Patriotism

[Greenie]

Patriotism
noun 1. devoted love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty.
​

How patriotic are you guys? I was talking about it with my friend the other day, and it made me curious to find out what Iwakans think about the subject. ^_^

 

[Legens Legentis]

prepare for freedom!

 

[Brovo]

Not patriotic in the slightest. A country is just a flag and a series of borders, created by people, redrawn by people, destroyed by people. The only kind of patriotism I might feel is pride if my country's rulers do something objectively right at the potential cost of political influence.

I understand my place within the ecosystem. I'll hold my government accountable for what they do, and remain an educated member of the electorate on my own personal time. In exchange they'll charge taxes to run services that the private industry is inappropriately equipped to handle (police, military, healthcare, et cetera), and establish/enforce a system of laws to maintain or enhance civil and political rights for the individual.

If anything, there is much to be feared in patriotism gone too far. The populace should always question and suspect their government and country, never put faith upon it.

 

[Kagayours]

I support my country when I feel like my country is doing something that I think should be supported.

I don't support my country when my country is doing something that I don't think should be supported.

Unconditionally giving a country my "love and devotion", just because I happened to be born here? Nope. Certainly not. I mean, I'll make "'MURIKAH" jokes as often as the next guy, but I'd never seriously go around acting like the US is the best country ever, because it certainly has it's fair share of flaws. I mean, I also wouldn't go so far as to say that the US is the worst country ever or that every single thing about it is rotten to the core -- because I don't think that's quite true, either -- but there are definitely things about the US that aren't great and are definitely worth criticizing. And, trying to ignore all those flaws for sake of "patriotism"? That's just... kind of dumb, I think. If anything, I think a country is much better off when its citizens are capable of recognizing its shortcomings -- capable of recognizing that there are other countries out there that may very well be better than their own in some areas. Because, how is something supposed to improve if it's never criticized?

 

[Greenie]

Just a follow up question, since I just realized that people may define it in different ways.

What does patriotism mean to you? How do you define it (regardless of what the dictionary says)?

 

[Kagayours]

Just a follow up question, since I just realized that people may define it in different ways.

What does patriotism mean to you? How do you define it (regardless of what the dictionary says)?

I'd basically define it the same as the dictionary definition, except, perhaps with the added word "unconditional" somewhere in there.

The way I see it, patriotism is loving your country just because... it's your country. Which is pretty much why I don't like it. It's inherently irrational, and being too patriotic can leave a person blind to the flaws that their country has. No country can ever be perfect, but patriotism will leave a person insisting that the way their country is doing things is the best because it has to be the best. It's their country, right?

 

[Boba Fit]

I am extremely patriotic to the way America was meant to be.

Not the boiling piece of shit it is now. I would not fight for it now. It isn't even really America for me, anymore.

I hate what it has become so much, that I am hoping to move to the U.K. And eventually become a citizen.

I am very patriotic over the values that the country was founded on. Not this culture shitshow the US is now.

 

[Jorick]

Absolutely not. I think the definition provided in the OP is a fine and accurate one, though the key word there is "devoted." Just having some sense of loyalty to your country isn't really enough for me to call it patriotism, it's got to be very firm loyalty that will cause the patriotic person to overlook major flaws in what their country does or stands for. It might be because they think the good so greatly outweighs the bad that it's tolerable, or they'll seek to rationalize and justify the flaws as not bad because it's their country doing it, or some other form of it. The key is loyalty fierce enough that it remains unwavering in spite of the negatives. It's a faith thing, really.

I am not a patriot. I have no devotion to my country (the US) as a whole, I will only love/support/defend the specific parts of it that I find worthy of such actions, not whatever happens to be part of the country. I don't have faith in my country to do the right thing. There are good and great things about my country, but there are also bad and terrible things that I don't overlook or dismiss. I could go into a huge rant about all the major problems I see in my country, but I'll spare everyone the wall of text. Long story short is that the country was made by people and is maintained by people and people are a bunch of assholes, and the country is not greater than the sum of its parts. It was made by and for assholes, maintained and propagated by assholes, so of course the country is a big pile of assholes. That's nothing worth being devoted to.

 

[Brovo]

What does patriotism mean to you? How do you define it (regardless of what the dictionary says)?

A great love of one's country. Typically, to the ideals upon which it was founded, and to feel stirrings of pride or identity with important symbolism for that country in question. This definition also includes those who immigrated to a country and later fall in love with it.

Some patriotism is fine. To identify with a country is merely to belong to a collective group--a healthy expression of social behaviour for homo sapiens. It's really no different than belonging to a political movement, a culture, or a religious belief. Like any identity it can be taken too far off the deep end into fanaticism and fundamentalism.

However, to care for something is never particularly wrong. I just don't place my eggs in the nationalism basket. Others do. Such is life, it goes on.

 

[Razilin]

I do too much traveling internationally to be patriotic to any particular locale.

 

[Legens Legentis]

I feel a lot of people are confusing the concept of nation with the concept of government. The former is a bit more abstract.
But to answer the overall question, I'm very patriotic of my country for its accomplishments. I'm proud of my fellow Americans.
It is also because I'm patriotic that I want to work past and ultimately fix the inherent flaws of the nation.

 

[SacredWarrior]

I am extremely patriotic to the way America was meant to be.

Not the boiling piece of shit it is now. I would not fight for it now. It isn't even really America for me, anymore.

I hate what it has become so much, that I am hoping to move to the U.K. And eventually become a citizen.

I am very patriotic over the values that the country was founded on. Not this culture shitshow the US is now.

Careful. You might trigger somebody!

 

[Icy]

Well, it can get pretty hardcore here in Sweden. We got neo-nazis worshipping Hitler and stuff, waging war against immigration...
Nordic Resistance Movement, I think it's called.

 

[Razilin]

Well, it can get pretty hardcore here in Sweden. We got neo-nazis worshipping Hitler and stuff, waging war against immigration...
Nordic Resistance Movement, I think it's called.

if they rename themselves the Nordic Resistance Alliance, then their acronym would be NRA and we could have even moar fun with flamewars.

 

[Shiri]

Its hard to say no, but its hard to say yes. If America actually was its ideals of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness I'd be more patriotic. As it is, we're in debt to our eyeballs, threatening to build an impossible wall, being pointlessly protective of bathrooms, and confusing the word 'amendment' with 'permanent'.

That said, I have a lot of respect for our troops as they are the ones having to deal with the ugliest side of our country on a daily basis. The current troops and the ones of the past have allowed us to have the things we take for granted in a day and I am thankful.

And I do love celebrating our country's first breakup with boom-booms. :D

WHY IS THERE NO FIREWORKS SMILIE?!?!

 

[Autarch]

"For in a republic, who is "the Country"? Is it the Government which is for the moment in the saddle? Why, the Government is merely a servant- merely a temporary servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn't. Its function is to obey orders, not originate them. Who, then, is "the Country"? Is it the newspaper? is it the pulpit? Is it the school superintendent? Why, these are mere parts of the country, not the whole of it; they have not command, they have only their little share in the command. They are but one in a thousand; it is in the thousand that command is lodged; they must determine what is right and what is wrong; they must decide who is a patriot and who isn't.
Who are the thousand--that is to say, who are "the Country"? In a monarchy, the king and his family are the country; in a republic it is the common voice of the people. Each of you, for himself, by himself and on his own responsibility, must speak. And it is a solemn and weighty responsibility, and not lightly to be flung aside at the bullying of pulpit, press, government, or the empty catch-phrases of politicians. Each must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, and which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide it against your convictions is to be an unqualified and inexcusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may.
If you alone of all the nation shall decide on way, and that way be the right way according to your convictions of the right, you have done your duty by yourself and by your country--hold up your head. You have nothing to be ashamed of."
- "Papers of the Adam Family," Mark Twain

(Wall of Text Breaker)

To summarize, according to the American Dictionary a "republic" (what the United States is) is "a political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them." This means that I am the country, and every other U.S. Citizen is the country, and therefore we all have a shared voice in what this country really is.

I admit, I think errythin' that we stand for as a whole is pretty fucked up in countless ways, but I love the sheer fact that all of our voices are equal in the choir, no one gets a microphone, and the loudest voices are from a culmination of people. There's a ton of shit in this country that I don't agree with, yes, but I'd rather listen to a radical make a mockery of himself than deny him the same right to free speech I've been given.

All this being said, if anyone were to ask me what my nationality is I'd say "Texan."
I mean.
It's kinda our thing to be full of ourselves.

 

[Rithas]

If your asking if I shout "Up the IRA" and putting bombs under northerner's cars? Then No.

But if your asking if I pride myself in being Irish and how amazing we are (No seriously, we're the best, no questions.) Then yes.

 

[Proffy]

I love America and being American, and truly, I believe we are going down in history alongside Alexander the Greats Macedonian empire, Rome, the Mongols, the imperial nations of Europe in the 16th through 19th centuries, among other great nations of power, wealth, and influence. However, that does not mean that I am always supportive of the administration running this country, nor everyone in it. The so far 240 year American experiment is continually a revolutionary thing, and I will continue to do my part to see its success.

 

[Greenie]

Added another poll option. ^_^'

 

[Dervish]

I would consider myself patriotic, certainly enough that one of my big motivators for enlisting in the military when I had the chance was the desire to give back something to my country by serving it.

I consider myself extremely fortunate to live in Canada, it's routinely ranked one of the best countries to live in in the world, and while it has it's share of problems (what country doesn't?), we enjoy a great amount of civil rights, a very egalitarian way of life, and our country has always gone out of its way to offer aid to those in need; the whole concept of peacekeeping was invented by Canadians, and we spend a considerable amount of resources on relief efforts and foreign relief. Canadians on the whole tend to be very generous people; even with the most recent Fort McMurray fires in Alberta, the province had an incredible showing up support for the victims and it was wonderful to see that when times get tough, we really band together.

One thing I greatly admire about our country is we own up to our mistakes and even teach our students about both the great things we accomplished in our history, as well as taking time to talk about the darkest chapters in our country. We understand that we must never forget the wrongs we committed so we never repeat them. As someone who takes a great interest in history, I am actually very happy with the education I received.

While it's easy to complain about politics and politicians in general, Canada's one of the least corrupt countries in the world and I feel that our leaders are held accountable for what they say and do, which is exactly as it should be. I feel like my voice as a citizen matters. Likewise, overall our law enforcement is excellent and I feel very safe with the police forces across the country.

As I said, there's problems with Canada that need to be addressed, especially concerning the treatment of native Canadians. However, I think that being patriotic doesn't mean you can't acknowledge or even see the flaws of your country; sometimes it can mean working to change those flaws to make your country better.

Even the maple leaf is an inspiring symbol that actually means something for Canada, since it's one of unity. At least one species of maple tree grows in each of the ten provinces. For a country so vast and diverse, it's incredible that as a whole, we're a pretty unified and tight knit country.

Patriotism also doesn't mean you think your country is better than others, it just means you're loyal and love your own. It's the ultranationalist sentiment I think have some people concerned. There's a difference between loving your country and pushing an agenda under the guise that it's for your country's interests.