i think there could be a common link with people bieng very patriotic leading to a racist and supremacist outlook. if you think your country is "the best" then you obviously to a certain degree look down on other nations. if you think the people in your country are better, then you obviously think people from other nations are worse, there is a good aspect in loving your country, but how far can the line be drawn from "loving your country" to "hating others" is it possible that bieng patriotic can lead to racism and prejudice behaviour? peace.
Loving your country has nothing to do with racism.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! My country is the best. I don't look down on other nations. Just some of their governments. Being patriotic is the greatest honor you can give your country. Being anti-America (especially while one lives here) is pathetic.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Agreed - kind of thats debatable, but each to their own Sandy, would it actually occur to you that these guys who appear to be anti-american are actually only antithe american government. ~~~~~~~ Out zak
I guess...if being patriotic is detrimental to another race...indeed such as British colonialism in India. I would not group it together wholesale though. I used to be very patriotic(and still have tendencies) however I realise it is the way of the past...at least I hope it is.
No. Because they attack us for what we say, do, and think. For how we act, look, and feel. For how rich we are and for how much we love it here. No. It's personal. Very personal.Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
You're either nuts or stupid. No one cares how much anyone loves it anywhere. First, they don't dislike you or attack you for the above reasons. It's the NATURE of your actions and attitudes toward OTHERS that garners REPUTATION of being a supremacist, rude jackass to the rest of the world trying to americanize everything while disrespecting them and belittling their culture. There is a difference between helpful technology and overriding positive or one's valuable culture which is important or sacred. To make a sweeping disdain of others and their ways is so low there is not a term for it. Take me for an example, I'm pretty anti-american but I didn't start out that way but my cumulative experiences with americans have left an overwhelming negative imprint left on me from a supremacist outlook, to disrespect and mockful of other nations, cultures and people but the clincher-THEIR OWN INFERIOR CULTURE, MIND AND VALUES. What I'm trying to say is, it's one thing to be love your culture or country but another to take it to another level and actively and patrioticly look down on everyone else when you meet them, disprespect their values and culture WHILE YOUR OWN CULTURE AND COUNTRY AND PEOPLE ARE NOT FREAKING INHERENTLY BETTER! It makes people angry and it actually shows how unsophisticated spiritually or emotionally americans are. It's a toddlerish me, me, me attitude. I don't see how americans are any better than people from other countries. When I've met them and dealt with them, I've concluded that they are JUST PEOPLE. I see that they are people good, bad, inferior, and not so etc. And what's scathing toward americans is most of them are NOT good people just like most people. They are humans beings with bad faults and inferior traits. Get it? Amazing isn't it? They are people. Get your american obsession head out of your ass and see the light. There is a reason.
for me, loving your country mean working to make it a better place, not starting a fight with anyone who disagrees with the way things are now. i quite happily burned my own flag when there were suggestions of sending troops to support americas war of terror against iraq.
did it ever occur to you that how you rail into people you say are anti-america might feel as if your personally attacking them. now don't get pissed and really think about it
patriotism leads to nationalism, nationalism leads to chauvinism, chauvinism leads to "white man burden" disease, "white man burden" leads to all kinds of further ailments, among them is racism (Not only according to the skin color but also according to the language one speaks, location one lives at, imaginary friend one worships, social views one holds, etc., etc....)
There is a razor thin line between "Patriotism" and "Nationalism" and anyone who does not recognize that is a damned fool.
I hate to imply a stereotype here. I realize that some patriotic people aren't like this. But here are my thoughts on it. Look at most countries where there is a "National(ist) Party". I think the UK has one. Almost invariably (I haven't seen every Nationalist Party and can't talk about all them), they are ultraconservative to the point of racism, anti-Semitism, militant homophobia, etc. I don't believe that patriotism, in itself, naturally leads to ultraconservatism. It may be that most who were patriotic or nationalist first just happened to be very conservative. People tend to adopt other people's ideas thoughtlessly, without any modification. In short, it may just be a pervasive feature of this particular ideological population. I wish patriotism didn't mean these days that you think you're better than everyone else. I also wish it didn't mean you back everything the government does. That's not a proper patriotism. I look at what America was intended to stand for, and it makes me happy that I was born in such a country, that I could have ample opportunity to recognize and appreciate the great principles that free countries are meant to stand for. At the same time, I recognize that I would've had the same opportunity in other countries, so it's hard to think that America is inherently better or worse than anyone else like people say. It basically boils down to, "I like it here because it's my home." It's because of my pride in what my country is supposed to stand for that I advocate the realization of these great principles. It's because of my pride that I quite happily declare, "The Bush administration is a bunch of damn motherfuckers that don't have enough brain cells among them to make a complete brain" (to put it bluntly). It's because of my pride that I will vote in favor of liberty, equality, and justice for all (yes, even gays, women, Native Americans, blacks, Muslims, etc.). It's because of my pride that I'll vote for any politician who seems to have the right idea (even if I am still wary of them). It's because of my pride that I dread the idea of being the citizen of a country known for killing innocent lives haphazardly in a country half a world away for ideas that had no basis in reality. It's because of my pride in what my country is supposed to stand for that I am liberal! Plenty of people will tell you they're patriotic, and they may genuinely believe they are. Unfortunately, most of them are simply die hard supporters of the current president. Ask yourself: Would these people just as adamantly support a Democratic commander-in-chief, ever? These people are simply partisans. They see the country and its government's executive branch as one entity in the same, when nothing could be further from the truth. They were small-government until they happened to like the things politicians wanted more power and money for, such as invading foreign countries and killing their civilians under the guise of "liberating" them, or watching the activities of many innocent civilians in our own country. They are either bald-face liars or simply misguided. I don't know which is better. Certainly. And it doesn't mean telling others they should leave either. Such audacity "patriotic" neoconservatives have when they stand up for what they believe in, and then tell liberals they should leave the country for doing the same! I salute you for standing up for what you believe in. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! And such a right thing to believe in as well; I would hate for New Zealand to soil its reputation by joining the US in its senseless occupation of Iraq. Besides, we're fucking things up well enough on our own, and we don't really need New Zealand's help, or anyone else's either.
Quite right. And no one who purports to be patriotic must necessarily admit they are themselves nationalist in order to admit there is a razor-thin line between the two. All it requires is owning up to reality.
Could be. But correlation doesn't imply causation. Loving your own country doesn't mean hating the others. Being patriotic means that you want your country to be as successful as possible. Maybe some people don't believe that democratic commanders-in-chief will ever do that. Maybe some people believe that small government and a laissez-faire attitude is the best way for their country to succeed. That, my friend, is patriotism. It doesn't matter who agrees. It only matters that you want to help your country be the best that it can. There is more than one way to be patriotic.
What other people said - national or racial pride need not be divisive. All people should be proud of what they are.
