To advocate for Pride in things beyond our control, in circumstances dictated by mere chance, is an idea that makes zero sense. It defies logic and leads to outcomes that fragment society. Far from being a virtue, Pride of this nature serves as a tool to increase divisions and manipulate the masses. It foster a sense of “us versus them”, amplifying prejudices and solidifying walls between people, creating an illusion of meaning in things that, at their core, are arbitrary, random, unearned.
Take for instance, the omnipresent phenomenon of national or regional pride. You can see it everywhere, on the news, movies, TV Shows, books, politics, on your daily life in casual conversations! People proudly declare allegiance to their country, state, even their city! Holding this accident of birth aloft as though it were a personal achievement. But what is there to be prod of? No one chooses their birthplace, it is a roll of the dice, an arbitrary coordinate dictated by forces entirely outside their control. To claim pride in such uncontrollable factor is like boasting about the direction of the wind or the phase of the moon when you were born, entirely meaningless, yet widely celebrated.
This misplaced pride isn’t merely illogical, it is weaponized. A sense of belonging, inflated into a sense of superiority becomes a sharp and dangerous instrument in the hands of those who wield power. Leaders and influencers exploit this pride to justify division, conflict, and oppression. National pride becomes the fuel for wars, hatred for immigrants, and the dehumanization of outsiders. “You are proud to be born here? Good. Then those who are not from here are your enemy.” This narrative, though clearly absurd, persists since the beginning of civilization because it taps into an emotional vulnerability, a need for identify, and twists it into a justification for harm.
Similarly, pride in one’s race or ethnicity is another illogical and perilous construct. How can one take pride in a skin color or an ethnic heritage that was never chosen, never earned, and never crafted by one’s own will? To feel pride in the shade of one’s skin or the lineage they were born into is as irrational as feeling proud of the shape of the clouds or the color of the sky. Yet, it is pervasive, ingrained, and celebrated. But why? What purpose does it serve, apart from drawing lines that separate humanity into “us” and “them”? These lines of division, once etched, are fortified by prejudice, discrimination and finally, violence.
Pride in one’s ethnicity or race is particularly insidious because it masquerades as empowerment while deepening the fractures within society. At its worst, it becomes a self-perpetuating cycle of segregation. By identifying too strongly with what should be a neutral trait (skin color or ancestry) people are made to feel distinct, apart, and often antagonistic toward those who do not share these traits. Rather than uniting individuals under a broader banner of shared humanity, it pits them against one another in a never-ending contest of identify politics. This form of Pride, just like national pride, becomes a tool for manipulation, a mechanism to divide and conquer.
In many cases, I’d say pretty much in most cases presented to me through the multiple “bubbles” I happen to belong to, Pride is used not as a genuine expression of empowerment, but as a shield against hostility (that is, when it is not being used as a manipulation tool by those in power). For example, those belonging to marginalized racial or ethnic groups often face relentless societal aggression. When a person is vilified or oppressed simply for existing, it is understandable that they would reach for something to counteract that negativity. Pride then becomes that counterbalance, a way to reclaim dignity in the face of systemic injustice. “I’m not bad, I am not a villain, I am not unworthy, I am proud to be who I am”. Yet, while the impulse is valid and even necessary for survival, the choice of “pride” as a response remains troubling.
This misuse of pride as a mask or a shield reveals the limitations of the concept itself. Instead of addressing the root causes of inequality, pride often serves as a reactive measure, an emotional response rather than a systemic solution. It channels collective pain and frustration into a feeling that, while powerful, ultimately fails to resolve the underlying problems. Pride, in this sense, is just a way to endure oppression without dismantling it. A way to lie to yourself, A way to close your eyes and ears while the world around you yells that you do not belong there.
In every instance, pride based on uncontrollable factors distorts our understanding of identity and value. It assigns meaning where there is none. It fuels divisions where unity is very much needed. What begins as an innocent affirmation of self or community always morphs into a dangerous force, one that separates, polarizes, and divide.
The more we cling to pride in things we cannot change, the more we blind ourselves to the absurdity of it all! It is infuriating to watch people drape themselves in pride over random, uncontrollable circumstances, as if the universe itself conferred upon them some grand achievement for merely existing in a certain way. Pride in your birthplace, your skin color, your ethnicity, it is all hollow, meaningless nonsense! It is not something you earned, not something you worked for, not something you had a hand in shaping. It is luck, random. And to build an identity on that? To elevate it as though it is worthy of admiration? It is delusional, and worse, it is dangerous.
We should only feel pride in things that stem from effort, decisions, and accomplishment, things that actually mean something. Pride in hard work, in overcoming obstacles, in achieving goes, in the success or growth of your children, that is the kind of pride worth feeling. Anything else is a lie we tell ourselves, a mask for insecurity, or a weapon used to divide and manipulate. Pride in things you cannot change is not just wrong, is absurd, it is toxic, and it is a disgrace to what the very concept of pride is supposed to stand for.
Pride is a delusion.
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