> The pride - plenty of which may now just be mimicry - didn't derive from a flag, it originally derived from the ideas the flag represented. I suspect the who

> The pride - plenty of which may now just be mimicry - didn't derive from a flag, it originally derived from the ideas the flag represented. I suspect the whole point is that a symbol has replaced the values and ideals it is supposed to represent, and that this extra step makes everything 'murkier'. Being proud of specific things like universal health care or free education makes a lot more sense than being proud of a flag that indirectly might represent these things, mainly because it's easier to discuss these specifics. That said, when it comes to actual pride I agree that many Europeans are very proud of 'Europe' and/or their country, and sometimes there's more than a little hypocrisy in the way we judge the USA.