Proud Australian? Once upon a time I used that phrase often or...

Proud Australian? Once upon a time I used that phrase often or at least felt comfortable with it having been born here and tracing my roots back to the early 1800s and being proud of the nation's accomplishments.

Not referring to your use of it because I don't know you but unfortunately I sometimes baulk when I hear the phrase these days because some of the people I see use it as a precursor to justifying disgusting behaviour (sexism, racism, avoiding tax, destroying our society). Associating our nation with such appalling attitudes strikes me as the equivalent of rubbing our flag in the dirt.

I hope you would agree.