Too Much Patriotism

[Aristotle]

Be patriotic all you want as long as it doesn't cloud your judgement and vision.

This is why I love most people from other not-so-patriotic countries, because there is almost no chance that your pride and arrogance will "cloud your judgement and vision" because you don't make such a big deal about it. I don't know about you but I think it's easier to make your best decision if you're not all for one "side" in almost any situation.

 

By the way, just because a person doesn't absolutely love their country doesn't mean they're not grateful for what they have in that country.

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You have missed hardnrg's point entirely. He was merely pointing to the reality that patriotism is an emotion or feeling that one possesses and is not displayed through material means such as flags. Hardnrg is completely correct.

 

This is why I love most people from other not-so-patriotic countries, because there is almost no chance that your pride and arrogance will "cloud your judgement and vision" because you don't make such a big deal about it. I don't know about you but I think it's easier to make your best decision if you're not all for one "side" in almost any situation.

 

This statement is rude and offensive and most likely not a tolerable attitude on this forum. How people show and practice their patriotism differs all over the world. Just because one culture differs from your own in one practice in no way means they are inferior to your own.

[spathalogic]

This statement is rude and offensive and most likely not a tolerable attitude on this forum. How people show and practice their patriotism differs all over the world. Just because one culture differs from your own in one practice in no way means they are inferior to your own.

 

It wasn't meant to be rude or offensive so I suggest you back down before this gets into a gasoline-doused flame-ensued argument. In no way do I think anything about myself is "superior" and definately nothing about anyone else is "inferior." I really have no idea how you could infer this from what I've typed but that's just me.

 

You have missed hardnrg's point entirely. He was merely pointing to the reality that patriotism is an emotion or feeling that one possesses and is not displayed through material means such as flags. Hardnrg is completely correct.

 

That's your interpretation and I have my interpretation. That's great that you think he is "completely correct" but please do not take this as an absolute.

 

Obviously my train of thought differs from your own so please, do not attack my opinion any more than you already have.

 

Assumptions really don't get us anywhere and implying that I am racist, prejudiced, rude, and offensive, I find, is quite rude and offensive to myself.

 

The best thing to do on a net community if you see someone type something that you don't believe in at all is to either not post anything or post a somewhat neutral comment on the subject expressing what you believe without specifically targetting another member's opinion for "attack"- for example, I don't agree with a lot of things on this politics&current events forum from certain members but I definately don't go around (anymore) attacking people's own opinions just because I disagree with them unless I am attacked, myself.

Edited August 2, 2005 by Instag0

[Aristotle]

Regardless, patriotism is an emotion. It precedes both action and motive. How this emotion produces expressive action is different and culturally influenced.

[spathalogic]

I completely agree with that, Aristotle- well, mostly .

Edited August 2, 2005 by Instag0

[Verran]

even tho we have relatively crappy weather and our taxes and economy are kinda messed up, most people really like england cos of the way we are, our culture, humour, and social structure...

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Humor, as in Benny Hill and Monty Python, right? I've never been to the UK, but I think I read somewhere that that's how you all act 24/7. Am I right?

 

i guess, essentially, we all love england despite it's shortcomings, we just don't make such a big deal about it...

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Exactly! Loving your country and the things that keep it the way it is is a state of mind (not spending lots of money on national logos).

 

I don't know about you but I think it's easier to make your best decision if you're not all for one "side" in almost any situation.

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You're exactly right! It's called being pragmatic, and it's something that few people in the US are even capable of on a regular basis. Voting strictly for EITHER party all the time (pulling the proverbial lever, as it's called), is stupid. No one agrees with anyone 100% of the time, so think for yourself, make your own decisions. Don't just vote red or blue because you like the guy who's telling you to.

 

You have missed hardnrg's point entirely.  He was merely pointing to the reality that patriotism is an emotion or feeling that one possesses and is not displayed through material means such as flags.  Hardnrg is completely correct.

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It's called elaborating, and I think he did so quite well. Only nrg know's what nrg meant for sure, but it seemed to me like Instag was pretty accurate in following the conversation here.

 

This statement is rude and offensive and most likely not a tolerable attitude on this forum.  How people show and practice their patriotism differs all over the world.  Just because one culture differs from your own in one practice in no way means they are inferior to your own.

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This is 100% out of left field. Where do you get this from? If anything, it sounds to me like you're out of line. Instag is right. It's actually amazing that a topic like this has stayed civil for as long as it has, and you're certainly not helping to keep it going with comments like this. Accusing someone of being rude when there is no rudeness is really uncool, especially when you yourself are rude in the way you do it.

[LoArmistead]

I think a good way to explain patriotism in a practical sense is, "repaying the country that gave you so much". Now I am not a welfare brat, I expect nothing from the government other than what the constitution guarantees; my basic rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I would rather the government have nothing to do with me.

 

Do I like our tax system? Hell no. This tiered system is BS, why should someone get taxed 50% of their income just because they make more than Joe down the street? It's easy to say, "well he makes $800,000 a year, he can afford to have $400,000 taxed away." That is true, that person can survive off of $400,000/year, but why should he have to? Why should he have to pay a higher percentage of his hard-earned money to use the same roads Joe does and receive the same protection Joe does. In most cases, people who make that kind of money got there from hard work, and they deserve to keep every penny possible. We are capitalists, not communists.

 

Do I like 'all' of our politicians? Hell no... i won't go there. back on topic...

 

I hate taxes, but I pay them because I know without them, our government would cease to function. I vote because I have the right, and from a worldly perspective, the privilege, to vote. I have more freedoms than most people can imagine. I can watch what I want, when I want. I can say what I want, see what I want, hear what I want, think what I want, wear what I want, whenever I want. It's hard for some people to grasp that concept and really appreciate what it means. Before we pwnd Saddam, if you said something out of line in Iraq, your wife was raped, your children mutilated, and your head cut off... I figure the least I could do is display a flag on my front porch, as my family has done every day for the past 5 generations. I have a Support our troops magnet on the back of my vehicle. Am I doing this to show off or to press my closed-minded opinions onto someone that may not like it? Hell no. I'm doing this because I personally know how it feels to have someone in your family deployed overseas in harm's way. I know how it feels to lose that somebody, and I know what their job over there meant to them. They believe in what they are doing. They would rather be here in the states having a cookout, but instead they are doing what needs to be done so people like us can sit here on OCC and say how some of us are "TOO patriotic."

 

Are my opinions hazed over by my patriotism? No. I am clear-minded, and open to my surroundings, and that's how I know what I am truely thankful for, and how much people better than any of us on this forum have sacrificed for us to sit here and, in effect, bash them for for what they have sacrificed to give us this same freedom we are using to abuse them.. It's a vicious cycle, a vicious cycle that we do not understand and take advantage of far too often.

 

I am not saying we should not say what we want, because we have the right, but at least have some humility and show respect where it's due. Don't turn that right around on the same people that fight to give it to us. That is what I am saying by putting that magnet on my bumper. I am not putting it on there so I can have the "I am holier than thou" syndrome. I'm simply showing my respects, that's it. I am remebering where I came from. If anything, displaying that magnet is a sign of humility on our parts as citizens of the greatest nation on the face of the planet, rather than a sign of arrogance. It's keeping us in our place, remembering where we came from, and where we could be, if not for those same people that we honor by proudly displaying those magnets. A small magnet sends a powerful message.

[hardnrg]

Humor, as in Benny Hill and Monty Python, right?  I've never been to the UK, but I think I read somewhere that that's how you all act 24/7.  Am I right? 

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maybe not 24/7 lol... but pretty much everyone is a joker over here... most people aren't so serious

 

hey LoArmistead, shame your keyboard can't generate power from keystrokes eh... you could run your home lighting for a week! i see what you're saying tho and that's cool, ain't nothing wrong with showing respect

[LoArmistead]

hey LoArmistead, shame your keyboard can't generate power from keystrokes eh... you could run your home lighting for a week!

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that was a long post wasnt it...

[evanin]

I dont think there is a thing as to much Patriotism, as long as it is non-hostile, non-degrading to other countries and it is honest. I like people who buy overseas cars(japanese, chinese, germany, etc) and put "support america" bumperstickers on their cars. If you want to support your country buy products made by your fellow countrymen. I like Amercica and have lived here my whole life same as my parents, I would not trade it for anything. I have learned and read about other countries though school and my own interest and it really made me appreshate living here.

[spathalogic]

There must be a thing such as "too much patriotism" for this reason more than any others: we're discussing it .

[apostolics]

why dont be just decide to be 100-% prejeduice and biast and patriotic to this thing we call the human race. if we love ourselves blindly we can accomplish great things. as a species. that way no human is left out of a whole united human race.

 

 

by the way there are two uk/england flags??? what do they look like?

Long live the queen

[jammin]

that was a long post wasnt it...

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Yeah, but a well worded one.

 

You might want to split future long posts into paragraphs.

Dunno about you, but when I see a large body of pretty unformatted text, it scares me and I often can't be bothered to read it.