Misplaced pride

Proud of one's homeland, of a cultural lineage, proud of a faith, proud of this, proud of that, proud, proud, very, very proud! Why so proud then? For what reason should I be proud to be Italian? Or European, Venetian or white for that matter. What can possibly justify the pride for belonging to a nation, to an ethnic group, a certain region instead of another?

Wait a moment, don't dismiss the matter too hastily...this isn't absolutely meant to be a politically correct, do-gooding, fence-sitting kind of post: all attitudes that I am by no means interested in. That actually even tend to annoy me. I mentioned Europeans and whites but the same questions that I'm asking myself can apply to anyone. Why should an individual be proud to be American, Pekingese, black or Muslim? It's exactly the same issue.