Where has patriotism gone?

[mtlancenese]

I would like to hear about why you do or don't have any patriotism in America. Seems like now everyone is ready to throw the country under a bus and detach themselves from everything American because they are embarassed or (fill in reason here) instead of support this great country through thick and thin. I will be the first to admit that we have made mistakes but there is no one that can run a country flawlessly and there has never been or will there ever will be a country with all the answers. Please keep it civilized, remember the best way to convert someone or to get rid of an enemy is to kill them with kindness you just make your side sound childish when you bicker like 5 year olds anyway.

 

[Jaaaman]

I love our country and I consider myself a patriotic American. Obama and the left are trying to change it into something I don't recognize... but I will fight to the bitter end to keep the America I know and love.

 

[TheDemSocialist]

I would like to hear about why you do or don't have any patriotism in America.

I have patriotism. I love this country. I love to call myself an American. I just believe we need to fight for something different in America.

Seems like now everyone is ready to throw the country under a bus and detach themselves from everything American because they are embarassed or (fill in reason here) instead of support this great country through thick and thin. I will be the first to admit that we have made mistakes but there is no one that can run a country flawlessly and there has never been or will there ever will be a country with all the answers. Please keep it civilized, remember the best way to convert someone or to get rid of an enemy is to kill them with kindness you just make your side sound childish when you bicker like 5 year olds anyway.

It sounds like you are talking about nationalism. Nationalism and patriotism are two different things. We should not be so blinded by nationalism that we cant figure out wrong from right.

 

[mtlancenese]

I agree with you completely. And if anything i guess you could say im a nationalist. I think you are right in that we shouldnt be blinded by what is right and wrong! In fact, i think that being proud of our country should heighten our awareness in what is right and wrong. if we do care about our country, we should make sure that what we are doing is right! We should be holding ourselves to a higher standard, instead of just saying "We are Americans! We do what we want!". THAT, my friend, is what i think the common misconception is about being patriotic or whatever you want to call it. Being patriotic isnt giving ourselves excuses, its making sure we have no excuses.

 

[Centinel]

I would like to hear about why you do or don't have any patriotism in America. Seems like now everyone is ready to throw the country under a bus and detach themselves from everything American because they are embarassed or (fill in reason here) instead of support this great country through thick and thin. I will be the first to admit that we have made mistakes but there is no one that can run a country flawlessly and there has never been or will there ever will be a country with all the answers. Please keep it civilized, remember the best way to convert someone or to get rid of an enemy is to kill them with kindness you just make your side sound childish when you bicker like 5 year olds anyway.

I love my country, and I love my countrymen. My patriotism extends to my country and countrymen, not the government.

When the government acts to protect and defend the lives and property of me and my countrymen, I wholeheartedly approve. When it acts to infringe on the lives and property of my and my countrymen, I join them in opposing it. I would never throw my country under a bus, but I would happily throw a harmful government under the bus in a heartbeat.

 

[mtlancenese]

I love my country, and I love my countrymen. My patriotism extends to my country and countrymen, not the government.

When the government acts to protect and defend the lives and property of me and my countrymen, I wholeheartedly approve. When it acts to infringe on the lives and property of my and my countrymen, I join them in opposing it. I would never throw my country under a bus, but I would happily throw a harmful government under the bus in a heartbeat.

Haha I hope you dont take this the wrong way but... why are you liberal if you believe that? One of the things thats conservatives aim for is smaller government so that more power is derived from the people. The government can not harm the people if they do not have the power to do so.

 

[apdst]

Patriotism is no longer politically correct. It one of the few victories the Libbos have achieved in the past 100 years.

 

[disneydude]

Patriotism is no longer politically correct. It one of the few victories the Libbos have achieved in the past 100 years.

Patriotism is a hell of a lot more than waving a flag or wearing a flag pin on your lapel. Patriotism is alive and well all around....the only change is that those of the right-wing have no clue what it means to be patriotic, so they cannot see the forest through the trees.

 

[disneydude]

I love our country and I consider myself a patriotic American. Obama and the left are trying to change it into something I don't recognize... but I will fight to the bitter end to keep the America I know and love.

Exactly the opposite. The right wing has been on a crusade for the past two decades to destroy America with their radical social agenda. Luckily, Obama has been able to restore some balance and integrity to our country. However, our Supreme Court lies on a teetering edge which is why we cannot allow the right-wing control to continue to appoint right-wing activist judges that seek to change the America that has existed for ages.

 

[apdst]

Patriotism is a hell of a lot more than waving a flag or wearing a flag pin on your lapel. Patriotism is alive and well all around....the only change is that those of the right-wing have no clue what it means to be patriotic, so they cannot see the forest through the trees.

You're right, it is alot more than waving a flag and wearing a pin. However, those symbols go hand in hand with the rest of the things that define patriotism.

Not that I said a ****ing thing about waving the flag and waring a lapel pin.

 

[Thrilla]

Haha I hope you dont take this the wrong way but... why are you liberal if you believe that? One of the things thats conservatives aim for is smaller government so that more power is derived from the people. The government can not harm the people if they do not have the power to do so.

his beliefs are, in fact , liberal.

don't confuse liberalism with contemporary statism.... too many people already do.

 

[samsmart]

I would like to hear about why you do or don't have any patriotism in America. Seems like now everyone is ready to throw the country under a bus and detach themselves from everything American because they are embarassed or (fill in reason here) instead of support this great country through thick and thin. I will be the first to admit that we have made mistakes but there is no one that can run a country flawlessly and there has never been or will there ever will be a country with all the answers. Please keep it civilized, remember the best way to convert someone or to get rid of an enemy is to kill them with kindness you just make your side sound childish when you bicker like 5 year olds anyway.

I think the vast majority of Americans love America. It's just that America means different things to different people. Right-wingers love America in their own way. Left-wingers love America in their own way. Neither side has a monopoly on that.

And Love and Blind Love are two different things. Just because I love someone doesn't mean I have to be accepting of everything it does. Rather, criticism is how I show my love to someone, because I want them to do better when I know they can.

 

[whysoserious]

The conservative idea of patriotism: "agree with us or you are not patriotic". That's why patriotism is a joke today. It is meaningless.

 

[Temporal]

Just because I don't believe the current system is right or just, does not mean I don't hold my country in high esteem.

I think it would be most unpatriotic to remain apathetic. The fact that people argue about politics shows that we all care, in our own way.

 

[mtlancenese]

his beliefs are, in fact , liberal.

don't confuse liberalism with contemporary statism.... too many people already do.

How so? Liberals favor a strong national government, which gives the government power to impede on rights and freedoms. While the government can have that power and not abuse it, its not really a risk i would like to take

 

[Serenity]

Where has Patriotism gone? Patriotism hasn't gone anywhere......

Does everyone that speaks out and is critical of Obama hate America? Does everyone who is criticial of the US foreign Policy stance hate America? Of course not, but beacuse someone may not necessarily agree with your views then of course they must "hate America and be lacking in Patriotism"?

I always thought that patriotism has never been blind allegiance to people or policy. it's loyalty to an ideal - to principle. If you feel that an injustice has been committed, or ideals or principles have been betrayed, you should speak out in defense of them and speak out to preserve what you feel is great and speak out because of what you love about the country.

 

[mtlancenese]

The conservative idea of patriotism: "agree with us or you are not patriotic". That's why patriotism is a joke today. It is meaningless.

I would also like to ask that you dont generalize like that. Besides, you just committed the crime that you accused conservatives of. You made a generalization about a huge part of the population, and then basically made all of their arguments false in your mind for the simple reason that it has conservative origins. I am a very staunch conservative and that is not at all my view on things.

 

[teamosil]

The term "patriotism" encompasses a lot of different kinds of things. To some it means "believing that the US is better than other countries". To some it means "fighting to make the US a better country". To some it means being generous and kind to the rest of the world to uphold the proudest part of our tradition as a world leader, but to others it means trying to subjugate the interests of everybody who isn't an American to aggrandize ourselves. To some it is patriotic to go volunteer at a shelter for battered women, and to some it is patriotic to yell insults at immigrants. So you can't really say "patriotism is good" or "patriotism is bad", it's way too broad of a category for either to be true. Ghandi was incredibly patriotic, but so was Hitler.

Bottom line, I'd say that when patriotism manifests as striving to be worthy of a noble ideal, it's a good thing. When it manifests as believing that your are better or more important than somebody else, then it's a bad thing.

 

[disneydude]

How so? Liberals favor a strong national government, which gives the government power to impede on rights and freedoms. While the government can have that power and not abuse it, its not really a risk i would like to take

You are wrong on so many levels that I don't even know where to start. Patriotism involves a deep love for your country and the values that it stands for. It also involves a willingness to sacrifice for those principles. So called "conservatives" of today have lost that willingness to sacrifice. For them, it has become all about "Me..me...me...acquire the most that you can and forget the national good". You claim that Liberals favor a strong national government....that is true....but "Conservatives" favor a huge big brother government and seek to advance a radical right-wing social agenda. America is about sacrifice and freedom. Sadly, two principles that the "conservatives" of today have forgotten.

 

[mtlancenese]

You are wrong on so many levels that I don't even know where to start. Patriotism involves a deep love for your country and the values that it stands for. It also involves a willingness to sacrifice for those principles. So called "conservatives" of today have lost that willingness to sacrifice. For them, it has become all about "Me..me...me...acquire the most that you can and forget the national good". You claim that Liberals favor a strong national government....that is true....but "Conservatives" favor a huge big brother government and seek to advance a radical right-wing social agenda. America is about sacrifice and freedom. Sadly, two principles that the "conservatives" of today have forgotten.

And its just the conservatives right? Because the government doesnt almost completely self-destruct whenever a new bill is proposed. It is BOTH parties. It is both parties having each other in a stranglehold while the Democrats preach "Raise spending and taxes" and the Republicans say "Cut spending and taxes". If you are not going to write with limited political bias then this whole conversation is pointless. If you REALLY think that it is only the conservatives to blame then there is no way to have a real debate with you. instead it will just degrade to a aimless bashing of each other political ideals. I will admit that the Republicans havent compromised, havent done all they can do to make Congress run more smoothly. All you have said is opinion, all without any examples, all with significant bias. How can you even prove that "conservatives" have forgotten about sacrifice and freedom? Right, wrong, or indifferent, that is one hell of a claim that has absolutely no backing

 

[whysoserious]

I would also like to ask that you dont generalize like that. Besides, you just committed the crime that you accused conservatives of. You made a generalization about a huge part of the population, and then basically made all of their arguments false in your mind for the simple reason that it has conservative origins. I am a very staunch conservative and that is not at all my view on things.

Perhaps I am just biased, but I do not see many liberals calling conservatives unpatriotic. Maybe that is only because I do not watch CNN and MSNBC, and am more prone to listening to talk radio or even debasing myself enough to watching Fox News. However, even just by examining the tone of this thread, it is easy to see who is calling who unpatriotic.

I just laugh at it.

 

[Bodi]

I am extremely patriotic. I have a large American Flag in my front window. I start to tell people where I live and they say, "the one with the flag?" Kiwis have no patriotism at all. They define themselves by the All-Blacks and getting **** faced drunk.

 

[Centinel]

I love my country, and I love my countrymen. My patriotism extends to my country and countrymen, not the government.

When the government acts to protect and defend the lives and property of me and my countrymen, I wholeheartedly approve. When it acts to infringe on the lives and property of my and my countrymen, I join them in opposing it. I would never throw my country under a bus, but I would happily throw a harmful government under the bus in a heartbeat.

Haha I hope you dont take this the wrong way but... why are you liberal if you believe that? One of the things thats conservatives aim for is smaller government so that more power is derived from the people. The government can not harm the people if they do not have the power to do so.

There's nothing liberal about an overweening government that infringes on our liberties. (liberal...liberty. Get it?)

Many people calling themselves liberal today are not liberals at all. They are wolves in sheep's clothing, and have are in fact antiliberals.

I was going to write a little about liberalism, but maybe I'll just point you to what I consider a very well-written piece on liberalism. Here's the introduction, but you might wish to read the rest:

Liberalism, properly understood, is the historic advocate of individual freedom. It has promoted the rule of law and private property, with free exchange of goods and ideas. Its opposition to censorship and state economic controls were based on the same principle. Liberalism, as the name implies, is the fundamental belief in a political ideal where individuals are free to pursue their own goals, in their own ways, provided they do not infringe on the equal liberty of others.

 

[apdst]

The conservative idea of patriotism: "agree with us or you are not patriotic". That's why patriotism is a joke today. It is meaningless.

At least Connies don't root against the home team.

 

[Centinel]

his beliefs are, in fact , liberal.

don't confuse liberalism with contemporary statism.... too many people already do.

Thanks Thrilla.

It saddens me that the interventionist redistributionist collectivists have so sullied the reputation of the philosophy of Bastiat, Locke, Paine, Adams, Jefferson, and Henry.