Patriotism

[SK]

Patriotism is love of and/or devotion to one's country. However, patriotism has had different meanings over time, and its meaning is highly dependent upon context, geography and philosophy.

I don't consider myself to be very patriotic, sometimes I dislike my country, we are often represented by and live with idiots. I would certainly never join the army with the current government in place, I disagree with our government policies and don't really agree with a lot of what we as a nation do.

Sometimes I am ashamed of my country, especially after recently voting racist bigots into European parliament and giving them 3 county councillor seats. It's issues like this which stop me from being patriotic, how am I supposed to love my country if we are going to be led by such a racist moron as Nick Griffin.

However, sports and patriotism often go hand in hand, especially in Britain. Whenever England sports teams are playing be it football, cricket, rugby etc.the whole country rallies behind them, giving a huge sense of pride and togetherness. I would consider myself patriotic when supporting national sports teams, so where do I stand as a patriot?

But at the end of the day what is patriotism? Is it purely pride for living somewhere, or does it have a deeper meaning? If we consider ourselves patriots are we supposed to be proud of every aspect of our country in sports, politics, history and other people that live in our country?

If this is the case, I wouldn't consider myself a patriot, there are aspects of my country I strongly dislike, but at the same time I am proud to live here and want better for my country.

So, how do you see patriotism? Are you patriotic? Would you fight for your country?

 

[jokeboy624]

It's really hard for many people to separate the government from the country, but in my opinion they are both very different entities. I don't think patriotism necessarily means you love and support your government no matter what, I think it means just the opposite when you have someone in office who is leading your country in the wrong direction. Patriotism to me, means a love for your COUNTRY and the ideas it stands for, NOT the government officials. If your government is hurting your country then they should be stood up against. That's patriotism.

After 9/11 (Of course it was going to come up in a patriotism thread) we had so many government officials saying that if you don't listen to the government or you disagree with them you are being unpatriotic. I found that to be utter crap and felt the most patriotic people were the ones that had the Constitution and the Country's welfare in mind.

In this way, sir, I believe you to be a patriot.

Sports are the perfect example of patriotism. I am not a fan of basketball, and there are several NBA players that I feel are wastes of biomass, but when the Olympics come around, I will root for the USA, but not necessarily the players on our team.

 

[Gelgarin]

I get very uncomfortable with patriotism.
The basic core value is fine, there is no problem in taking pride in the place you live, but the problem I have is the constant blurring of the line between loving your country, and thinking that your country is somehow better than others; and that by influence, you are better then other people.

I followed the US election with my house mates and enjoyed playing a sequence of drinking games revolving around things the candidates said. One of the most productive was the one where you had to take a drink every time one candidate inadvertantly insulted the rest of the world. My personal favourite incidence was when John McCain, when questioned on exactly "why" America was the 'greatest nation in the world' , commended that it was the only country where all people were equal. Once the entire population of Europe was done rolling its eyes, we all decided that that remark constituted enough for the night and downed out entire stock of booze. Not overly relevant, but a decent example of what I don't like about patriotism.

If you love your country then hurray for you. I totally respect that. Personally I'm of the opinion that being born isn't anything to be proud of, and take more pride in the nation of Sweden than I do England (a nation that, without the help of Scotland and Wales, wouldn't have elected a left wing government until 1997... and didn't get one then). Nevertheless; people who do feel proud of their country I couldn't be happy for... right up until the point that it manifests its self in jingoistic nationalism. Having an nationality isn't an accomplihment and in no way makes you better than other people. Your country is not "better" than my country, and my country is not "better" than yours. Every politician in every country on the globe spins some line about the remarkable ingenuity and spirit of the __________ people, and about how _______ is the greatest nation in the world. I'd like to think that we've wised up to it by now.

The other issue I have is the way patriotism is invariably trotted out as a justification for things I don't like. Keep the dirty foreigners out to preserve out national identity, "it's the patriotic thing to do" say the BNP. We can't question the validity of recent wars because it's unpatriotic. Hell, my side gets up to it as well; a minor Tory was recently crucified as being unpatriotic for going to the US and dissing the national health service. Don't get me wrong, the man is a right wing crackpot who'd abolish child benefit and de-emancipate the working class if he could, but I'd rather people said that about him than attack him for "not loving his country".

Patriotism - fine.
Manipulative, borderline racist, jingoism - not fine.
Unfortunately the two seldom seem to be far from one another.

 

[laxfan41]

I consider my myself patriotic, even when I don't agree with the government or the people we vote in, whether it be Congress or president. I always hope for the best with America, it's allies (most of Europe, Australia, Guam Puerto Rico or anyone else I left out) and their citizens. Now don't get me wrong, speaking bad about our leaders is perfectly fine. Of course, if I were born in most any country, I would love that country too.

 

[FromTheSouth]

Questioning leadership is one of the most patriotic acts one can commit. Questioning legislation is a responsibility of every citizen. It is the ultimate check on the government.

I have no problem with questioning, but bashing is different. We are guilty of it however. I am a big proponent of telling people to go somewhere else if they don't like it.

I love America. I love our freedom, our voice, and our passion. I don't love everything about America, but the good far outweighs the bad.

There are problems with patriotism. Sometimes it borders on jingoism and racism. It is used as an excuse for persecution and harm. This is not true patriotism, and we should not let this small minority change the view of what it means to have pride in one's nation. It is OK to not be patriotic as long as you appreciate the freedom you have to express your opposition.

 

[HBK-aholic]

I don't usually think of myself as patriotic, until someone says something bad about England, or the recent NHS debate. When someone from a foreign country attempts to be negative about my country (See how I now think of it as 'mine') I suddenly have a desire to defend it, even if I'm not 100% in agreement with myself. The recent complaining about the NHS, for example. I saw a few American comments on a news site, and straight away I was thinking "It's amazing.." etc. Despite knowing it has a few problems. I hate a lo of things in my country (Well, namely the legal system), but when it comes down to it I still live here.