Is Patriotism a Good Thing?

[deborahjross]

On first seeing this, several thoughts came up. The first was, "Sure, I'll download it and splash it all over my social media sites; go get 'em, ACLU." The second was, "Since when is this new?" With a bit of "I'm sure lots of other people with whom I'm networked will be putting it up" (and I have an aversion to "me-too-ism").

I found myself staring at the words. Dissent is fine. Diversity is even better. But Patriotism?

Is patriotism (aggrandized by capitalization) a good thing? Hasn't that been the rallying cry for wars resulting in millions upon millions of deaths over the years? Isn't that the bludgeon to enforce social conformity and unquestioning allegiance -- "my country, right or wrong"? Since when does a nation command -- not inspire, not evoke, not request, but demand blind loyalty?

Isn't that a form of idolatry?

Comments

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Thinking about what you wrote, I realized that I make a distinction between participating wholeheartedly and in a way that is true to who I am and what I value and allowing the institutions of a political entity to define me.

I found that when I lived in France, I was terrifically proud of being American at the same time as being outraged by the actions of the US government (this was 1991/first Gulf War). So perhaps it would be fair to say that if patriotism is a shared enthusiasm for the ideals of equality, diversity, and opportunity, then sign me up!