Self-esteem is necessary, according to psychologists, but let's forget about them for the moment. Self-esteem is just a form of recognition of the truth, in which the "truth" is your own value in relation to something else. I assume we are all interested in truth here, so I won't bother defending why we should seek it.
It is a "positive characteristic" to feel pride that is warranted, meaning that it is based in truth. Often times, people have a distorted view of value, giving value to things that are valueless. How does being part of a certain skin color give us more value? It doesn't, so any "racial pride" seems ludicrous. If someone is intelligent, though, then it is healthy and rational that they recognize it. It is a motivation to become more intelligent. Yeah, if they start saying, "I am the best," then we look at them like they're a ****, but that is because they really aren't the best. Plus, real pride isn't gained from saying something like, "I am the best." That is only an expression, whereas the actual source of the pride is in the accomplishment itself.
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