Branson, Missouri

[wishiswish]

For those who know that city: What do you think about it?

(This kind of patriotism shown there is considered highly suspicious in germany, only neo-nazis would feel o.k. to sing "germany, i'm so proud to be a citizen of yours". BUT DON'T GET ME WRONG: I DON'T SAY EVERY PATRIOTIC AMERICAN IS A NAZI!)

Just in case you want to have a look at the cities' attractions:

http://www.branson.com

 

[4Pawz]

The place is actually rather nice. You will find in the midwest there tends to be a lot of pride in one's city and even state. Which is good, pride in one's envirnment tends to get them to take better care of it.

Patriotism and pride does not make someone a "neonazi"

It's a small town atmosphere, great if you like that kind of thing.

Pawz

 

[milagros317]

I have never heard of Branson, Missouri. Looking at the website to which you linked, there is a sign that said its population is 3,706. So I find it not at all surprising that I have never heard of it.

And it definitely is not a city. Perhaps large enough to be called a town, but a small town.

If you post the lyrics of the song that offended you, they I might be able to comment.

If it was just "America, I'm so proud to be a citizen of yours" then I commend them.

 

[desdemona]

Branson is known as a nice town - very touristy. Andy Williams lives/performs there.

Just as an aside, I don't know what lyric offended you either, but I loved the bumper sticker I saw today:

"I love my country - but I fear my government."

 

[sole seeker]

Branson is a tourist town - kind of like one of those resorts in Colorado. It's built along the top of a steep ridge, so there's only one main drag through town.

It's full of motels, restaurants, and entertainment attractions. It may only have a full-time population of about 4,000 - but during the season it swells to 100,000 or more. It gets visitors from all over the US as well as tourists from foreign nations. (Lots of Japanese tourists visit there.)

It's a nice enough town, but not one of my favorites. Too damn crowded on-season, and not enough to do off-season.

 

[TklDuo-Ann]

It sounds to me as though the question is more of what KIND of patriotism these folks express. I'm not sure if you've ever been to the states, wishiswish. But, there are some areas where family and country are still held as the focal point of life and society. Branson (like many other places) expresses those values as a natural course, but also publicly so because of the tourist industry. I wouldn't worry about them.

That having been stated...Are there actual neo-nazi groups or communities here in the US? Unfortunately, yes. I know this from personal expericne because my older brother used to be involved with them. Many of those involved are simply reactionary with some of the difficulties experienced here. Others are wharped enough to truly believe what they spew out. But, those who really believe it deep down inside are few.

Ann

 

[wishiswish]

i was not offeded...

sorry you misunderstood me. my endglish's not that good so i can't use a great percentage of my eloquency.

it's just patriotism is quite a curious and astounding to most of us germans. it's like this: at school we get told how many utterly, utterly wrong and disgusting things germans did in the name of patriotism. i myself spent 2 years orf history lessons just with this, and so i'm quite suspect about (german) people being proud about sonmething they didn't do anything for, something that's just coincidence (i.e. being born in a certain country).
you can say a great...

sorry, have to quit shortly. to be continued...

 

[wishiswish]

DAMN!

sorry, i was interruped somehow

so, where was i?

ah, yes: ... a great disapproval of lets say "patriotic behavior" was planted deep down my very essence. ('cause the things people did between 1933 and 1945 WERE UTTERLY FOUL)

so, it's quite astounding and kinda fascinating for me to see a whole people acting around the subject "patriotism" so freely and naturally.
but still, i have to admit, there's this instinct to mistrust, the feeling that this way people could tend to be not critical enough concerning things going around in their country.

bla bla bla. damn, i wish i could use english as well as german, would make this kind of explanation a lot easier.
(if i speak it sounds even worse. it's some kind of bastardisation of a british-netherland-german-thai-something accent with some kind of creative grammar)

i'm afraid the channel which broadcasted this documentation has no english site, but for those who speak german i'll just fill in the link. and for the others: the documentation was absolutely non-judgemental, just a statement of facts for the astounded german.🙂

http://www.phoenix.de/dokus/15173/index.html