Of the following choices, what weighs more in a person's national/state/city identity?

Just curious about what people think about this question. I'd assume most would choose "where they grew up", but that's usually a time where the person doesn't really have a choice in where they live.

As the person grows up they have the freedom to choose where they want to establish themselves and forge their own identity.

I'd say where they grew up. Where you were born doesn't matter (beyond the law, which is pretty big), and the core of Obama's recent immigration thing was for people who were born outside the US, but lived most of their lives in the US.

So far as where you currently live, well, even if I moved to another country tomorrow, and spent the rest of my life there, I'll always be an American at heart. And I feel like that'd be true of most people, unless they lived in a really awful third world country or something.

Edit: So far as states or cities, I dunno. That would definitely vary far more. And I mean state like a state in the US, not a state like a country. Probably unnecessary clarification, but too bad!

@MooseyMcMan said:

So far as where you currently live, well, even if I moved to another country tomorrow, and spent the rest of my life there, I'll always be an American at heart. And I feel like that'd be true of most people, unless they lived in a really awful third world country or something.

True - home really is where the heart is.

@JCTango said:

True - home really is where the heart is.

Where's that option in the poll?

@Video_Game_King: probably "Where they grew up"

@JCTango:

But theoretically, I could be born in Sweden, raised in Honduras, and have my heart in Korea.

I was born in Germany, I grew up in America, and I have more affection for Scotland than anywhere else in the world.

I picked C because I still live in America, but all of my friends call me "European at heart" and I intend to move as soon as the opportunity arises. I grew up military, though, which probably skews my perception of the whole thing quite a lot.

I think it varies on a case by case basis.

Well they're all the same for me so it's a non issue. If I ever moved to another country I doubt I'd ever consider myself to be that nationality. I'll always be Irish.

Canadians.

I voted C because no one gets to choose where they were born or where they grew up.

I lived in one place until I was eight, flew to the opposite side of the planet and grew up in another until seventeen, then left home (2852km/1772mi away) for university/work where I remain today (seven years later).

I have no idea.

@_k1_ said:

I voted C because no one gets to choose where they were born or where they grew up.

Nothing has more of an impact on someone than how they grew up.

@mscupcakes said:

Well they're all the same for me so it's a non issue. If I ever moved to another country I doubt I'd ever consider myself to be that nationality. I'll always be Irish.

I agree. Since leaving Ireland, I have only become more Irish.

I couldn't give a shit about Manitoba (where I was born) since I haven't been there in 18 years. To me, I'm a Bayman from Newfoundland.

I was born in Korea and lived there until I was six and have since been living in Canada. I'd probably consider myself as a Canadian.

@mandude said:

@mscupcakes said:

Well they're all the same for me so it's a non issue. If I ever moved to another country I doubt I'd ever consider myself to be that nationality. I'll always be Irish.

I agree. Since leaving Ireland, I have only become more Irish.

I can't help but picture you irish immigrants at a party in your brogue shoes and grandfather shirts only to openly weep when someone throws up some whiskey.

@Doctorchimp: I'm actually wearing mo brogaí right now, and no; 'tis never a good thing to see someone throwing up the waters of life.

@Doctorchimp said:

@mandude said:

@mscupcakes said:

Well they're all the same for me so it's a non issue. If I ever moved to another country I doubt I'd ever consider myself to be that nationality. I'll always be Irish.

I agree. Since leaving Ireland, I have only become more Irish.

I can't help but picture you irish immigrants at a party in your brogue shoes and grandfather shirts only to openly weep when someone throws up some whiskey.

The thing about leaving Ireland is that can't help but notice your Irishness even more. The fun part is that you'll often notice our figues of speech spreading onto your non-Irish friends. Something satisfying when they finally understand the phrase "What's the craic?"

I'm with the majority here, it's where you grew up. Even if you don't have a choice to be there, your surroundings in your formative years have a lot to do with who you become as an adult.

Grew up

It has got to be 'where you grew up', you know, as the saying goes 'you can take the boy out of ...(place city/town/whatever here), but you can't take the ... out of the boy'. I reckon that pretty much sums it up.

Honestly I think Ireland is the exception. I'm not Irish, but my family name and my first name are, and I'll be dammed if I don't pull out the Irish whenever I can. I've always loved Ireland as well, I guess you might say that's where my heart is.

I believe it's all about where you grew up because that's everything that has been influencing your opinions on the world at such a critical age. You'll base your opinions (for or against) about everything else by comparing what home was like.

Got to go for #2. Where you were born has little to do with it, I grew up where I was born but I consider it home because I grew up there see?!?!?! I could see a person going for option 3 though.

I was born and raised in a big city by parents who had spent their childhood in basically a small farm in the middle of nowhere, and their parents too grew up in similar places. The difference between me, or one of my sisters, and a person who together with his or her family for many generations back have constantly lived in this big city, makes me think it's all about where you were born and everything that comes with it. Don't know what to call it, it's not just common sense and having a good skull on your neckbone.

It makes me think that my youngest sister was adopted or switched just after birth, and that I live in a city with stressed out weirdos and should go back to living in the middle of nowhere, getting my own food and vegetables off the land like before, fishing hunting gathering, because that's what I did on my summers as a kid visiting the places where my parents grew up. Only now there's more than acceptable broadband out there.
 
Scandinavia is pretty weird guys.