I am not a patriot of corporate rule or wars that might be "good for business"

create the Folkshools in Denmark, to rejuvenate the spirit of people he saw as dead inside.

Those feelings of nationalism and patriotism, in the neutral country of Denmark, is what led the instructors to go on nighttime raids against the Nazis, sabotaging and sometimes killing them.

So yeah, damn right it can be desirable. Even necessary.

but when that love turns into jingoism, it's a destructive one.

Unfortunately, too many people conflate patriotism with jingoism.

both are simply evidence of belonging to the same tribe. Sometime in the dim past we belonged to tribes for security, and the drive to belong still exists.

Now, patriotism can be great at times-- when we realize we have similar dreams and ideals and we are willing to shed blood when under attack, as in WWII. Or it can take the form of xenophobia and bigotry. Pride in our culture does not require tearing down others.

we have many, many cultures. A wealthy white person never spent any time living in an interment camp, or being harassed by the the police for being black, or sitting forever in a government office trying to get food stamps, etc. Completely different lives creates completely different cultures. Even within a single culture, people's experiences and perceptions are so different that I think calling culture "majority behavior" would be more honest.

We have some living in mansions while others starve in the streets. The only connection between people who live within imaginary borders is paperwork and propaganda.

This is one of the reasons we need a good education system. So that people will know the difference.

If it's comparative and competitive with other nations -- IOW, if it's based in clannishness, tribalism, or sports team analogies -- then it's nationalistic and leads to a degradation of life here and abroad.

But if it's based in a reverence for shared ideals and the desire to collectively uphold and exemplify them, then it can be very positive.

I consider myself patriotic because I cherish the ideals on which this country was founded and believe that if we as a people can get the usurpers -- the concentrations of private wealth and influence, AKA the oligarchy -- out of government and restore the rule of the people, AKA democracy, this country will again be very livable and we will again be a positive force in the world.

And that, btw, is why I support Bernie Sanders for president.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/patriotism

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/jingoism

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/nationalism




Patriotism, imo, is, at a minimum, a real willingness to make a sacrifice for your country--not just dying for it, although that certainly is a huge sacrifice. I certainly don't think wearing a flag in your lapel makes you a patriot--especially if you are a politician. Then, I suspect you may be exploiting the flag.


I once posted with someone who said only members of the military are patriotic. Others are nationalists. I don't know that I would go that far, but the subject is not clear cut.

There is also the question why we think patriotism is a good thing. Do you love your country unconditionally, simply because, by some accident of fate, you were born there? Or do you love it because of the way it conducts itself toward its citizens and residents and toward that rest of the world? Or none of the foregoing? Is love of country for any reason a good thing, or is it better to love and value lives?

I don't have answers to my own questions, but there is much food for thought around these issues.