Puerto Ricans are the proudest people in the world. Can't imagine why. Must be the beaches: Participants in the World Values Survey were asked if they are proud of their nationality. The following percent answered "very proud":
Percent saying they are very proud of their nationality
Puerto Rico 95.6
Iran 92.2
Venezuela 92.1
Philippines 87.5
El Salvador 86.6
Morocco 85.9
Colombia 85.0
Portugal 82.4
Egypt 81.9
Tanzania 81.6
Pakistan 81.5
Mexico 79.5
Dominican Republic 78.6
Iraq 77.6
Peru 76.8
USA 76.1
Australia 76.0
South Africa 75.2
Malta 74.8
Saudi Arabia 74.6
Chile 74.0
Albania 73.6
Vietnam 73.4
Ireland 73.3
Bangladesh 73.1
Poland 72.2
Nigeria 72.0
India 70.2
Argentina 69.4
Jordan 68.2
New Zealand 68.0
Canada 67.6
Iceland 67.0
Georgia 65.2
Uganda 66.2
Brazil 66.0
Spain 64.4
Slovenia 59.0
Macedonia 58.1
Finland 58.3
Greece 56.0
Turkey 55.5
Hungary 54.9
Israel 54.4
Austria 53.9
Luxembourg 53.2
Great Britain 50.9
Denmark 49.7
Romania 47.3
Kyrgyzstan 46.7
Armenia 45.9
Singapore 45.3
France 44.7
Sweden 43.7
Italy 42.2
Croatia 43.6
Serbia 41.6
Latvia 40.4
Bosnia and Herzegovina 39.0
China 37.9
Bulgaria 36.6
Russia 34.9
East Germany 34.1
Montenegro 33.0
Japan 32.5
Belarus 31.7
Northern Ireland 30.5
Czech Republic 30.0
Ukraine 28.7
Slovakia 26.5
Belgium 25.4
Estonia 24.5
Lithuania 24.4
Netherlands 24.3
Moldova 23.4
Korea 20.8
West Germany 14.4
From what I can see, the proudest people often have the least reason to be so. Logically, you would expect people to think a lot of their country if it has contributed a lot, if it has been comparatively moral, or at least dominant. Evidently, the opposite is to be true. Latin, Muslim, and African countries are the proudest, and let's face it, are unexceptional. West Germany's ranking at the bottom makes sense I suppose, but don't Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Handel, Schumann, Strauss, and Wagner compesnsate a little (just to name composers)? And why do the Dutch feel so bad about themselves? Have they forgotten Rembrandt, Vermeer, van Gogh, Escher, just to list the painters?!
Pride might indicate an underlying sense of inferiority, while a lack of pride is seen in an achievement-oriented people who don't want to get cocky (or at least don't want to express a proud attitude). At an individual level, accomplished people are often hardest on themselves, and one's feeling about his nation might be tied to his feelings about himself.
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I gather the South Koreans are next lowest in pride -- and they've only built a prosperous middle class republic out of a war-ravaged medieval peasant backwater in 50 years! Up at the top of the list are places like Colombia and El Salvador.
ReplyDeleteWhen Salvadorans watch the part in Oliver Stone's "Salvador" where Jim Belushi explains to James Woods the advantages of life in El Salvador -- e.g.., "You can have somebody killed for $50" -- they probably nod with quiet pride, and tell each other, "Why, yes, it _is_ unconscionably expensive to have somebody killed in America or Denmark. It's just _shameful_ how much it costs in other countries."
Bach, Handel, Schumann & Wagner were East Germans.
ReplyDeleteHasn't the "World Values Survey" heard about German unification?
ReplyDeletePuerto Rico isn't even an independent country. Great job not paying any taxes but taking all that aid from the mainland, guys.
ReplyDeleteWest Germany? I was wondering about that...
ReplyDeleteEast and West Germany are politically united but they are still very different places. Keep in mind that East Germany was under constant athiestic and Marxist indoctrination throughout the years of Communist rule. They are one nation, but running on parallel tracks for almost half a century.
ReplyDeleteOn another point, recall that Germany has been conditioned to believe that they are intrinsically corrupted due to the Holocaust legacy. Any form of nationalism or national pride is instantly shouted down as fascistic or potentially fascistic. Furthermore, the de-Nazification programs run under the auspices of the Frankfurt School of Marxism instill in Germans a hatred of all things German.
Having been to Korea it's really hard to believe that Korea ranks so low.
ReplyDeletesee this: http://www.occidentalism.org/
Too bad nationmaster.com doesn't have these stats.
ReplyDeleteAgree with nil. I've lived in Korea, and Koreans are some of the most patriotic/nationalistic people I've ever met.
ReplyDelete