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Patriotism - Page 2

EDITORIAL: REMEMBERING ROOSEVELT'S FOUR FREEDOMS

On Jan. 6, 1941 -- before Pearl Harbor, before the bombing of London -- President Franklin D. Roosevelt could feel the tsunami coming. In his State of the Union address he set down "four freedoms," pillars for stability in the upcoming storm.
Ref. https://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C...45606%2C00.html

Patriotism

There are some valid points in almost every previous posts ... it's really hard to state the definition of patriotism. I can't say I LOVE my country. I love my wife, I love my daughter, I love my parents and my brother. I LIKE my country. I like many places and many people from my country. Would I die for my country? I'm quite sure the answer is no. Does this make my - not patriot? Maybe.
I'm not ashamed of being romanian (unlike some of my fellow countrymen), I try not to speak bad of my country, but I can't stay blind/deaf/mute when something goes wrong here. I try to live my life so that my family and my friends are proud of me. For me this is much more important that an abstract concept like patriotism. Does this make me less of a man? I doubt it!

Patriotism History & Civil Business Politics

So, who was it said that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel? It seems to me that patriotism was the key to the success of the nazi party and the cause of so little resistance at the time. Patriotism is what soothes our national conscience when we discover horrors committed by our own governments.

Offtopic but, By the way, unlike Lincoln I'd make a hell of a slavemaster. My slaves would love me. I think slavery is still a viable concept, just in need of controls and guidelines. would you appreciate the option of slavery to homelessness and hunger? I know I would consider it.

Message Edited! Persephone: do not use slang and use uppercase letters as needed. Use offtopic tags as needed.

Page 2 Patriotism

Patriotism is loving one's country, one's fellow countrtmen, and in my view is as essential as putting first one's family over the families of others.

This is the way to love and respect, not some modern-day "equality of love" red herring founded in utopianism.

Hence the Scot's patriot, ~ Fletcher of Saltoun (1653-1716) said well:

"Show me a patriot and I will show you a true lover of humanity. Show me a man who says he loves all equally and I will show you a man who lacks discernment and loves none but himself."

As for Dr. Johnson's quotation - "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel"...this meant that even the worst scoundrel would save himself by becoming a patriot. It was promoting patriotism, not belittling it.

Is it possible that wicked men may justify things under the name of patriotism and the gullbile fall for it? No doubt. But that does not make patriotism itself wrong, and it is a virtue that protects against a thousand evils.

Patriotism

I disagree with this whole motion of putting one's country first.

Who determines in what way someone must put their country first? The Government, the Queen?

Does this mean fighting wars even though they are illegitimate, aggressive or plain wrong? Does this mean screwing over other countries for your nation's gain?

I think if patriotism becomes blind, it turns to prejudice, almost a form of racism. Why should we necessarily do things for our country if we know it is wrong.

Someone in Iraq has as much right to life as someone in England, Nigeria, US, Australia, etc.

I think it is great to be passionate about your country, but it is equally important to be critical of your country or fellow countrymen if they are doing wrong.

Patriotism

I feel patriotism is a virtue, and not determined by what a queen or government says. You might have the most wicked government, and fully recognise and see that, but still love your country.

Here is what another said (which I think I've quoted before?) about true patriotism (referring to it as "nationalism" as that word was then used):

"We must realise the vitality of the great spiritual force which we call nationalism. The fuzzy-minded intellectuals have sought to brand nationalism as a sin against mankind. They seem to think that infamy is attached to the word 'nationalist'. But that force cannot be obscured by denunciation of it as greed or selfishness - as it sometimes is. The spirit of nationalism springs from the deepest of human emotions. It rises from the yearning of men to be free of foreign domination, to govern themselves. It springs from a thousand rills of race, of history, of sacrifice and pride in national achievement." (Herbert Hoover, as quoted by Eugene W. Castle in Billions, Blunders and Baloney, p. 259)

In part it is to do with race, with culture, with one's lineage.

It is a falsehood, imho, that one can come to love and respect all if one does not first come to love himself and those closest to him.

But no, one should not be blind. A country can be wrong, though often it is the government rather than the general feelings of the people

Edited: dubhdara on 25th Aug, 2005 - 7:55am

Patriotism - Page 2

Patriotism is pride and defense of your country. My country is the land we live on, the people who live in it, the freedom it represents. This does not include my government. I have patriotism to stand up for my country, its peoples, and its freedoms. If the government fails to backup what the people want, then its the government that I want to change, not the people. Thus one can disagree with their government whole heartedly and still be a die hard patriot in my opinion.

Patriotism Politics Business Civil & History - Page 2

People band together to create communities and communities band together to create nations. Sometimes these nations become countries, but they still have something in common, something that bands them together. Patriotism is just supporting that something and being proud of it. The US has freedom, the Soviets had communism, and Britain has the Crown to name a few.

Edited: Dextral on 18th Dec, 2006 - 3:24am