yes...Australians once found it OK to used to use other words/names for our Indigenous /Asian/Italian Australians too ....

we don't now ...

Good point Iza.

Does that mean that we should also be less patriotic than we used to be because our ancestors had no "tact?"

we have all evolved or should have by now imo.

I am, you are, we are Australian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjkrjYitgeA

Australia Day is accnowledgment day for many people for different reasons.

I was naturalised on Australia Day 1964, and swore my allegiance to Australia, not to the Queen of England.

Waving flags, decorating the house and porch with balloons and streamers, having a B-B-Q with mates. Having a real Aussie bash, happens one day in Septemmber.

Erica

Maybe it's my English upbringing, but I was always taught that patriotism is something private that you carry in your heart. To parade it ostentatiously in public was considered very bad form, I suppose we may have waved flags if the Queen came to visit - but if we'd seen anyone driving aorund on St George's Day or Armistice Day (the nearest things we had to a National Da)y with flags flapping from his car we'd have laughed ourselves silly.

You are right She Ele.

But then again we are of a different generation. I detest americanism and playing copycat to a country that is nothing like ours.

Erica

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

Maybe it's my English upbringing, but I was always taught that patriotism is something private that you carry in your heart. To parade it ostentatiously in public was considered very bad form, I suppose we may have waved flags if the Queen came to visit - but if we'd seen anyone driving aorund on St George's Day or Armistice Day (the nearest things we had to a National Da)y with flags flapping from his car we'd have laughed ourselves silly.

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But Australians weren't brought up English.

But I think the reason for the national pride these days has a lot to do with the internet, the fact that not so many have the community, family belonging that was there in the past. Basically, it's facebook's fault.