So yesterday was Australia Day, where everyone gathers around and celebrates - er - the public holiday. Or maybe celebrate being Australian. I dunno. Me, I celebrate having a bunch of friends. That is, it's an excuse to hang out with a group of friends. Funnily enough, less than half the people at the party we went to were actually Australians.

But the general publics Australian Spirit was showing - which meant that we had to move the cars or else they'd get damaged. You figure it out.

Currently I'm having a discussion on IRC with Darrell about why I feel about Australia the way I do. To be frank, I don't feel one way or another about being "Australian". It's not that I dislike it (although there's plenty to dislike, as much as there is stuff to like), but there's nothing here that makes me feel "Woooo, I sure am proud/glad/happy/whatever to be an Australian!" It seems that some people think that this means that I'm not allowed to be Australian. So demote me to being "australian" then. Fuck you, I don't care.

Australia is an okay place to live.

Now, if I actually *had* a reason to "love Australia" then things might be different, but I would *always* respect the other persons right to a point of view. But it's the blind patriotism that is part of the reason I don't feel anything. It's not a binary love/hate relationship. There's a third state in between. The state of 'meh'. Whatever. It seems that people have a hard time understanding this. But then I'm no stranger to having people unable to understand simple concepts like that...

At least it's not America.

This one always brings problems. "Oh, so Australia isn't such a bad place after all?" Read the text, kiddies. All it says, is given the choice, I would prefer Australia over America. I can't say more without repeating myself.

Another argument that shits me off is the "Well everyone worked hard over 200 years to bring this country to where it is now, and that's all you've got to say for it, you ungrateful little sod?" I would start of responding "200 years and that's all you've got? You broke a lot of shit getting it here, and there's huge room for improvement, mate." Then I might then say that I could find the exact same argument in any country. Does that mean that every country is the best bloody place on earth? Perhaps it's just me, but I don't feel that I should owe anyone anything for something that happened years ago (or even now), especially when it would have happened without me being here right now anyway. Australia (or anywhere for that matter) isn't here for me anymore than I feel I should be here for Australia.

"So why don't you leave then, you Aussie hating scum?" Believe it or not, someone said this to me once. I didn't exactly ask to be here, nor do I particularly want to stay here: I will leave one day. But I'm no Aussie hating scum. I don't love nor hate Australia. It's people like that though that make me almost hate Australia. But I have no less or no more right to live in Australia than the person that tells me this.