk, I pray, I love, I hate, I cry, I behave, I fight, even the way I please a female;) I am proud to descend upon a great indo-european culture who had kings like Tigranes The Great having a title of King of Kings, or a dramatic character of a king like Arshak II or a legend of Ara The Beathiful the King! I am proud I am not a mix of two cultures or even worse many cultures! I had to drop my ex gf whom I loved, simply because she was Russian who should marry with a Russian! Now I have a princess of my own type named Mariam! Thanks to my parents who did not marry outside their ethnic indo-european type that goes back some 3000 years B.C.! I have friends who have no clue to what genetic class they belong and I see them beeing unique but very sad! I understand for some it is hard to read my answer but hey this is the way I must respond to carry and deffend on my ethnic heritage, my nation, my culture! Pay attention those who respond like 'No it is not important' usually have mixed genotypes;) why lol? it is funny but actually very sad! The rule is simple: It is the legacy of my genotype! I marry a girl of my own type;)
That could be any Canadian's heritage, but it sounds like my boyfriend's :-( My heritage is my only connection to my ancestors, so yeah, it is important to me.
Yes my ethnic heritage is important to me. Being Cree Indian and English. Its important to me to know all about my family...But I'm also a Canadian and I want to raise my kids being Canadians as there heritage no more of where our our great great ancestors came from we are now Canadians of a heritage and that's what I hope more Canadians do. Yes we are Cree and English and Irish on there father side of the family but all of us where born in Canada so we are Canadians!!
It's the treasuring of one's ethnic heritage that often divides people and makes them enemies of each other. This has been my experience with it. And of course, this makes my ethnic heritage important to me in a negative way. I have to remember who my potential enemies are and take care to avoid them.
Where my ancestors came from isn't really all that important to me. I find it interesting, but it has no real bearing on my life now. The fact that I am Canadian is more important to me. It gives me a warm fuzzy smug feeling all over..lol.
I would say it is. I think its important to knows one's past and where you came from. And I personally believe it can help define who you are as a human being as far as cultural significance is considered. I also deem it's just interesting to discover your own family's history. I am Canadian first and foremost and most certainly I am proud of that fact. But I'm also proud to be English, Irish, Scottish, and Russian. I think knowing the slight randomness of my Russian heritage is great considering that Canada is a multi-cultural country.
Hey, Scott! My ethnic heritage IS a huge part of what made me what I am, who I am not. I'm a first generation Canadian. My father came from Ukraine in 1929 when he was nine years old. He came over with my grandmother; my grandfather had started farming in rural Saskatchewan a year and a half earlier after he came. My dad met and married a Ukrainian woman - my mom - from that district, and they had six children. For us, our ethnicity and religion go hand-in-hand - not many nationalities do that any more. We were all raised with the wonderful traditions of our ancestors - the food, dancing, work ethic, religion, etc. Family first was of the utmost importance. I'm proud to say that I've continued that with my family. I married a man of a similar ethnicity to mine, who is an immigrant from Eastern Europe. Our son has attended Ukrainian-English bilingual school for his elementary years - the only school of its kind in Saskatchewan. Our home life is enhanced by all things Ukrainian! So of course, I am Canadian, but I must admit that I DO often think in hyphenated terms. I'm pleased to be a Ukrainian Canadian! We've done some peeking into our roots - however, it would be nice if everyone had all the resources at their disposal as those of you who are lucky enough to be on that TV show!
Yes it is important i have personal experiences about lagging behind others jus because i do not belong to a particular ethnic group. I am an MBA student studying abroad and have faced this problem many a times. Sometimes i feel irrtated tht after having the talent and eligibility am not given a chance coz sum other race was preferred. but then again there are many good values tht i have and am proud of them. and therefore im satisfied to be wht i am. regards
I am interested in my ethnic heritage to a point, l guess we all are, we all feel a need to find out where our roots started, BUT, regardless of where we were born, l truly believe we are all one big family, we all belong to the human race, one humongous clan, whether people like it or not, we are all related one way or another, we need to look out for one another, instead we have wars, illness and poverty, to name a few things, in our family everyone should be important, we must look out for our sisters and brothers, like the words in John Lennon's song, Imagine, we could have a wonderful world if we tried.
Yes and No. I like to know where they are from but can I do anything with that knowledge? No. All I can do is be proud of where I'm from - and that's Canada.
It play a huge role as to where we come from. It gives alot of insight into what my relatives have done for me. It means alot knowing my families history.
Hello Scott :) Yes, my heritage is important to me - very much so. There's several reasons why it's important to me actually. - to fufill the need to know where you came from. Humans always want to find out the origins of humanity - we can't find that out completely yet, but we can at least trace our family history. - it's just interesting - when researching, you can find your country or countries of origin, family stories and sometimes some interesting dramas or scandals - it gives you a sense of belonging & insight as to why you are who you are & why you're here - your country/countries of origin - learning about their history as well is fascinating & gives a sense of national pride
I guess that depends on what you mean by "ethnic heritage". While I am of Polish and Irish ancestry, I consider myself a citizen of the world and dream of a world where such categories as ethnicity are rendered irrelevant!
It's not really important to me in that it affects my life in any way, but I am proud of my heritage. I am first and foremost a Canadian, then I am a Newfoundlander, and then, I am Irish, English and French. I would love to be able to trace my ancestry, and members of my family have tried, but to no avail. Many records were destroyed in a fire somewhere (not sure of the whole story), so there isn't really a way to trace it any longer. Newfoundland, being isolated from the mainland, has tended towards maintaining many of the traditions of the island's ancestors, including their dialect of English. I am proud to say that I speak Newfoundland English, by the way (but I am also fully fluent in Canadian English). Many people don't know this, but Newfoundland has its own dialect of Irish Gaelic and French, though neither is widely spoken anymore. Our 'backwards' form of English has its grammar based solidly in Gaelic grammar, as well.
Dear Scott, Yes my ethnic heritage is very important to me because it gives me a sense of belonging. Though I was raised in Canada my entire life, my roots and my heritage have a very important part in my life. It keeps me connected to my ancestors. I have pictures of all my fore-fathers from my paternal side of the family. It would be an honour to find out about my maternal side of the family since they go back to India(Gujarati), and since my maternal Grandfather was only 12 when he migrated to Africa, all history was left back in India. Paternal side though did migrate from India as well, but they brought history with them, and paternal grandmother had her family history starting in Africa, so that was great. Not sure if anyone can help me learn about my maternal ancestors since we are talking about history before the 1900's. Thanks for listening. Karima Kara kkara4u@yahoo.ca
I consider my ethnic background to be Canadian. What bothers me is that there aren't more people who want to admit that.....I was born and raised here as were my parents and grandparents...what is so terrible about being Canadian...I am proud of it...more should be.
Definitely!
Not really, my family tree disappeared during WWII, most of my family was killed fighting in the war. It is sad to lose your heritage but I would rather start my own family tree and look to the future and not live in the past.
Not really. To acknowledge your family history and ethnic origin is one thing but some people take it too far. This only breeds feelings of superiority/inferiority, exclusivity, fear, and eventually hatred. My ancestors fled terrible conditions in other countries to come here and make a new life. Why would I want to remember that? I am also part Native Canadian but I have chosen to leave the cultural aspects of being native behind and I think I am better for it. I don't suffer the terrible bondages (alcoholism, drug use, suicidal tendencies, domestic problems) that many Native Canadians suffer (far more per capita than the Canadian average). I am a proud Canadian. I have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of choice, and much more.
I'm red Indian (first nations) here the "ethnic heritage" doesn't pay the bills but my question to you is why on that 'show ... who do you think you are '... do they pick the celebrities to appear to that show...why not get a homeless person
Well, my mother's main hobby is genealogy, so tracing family history is very important in my family. I'd have to say though, that my ethnicity itself doesn't hold great importance to me; what I find valuable is knowing something about the people themselves that came before me rather than the places they came from. I consider myself Canadian, and having found out that my Mom's family came to Canada starting in the late 1700's reinforced that feeling. There are people in my family who put a large emphasis on their ethnic roots, so I feel like I get the best of both worlds in the end!
Interesting question and I loved reading the answers. "Ethicet" Why didn't you say you are Armenian. If all you said is true and I believe that you believe all you wrote because I too am Armenian. To be really proud of your heritage and history you should have said you are Armenian. Our heritage is our yoke as well as our pride. It is pounded into us no matter where we live on this earth. It is our culture and our religion. I hope you make Mariam happy and you teach tolerance to your children. Not nice to break up with someone just because they weren't Armenian. You shouldn't have gone out with them at all if it was that important. Well enough said. Yes my ethnic heritage is very important to me. I am Canadian Armenian, 2nd generation.
Wow, Scott Thompson from my old hometown of Brampton, although if I recall you're an Ambro Heights kid and I was over in Peel Village. How about that, you've entertained me for many years in your excellent performances, many, many thanks Scott. Well I never gave a damn about heritage one way or the other. Frankly even as a child I figured we all came from Africa if you when back far enough and all this "I'm related to the King of France!" or "My great great great Uncle Herman was the Duke of the Burgundy!" is just so much Horse.....well you get the idea. That's just me though, my ancestors were iceberg sailors so we never really had an ethnic identity, it was just who ever canoed up to the iceberg and as long as they had beer it was welcome aboard! Take care Scott and thanks again, you're absolutely hilarious in everything I've ever seen you in, my favourite was the bit you did with Don Cherry, fabulous!
Yes, it is important. It identifies me.
Yes my heritage makes for an interesting topic at a party but that's as far as it goes . It's no big deal otherwise
I believe I lost my ethnic heritage from spanish people arrived to my country, then I am half and half, and with t.v. all changed........although love and respect to my country is 100% important to me, but I believe tht in the world all are humans.
Extremely. It's the root from which the bud that i am came from.
I like the old adage that in order to know where you're going you must know where you came from.
Yes it is indeed, here is a little about our history on my dads side I wrote this after he died in march 2007 GOD BLESS him! Dear People I have sent this message to All My friends and family it may be that you will get it twice but the reason I am sending this email is to ask you for a prayer for my Dad Here is a little history about him! In The Early 1930's My Dad's Parents were coming out of Lebanon heading towards and across North Africa to Visit Greater Morocco Where his family was from long ago. During their visit there My Grand Parents decided to go to Spain Where they got caught up in the civil War of Spain, my Dad was Born There oddly enough but also Already Circumcised a rarity in those times, On March 07 1935 in Spain At Las Palmas de Gran Canaria They Named Him Mohamed Chaffic El Banna El Moghrabi son of Hamaweya Hajar Daughter of Amnee El Hage, and the son of Chaffic El Banna El Moghrabi, They stayed in Spain Las Palmas de Gran Canaria for 2 ½ years Then they want back to Lebanon and Then to Canada. I ask for this prayer for All Those before who've gone and those who will go and for his passing into the next Life MAY ALLAH BLESS Him And Us ALL! He was 72 years Old, And While In The Hospital Of the Town Of Lac la Biche, Alberta Canada He Asked His Brothers To Face The Bed Towards The Kaba In Mecca and Help Him In going up and down in His Prayers From Asr "Mid day" and Magrib "Sunset" prayers Together and after He Made His Shahada Those Were His Last Words In This Life! The Shahada Is " The Bearing Of Witness That There Is Only One GOD There Is No God BUT THE ONE GOD! THE GOD OF Adam & EVE, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael And Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, Moses, David, Solomon, Buddha, Mary, Jesus, Mohamed and All The Rest Of Them The Prophets and Prophetess Around The Whole World For All Peoples! Dad went on March 20th 8:28pm 2007 Here Are some of his Accomplishments: He married my Mom, And He used to record The Quran "The Koran One Of Islam's Holy Books Along With All the Other Holy Books From ALLAH " on Reel To Reel, Eight Track and Cassette Tapes for whoever asked, Including Lots Of Music. He also used to rent Cinemas Here in Canada and Show Many well Know films for the first time in North America In The Early 70's to the mid 80's and One very important One In particular For the first Time Shown In The World Was The Message With Anthony Quinn The Movie was made in 1977, but do the Objections to the Film In Tunisia and Egypt By Some Alarmists The Theaters were sacked The Film Company Then brought it to the United States Where it met with The same fate But one day my Dad phoned the Film Distributors For A good Movie and They Told him that They Had one but as of yet could not be shown all this because of the zealots protests and sacking of The Theaters, and the fear that the film would show the faces of the prophet and his companions so my Dad said don't worry send it Here To Edmonton, Alberta, Canada There will be no problems here GOD WILLING, my Dad got it and showed it to a sell out Crowed 3-4 times daily for 4 days straight then to Lac la Biche Then to Calgary, Alberta, Canada Then across Canada The U.S and subsequently The World here is a link about that film http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Message_%28film%29 There were Other films Like RabaL Adaweya and Salah el din and Omar Makhtar. He also brought The Mighty Samson from Lebanon on many occasions also many parties as well, that we call Hafla's. He brought many Big name Singers and Dancers and poets alike and a lot of events that pulled the community Together which Helped The City Of Edmonton Become The Most Multicultural City In North America! From The First Mosque In All of The Americas Here is a Link, http://www.edmonton.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_261_208_0_43/http%3B/CMSServer/COEWeb/arts+culture+and+attractions/attractions/fort+edmonton/things+to+see+and+do/ , and quote from Fort Edmonton Park 1920 Street – roaring into the 1920s "Edmonton's economy was virtually put on hold between the First and Second Wars. Businesses struggled to survive, and some disappeared altogether. Others, such as the Ukrainian Bookstore, J.B. Little's Brickyard, and Bill's Confectionery remained operational. The Ukrainian Bookstore and the Al Rashid Mosque, the first mosque in North America, illustrate Edmonton's cultural diversity." It was my Dad's Aunt "Miriam" Sister To His Father, along with her Husband Darwish Taha whom had started in 1918 raising the monies necessary To Build The First Recorded Mosque Built In The Americas from Scratch! I am sure there were earlier mosques in The Americas That were converted from Old Buildings and Churches that were sold openly by the Church but none that are known from foundation to Finish Like The EL RASHID Mosque, it is also notable that Christopher Columbus makes mention That Muslims, Jews and Christians escaping The Spanish inquisition were also on his ships helping to Navigate his Ships using Phoenician and Turkish maps! Although it is a fact that the Whole earth and subsequently The Whole Universe Is a mosque, synagogue, church, Temple, open space designated for prayer i.e. a place of worship which contains worshippers therein practicing The Praising and Thanking Of THE ONE AND ONLY GOD AND CREATOR OF ALL THINGS THE GOD EL ELOHIM ILLAH HUWA ALLAH YAHWAH, YEHOVA, JEHOVA! I would Like to finish on this note it was and has always been the efforts of all the mothers that have pushed society and humanity A long in to the Future BY THE CREATORS WILL and without their efforts we would be extinct by now! MAY ALLAH BLESS US ALL! PEACE LOVE AND HAPPINESS FOR ALL! LOVE YOU ALLAH your servant saulih sam moghrabi miss u dad
Like others have been saying, I feel that my heritage defines who I am. Different beliefs, celebrations, and languages are part of what builds us into the unique individuals we are. I think it is important to be proud of where you have come from, and proud of all of the ancestors who have had a hand in getting you to where you are today.
There is not enough time to fix all the problems that need to be fixed. Learning from past history is one thing, but family tree sounds more like entertainment.
I would love to know. When I asked my dad he didn't tell me. All I do know is that my great grandfather was born in Alsace Lorraine. I would love to know but have no way of finding out.
When you are young you don't give a hoot.But when you are older it becomes very intriguing where you came from. Having roots is a very good feeling.
i feel proud to be part of history that goes back centuries
Not only is our cultural history important but so is our parents. Know ing our heritage can help explain some personality traits and appearance. Understanding where our parents and grandparents also bring a better compassion about differences you may have.
I think it is. For me, to know how I came to be. I am 100% Scottish for a few generations but then it all gets mixed up. My grandmother as a 500 year old bible with a partial family tree in it. But that is just one side. I want to know who lse is out there that is related to me and see what became of them. It would also help explain any medical issues that I am dealing with noe. I want to know if they had any problems and how they dealt with them. I also want to know about the problems in the family. I already know heir are people out there that belonged to the family but were given up. I would love to touch base with them.
I was born and bred in east London, England. I am a cockney through and through. I have lived in Canada for over 30 years, but I will remain a cockney. When I go home to England now, it breaks my heart to think that our cockney culture is dying. My wife is a Newfoundlander and her culture is dying too. Our children were born in Canada but we teach them their old world heritage, I even teach them the old cockney rhyming slang. My wife says that Canada should be thankful that it's part of Newfoundland, and now that I have been to Newfoundland, I agree with her. If you are not proud of who you are, you are proud of nothing.
Scott, wonderful to see you here! [Hope you don't mind hearing from someone south of the border. If it's worth anything, I was wearing a CBC t-shirt and watching season 3 of KITH, earlier this week...] Yes, my ethnic heritage affects my identity and this was true even before I was aware of what ethnicity meant. Humans are intrigued by differences and though it is usually a healthy curiosity it can lead to unhealthy manifestations of inclusion and exclusion. My parents were Japanese and being raised in a primarily Scandinavian community (in the 70s), we stuck out. I was raised with certain values and other children in school ridiculed me for it. I then tried to embrace being Japanese, whatever that really meant. My father sent me to school in Japan for a summer and most of the kids taunted me as being American, even though I looked like them and could converse well. This made me aware of cultural constructs at a very young age. In my teens,I tried to brush aside tradition/culture on both sides of the Pacific and began seeking philosophy and ideology which would transcend localized identity and "traditional" values. My father passed away when I was 19. This again brought me back to the question of who I am. Though he was no longer living, I sought to understand my dad's life to see who I was. His struggles to live in America were mine now. Almost 20 years have passed since then and I am still sometimes uncomfortable with identity. America has some positive aspects but its impact on the globe has been very negative in recent decades. I can sometimes laugh off that I'm the result of 2000 years of incest on an island but in the midst of our militarized and patri-idiotic panoptic society I am reminded that my father "patriotically" and "honorably" fought for the Emperor against America in WW2. Which opposing culture am I to embrace? Maybe this has helped fuel my passion for travel. To see other cultures and values and see what similarities are shared. I have also found that yoga helps me see beyond the geopolitik and realize that all people have similar needs with regards to their body and to a sense of shared community. Still, questions will ways linger within...
Yes my family heritage is important to me. My Dads side is Ukrainian (but from Poland) and my Moms side is from the West Midlands England. While researching our history my Mom discovered much to her surprise that both sets of Grandparents were on the same boat and immigrated to Canada on the same crossing! They were silly enough to settle on the Prairies during the Depression. I wonder what my Grandmothers were thinking, and what they went through, because the families were huge. No steady jobs, no doctors, no food, and most important - no birth control. They were really tough people. I don't know if I could have had the same life with the same amount of courage that they showed. My heritage is important to me because I think they were really brave people.
I don't think anyone here has given a good risen why they're proud of there ethnicity like SAMWINIRISE E said for entertainment if we have something to be proud of we have something to pay for The monarchy of Europe didn't really Have any ethnicity's there wives almost always came from another country and they are the ones that ruled and formed the countries we are from and if we think we are better then royalty who are we as Canadians? God save the queen LOL Basically to be proud of your heritage makes you a racist or you don't feel like passing on your Superior genes to your kids. Since I'm a mutt I really have no say but my answer is no even as a Canadian there are things to be ashamed of and we are a very young nation
Meh. Heritge is really nothing in the end. If you want to be proud of your heritage you have to be ashamed of its failures. I have enough things in my life to be proud and ashamed of I"d rather not take dead people's shame on top of my own. Plus being proud of something you were never apart of is false pride. Could a Roman be proud of Rome's many accomplishments but not its many failures such as the reign of Nero? Could the English be proud of its Empire without being ashamed of its treatment to everyone else in the world in order to advance itself? Basing your personality and who you are according to things you weren't alive to see much more be apart of is just dumb to me, its a false sense of human pride for those who seem to lack in that area. And if you want to be proud of something you also must carry its shame. If not, that is a very two-faced situation. Not to mention no one chooses their heritage.Technically you could have been born to any heritage, any family, any skin colour (or lack there of.) There is nothing to be proud of when it comes to happening to be born a certain way. Anyone could have easily been in your position and you could have been in theirs'. I could even go to my theory of no such thing as race but I need to move onto another question. After all if scientists are allowed their theory then I am too. It's simply a human way of separting themselves from the "other." Or even the theory that no individual is more important than the other. The posters here are no less important than Paris Hilton or Oprah Winfrey we all have our faults, our beliefs, our "ways" and our doubts. Anyways have a good weekend.
Yes, it is to all but not as much as education/class and tribal affiliations. Gangsterism seems to be the overwhelming rule of thumb
everyone should keep in touch with their roots and i admire that.but if you immigrate to another country you can practise your heritage but dont push it on your host country..i see to much of this today ...some places cant even put up Christmas trees or say merry Christmas because it might hurt someones ethnic beliefs wtf...dont like it go back where you came from..two years ago i seen five Asian woman with the flag upside down with an x through it saying their not celebrating because govt. wouldn't give them head tax money wtf they should have been deported....i would never do that to a country's flag wtf wtf