Proud, or unashamed?
From what I read here (as well as in DMan's now defunct white pride is hateful, black pride is not node), it is apparent that some people are not fully sure of the subject, as pingouin points out in his Decrying political correctness without an understanding of its causes and intended consequences is little more than racism muttered under one's breath DMan is to be excused for this confusion as he is looking at it from a different perspective.
I was born in
a country where the colour of your skin was seen as a cause for
shame if you were
not white. Thankfully, my parents saw fit to raise their child in more understanding and forgiving places. Although I am white, they believed that being brought up in such an
environment would have a
detrimental effect - with the risk of me growing up believing the "party line" as a supporter of apartheid. We now (after years of travelling) live in
the country where I spent most of my youth - where the same problem exists in a
microcosm, in the form of religious differences.
Black and Gay pride, as well as many other forms of the same, are celebrations of the fact (which is obvious from the term "Black Pride" ) that there is nothing to be ashamed of as much as any cultural identity issue. If someone feels that there is a stigma attached to being white, then they should feel free to express their pride in being unashamedly white. The only person I have ever met who almost fits this category and could do with a little "White Pride" is my mother. That issue however is mainly to do with feeling guilt about living with the status quo in South Africa for so long, something I'm sure many caring, white South Africans can associate with.
A fitting example *IMHO* (at the risk of opening a whole other can of worms - my opinion of this artist will be discussed in another article, for now please be subjective and try not to allow any judgements of him to cloud the point I am making!) is Eminem's assertion that he is not just a white boy trying to be black, just because he is in a black dominated industry. He is not expressing "White Pride", he is just happy with what he is, and does not see ]either "WASP"'s or "Niggaz" as superior in his business. (I choose someone who has been labelled (rightly or wrongly) a racist as an example to re-enforce my point simply because he has had the courage to step out of the pidgeon hole made for him by society, thereby also risking the hatred of the "White Pride" right wingers - as well as so many other groups...).
The difference with the Hans in China, is that as the dominant culture, it is natural that their ways are prevalent and Han culture is celebrated more. This is to some degree acceptable so long as there is no attempt to curb, put down or discriminate against the other cultures in the society (be they mongol, manchurian or white). For a Han were to turn around and start espousing "Han Pride", for political reasons, would be just as bad as "White Pride" being used in the USA. In the same way, turning to a manchurian and telling him how proud you are to be one of the "superior" Han, is of course hateful and supremist!
In summary, there is no harm in being unashamed of your race/religion/cultural identity or proud of who you are. If however you are proud of being a member of a "better" race then your "Racial Pride" is merely racism!