national and other pride and/or identification

Didn't America steal a ton of land from Spain? I believe Florida and Texas and maybe California were just taken from Spain, right? Still, I guess that's nothing compared to some of the other stuff WASPs have done.

About this whole conversation, let's be very simple:

People like to feel good. People like to have an excuse to feel good. If you follow a football team, and it wins a game, then you feel good, because you were following that team, supporting the team. So, by doing nothing but investing a little bit of emotion, you are able to feel good. The downside is, because you were emotionally invested, you're going to feel bad if they lose. But that's life.

Now, people do need some sort of reason to support a team, so they use location. No one can argue about a Tennessean rooting for the Titans, even if he does start rooting late into the game, after the Titans are on a winning streak.

Florida was originally a french colony, and when Texas was taken I believe it belonged to Mexico. Not 100% certain on that. But i would say that probably does not count as it was in the new world and was simply a war, which i would consider equal for both parties.

Any sort of "Pride" which does not stem from personal accomplishment is laughable.

I, personally, despise any and all people who feel proud of anything they did not have a hand or a direct influence in, and applaud those who are proud of actions that they themselves committed, even if those actions are bad.

To present an example, I believe I would marginally applaud a rapist who plead guilty without any shred of apology, while I would decry, and possibly beat the shit out of, an avid sports fan going nuts that their team won/lost within my hearing range.

My opinion may seem, to more accepting and open minds, harsh, and to closed and self-important minds, stupid/self important/retarded/a list of other adjectives, so I'll explain it:

It's all based on trauma. I'm of Soviet descent, and I hold a certain air of superiority to any and all other people. That being said, having grown up in the smelting pot/hellhole that is New York, I have seen literally EVERY SINGLE FUCKING TYPE of "pride" that exists in modern day society. Black Pride, Gay Pride, Latino Pride, Muslim Pride, Christian Pride, Women's Pride, so on and so forth. And, each time, I would look at these people, and think:

"Op, that fucker probably won't even consider college"
"That idiot's going to die in a gang war at some point"
"One more word out of you, and I'll skin you for a new Feminist Flag"

And other highly violent and probably racist/sexist/whatever-ist things that came to mind. All these people, applauding and, more annoyingly, portraying themselves as being either an important part in the pride machine, or simply believing themselves better then others because of their pride. I may, as I said, consider myself better then others, but that's because, while I do, I also don't. I have no pride in anything that I haven't done.

Or haven't lied convincingly about.

...Does that make me sound like a bigoted fucktard?

not 100% sure about this but Mexico became independent before the United States annexed Texas I believe; therefore it was a fight between mexico and the United States, not Spain and anyone. Just to clarify what I meant...