I thought this might make an interesting poll. I have some patriotism for the US. Some up's from the outsourcing and stuff like that, but also some downs for other issues.
I think this world needs leaders who are patriotic, leaders who can stand up against corperate bullying and control. Patriotism is everything.
Ironically, patriotism was largerly invented by "leaders" to lead the sheep to slaugher more easily. Just think about all those wars in the past and present, most of them brought nothing but misery to the common Joes. Humans are normally not very masochistic. How to make a normal human to do something that brings no gain (staying alive aside)? Creating "patriotic" hoopla is one way. After that, even the most miserable homeless man feels he has something in common with masters of life, they belong.... It's just a tool for brain control. Elites can excite crowd into any savagery, barbarity etc. by playing patriotic card. Patriotism is thinly vailed form of self-glorification. It's a substitute for long lost (or never found?) sense of belonging. Christian patriots never stopped amusing me. It's another proof that Christianity is nothing but hog wash.
Dixsonmassey, Thanks for saving me the text. I agree wholeheartedly. To the other posters: The government must exert control over the masses and patariotism is just one ot the tools gov'ts use. Consider how these leaders (Hitler, Moussolini, Mao, Bush)used patriotism to manipulate the masses. In each case, patriotism was an excuse to get people to do things against their will. Churches function the same way by using religion to control its followers. The Matrix is real, open your eyes.
But I wouldn't throw patriotism aside so quickly. A true patriot does what he or she can to prevent war and destruction. A true patriot knows that war is the absolute last option. A true patriot wants to help humanity rather than his country. Ghandi is a good example.
Ghandi would have been arrested and send to secret prison under the power of the patriot act if he had been american.
Really? We usually just roll our eyes at people who try to organize hunger strikes and crap like that. The guy might be institutionalized for being a danger to himself... but thats just about it.
Hmm... you think that is all he did? YOu think your government is going to accept an independence movement inside the US?
There are independence movements in the us... and we usually just laugh at them. Ghandi got most of the populace of a nation to go on strike. Unless you can do that, you really are a laughable threat.
What are you saying Clockwood? People with insight like Ghandi are FAR FROM any thing YOU could call a threat, unless your enemy is freedom, eh Mr Clockwood?
As long as people aren't trying to blow me up, I usually don't take things too hard. If you want to dissolve the nation, go ahead and try... by legal means. Here that means voting. If you can't get the majority of the people to back you on that proposition, tough luck. Majority rule.
If you are opposed to "corporate bullying" you are a communist, not that there's anything wrong with that. In a consumer-based society the power comes back to the consumer, so the prevalence of corporations is not really so bad.
