Hello Rowan, and thank you once again. If there's one thing I love about writing (anything), it's that you never know how things are going to be recieved. This goes double for these "definitions," that seem to pop up almost arbitrarily. I'll be making a specific play-list of them when I reach around five, I think.
My view of Patriotism is a sense of pride in ones nation and of all its accomplishments, without the arrogance of thinking to be superior to others and agknowledging the errors made in the past. Being ready to defend the nation, even if need be from itself.
would it be considered patriotic to defend values that many countries share and not just one?
I think i personally prefer the things we share as all human beings worthy of defence, rather than defending a single nation. But yes nationalism is an extreme on par with fundementilism and is not the same as patriotism.
Of course, there is an element of semantics involved in any and all such matters; how one defines a "patriotic" disposition will differ from individual to individual. However, I personally feel that one can take pride in certain elements of one's culture without adherence to any abstract notion of that culture, nation or country. It is when one feels that one is part of something that is fundamentally "good," whether it be a particular idea of country, faith or whatever that the seeds of...
...potential tyranny take root. To wit; in order to define oneself as "patriotic," one must by necessity adhere to some idealised notion of what is right and correct for one's particular country or nation, a definition that will inevitably not incorporate the ideas or perspectives of others, whether they are particularly detrimental or not. It seems to me that a more productivde situation would be one of considered scepticism; regard each act and facet of one's culture, nation etc for what it...
...is, and judge accordingly. The proliferation of such a perspective would make patriotism and its uglier older sibling, nationalism, effectively redundant.
DoggySpew: You bring up a very good point. I do think that in this modern world that people really do confuse terms/words/ideas. The right wing in the US confuse patriotism with nationalism, fascism with socialism, and a slew of other things. Sadly all content with their ignorance and unwilling to question it.
Pretty cool.
mmgje 2 years ago
brilliant
zizzlerizzle8707 2 years ago
Wonderful, I'm enjoying these definitions more and more.
RowanFortuneWood 2 years ago
Hello Rowan, and thank you once again. If there's one thing I love about writing (anything), it's that you never know how things are going to be recieved. This goes double for these "definitions," that seem to pop up almost arbitrarily. I'll be making a specific play-list of them when I reach around five, I think.
regards,
George
ExaggeratedElegy 2 years ago
fervent nationalist autodetermination is a terrible echo of what patriotism should be
325982668 2 years ago
Unfortunately, most "patriotic" people i've ever spoken to seem to mistake
baseless, senseless chauvinism with the desire for better, and mix ignorance with pride.
Some Québec comedians start their act with:
Hi everyone! Are we feeling great tonight?
*crowd cheers*
Are you proud to be QUEBECERS?!?
*crowd cheers even louder*
...why?...
*crowd smiles, nods and laughs*
let's face it, is there any special pride at being from anywhere?
ceeqanguel 2 years ago 3
I love that bit :)
Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.
- George Bernard Shaw
zombiesmasher 2 years ago 2
Short strong one.
My view of Patriotism is a sense of pride in ones nation and of all its accomplishments, without the arrogance of thinking to be superior to others and agknowledging the errors made in the past. Being ready to defend the nation, even if need be from itself.
Do not confuse it with Nationalism.
DoggySpew 2 years ago
would it be considered patriotic to defend values that many countries share and not just one?
I think i personally prefer the things we share as all human beings worthy of defence, rather than defending a single nation. But yes nationalism is an extreme on par with fundementilism and is not the same as patriotism.
GrimJim8000 2 years ago
Of course, there is an element of semantics involved in any and all such matters; how one defines a "patriotic" disposition will differ from individual to individual. However, I personally feel that one can take pride in certain elements of one's culture without adherence to any abstract notion of that culture, nation or country. It is when one feels that one is part of something that is fundamentally "good," whether it be a particular idea of country, faith or whatever that the seeds of...
ExaggeratedElegy 2 years ago
...potential tyranny take root. To wit; in order to define oneself as "patriotic," one must by necessity adhere to some idealised notion of what is right and correct for one's particular country or nation, a definition that will inevitably not incorporate the ideas or perspectives of others, whether they are particularly detrimental or not. It seems to me that a more productivde situation would be one of considered scepticism; regard each act and facet of one's culture, nation etc for what it...
ExaggeratedElegy 2 years ago
...is, and judge accordingly. The proliferation of such a perspective would make patriotism and its uglier older sibling, nationalism, effectively redundant.
ExaggeratedElegy 2 years ago
DoggySpew: You bring up a very good point. I do think that in this modern world that people really do confuse terms/words/ideas. The right wing in the US confuse patriotism with nationalism, fascism with socialism, and a slew of other things. Sadly all content with their ignorance and unwilling to question it.
nelsonrc 2 years ago
have to agree with tattimus.
VincentWomack 2 years ago
Hey there Vincent; thank you very much indeed. More to come!
ExaggeratedElegy 2 years ago
you definitely have a talent for the use of the English language and are a talented poet my friend.
tattimusprime 2 years ago
Thank you Tattimus; I was planning to get several larger poems out today, but they aren't baked yet :)
George
ExaggeratedElegy 2 years ago