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Not sure if patriotism is the right word but is there anything wrong with a person who, regardless of country of origin, goes about his/her own life normally but deep down doesn't give a damn about his/her own country?
This person may have good intentions and will work to better mankind but completely rejects the notion of a nation and/or is completely oblivious or indifferent towards nationalism.
I see nothing wrong with it. People should have allegiance to ideas (e.g. principles and other beliefs) and be willing to defend the derivative manifestations of those ideas (unless ones 'idea' is strict pacifism - which I do not respect as a philosophy - but nonetheless it is a belief set and is still better than mindless loyalty to geography), not to random geographical boundaries composed of dirt and water.
Not sure if patriotism is the right word but is there anything wrong with a person who, regardless of country of origin, goes about his/her own life normally but deep down doesn't give a damn about his/her own country?
This person may have good intentions and will work to better mankind but completely rejects the notion of a nation and/or is completely oblivious or indifferent towards nationalism.
As long as they don't support another country, then, I don't see a problem using them as fodder in a war.
There's a lot of ideas floating around in here; kinda hard to keep track.
Why should being a patriot include helping to better mankind? Why should it include the phrase, "MY country, right or wrong"? Why should it include being willing to fight in what one perceives to be an unjust war? Weren't the SS and Gestapo patriotic, in that sense?
I have a very good friend who grew up in Germany. He was a member of Hitler's Youth Group. Not because he believed in the philosophy, but because if your children weren't members of the Youth Group, you could be harassed, imprisoned, have your business shut down, even be sent to a concentration camp. He marched and waved and Heil'ed like a good little Hitlerian German - but inside he was appalled at his government that had taken genocide and mass murder/invasion of other countries to a whole new and vicious level. He wasn't patriotic - and he didn't dare raise his voice in protest. He was grateful when his 'good German' parents were allowed to come to America, and he embraced America and its stated goals, mores, morals, and purposes with enthusiasm and joy.
You can love your country without following blindly the politicians who destroy it or use it for their and their buddies' gain. You can be patriotic and still be appalled at some of the things done in your country's name. You can be proud to be American, or German, or Greek, or Irish, or British, or Austrailian - but not want to be identified with the people who are bankrupting your country, or who try to build empires on the citizens' backs. You can believe in your country and what it was founded upon, whether the Magna Carta or the Constitution - but that doesn't mean that you have to blindly, ignorantly follow or believe the elected or non-elected leaders who are taking it straight to Hades.
Well, I'm not going to use a lot of "feel good" and fluff talk because I'm about sick to death of it. Wish people would start being real again and stop with the arm chair psychology crap.
Yes, I think there is something wrong with someone who doesn't give a damn about their country.
Since they don't care, they can see or hear something and not report it or make it known that X is going on that could cause harm or death to other people in the country.
If there was ever a war here, or brought here, I don't want that person around. Since they don't give a damn, it wouldn't matter to them if someone turned them in to a spy for a good amount of money. That could potentially get people killed.
People who do not give a damn about the country they live in need to go find some tiny, uninhabited island to live on. Our forefathers went through a lot of b.s. to get us here and I'm disgusted at how many people have thumbed their noses at that.
NO ONE likes war. But remember, "‘God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it.'– Daniel Webster”
If you don't give a damn about the country you live in, you are not willing to guard and defend it, leave.
Does the same apply to, say, a Chinese person (living in China) who could care less about China? Although I agree with your viewpoints, I'm looking more for opinions on this sort of mindset in people in general, regardless of country of origin or citizenship.
Not sure if patriotism is the right word but is there anything wrong with a person who, regardless of country of origin, goes about his/her own life normally but deep down doesn't give a damn about his/her own country?
This person may have good intentions and will work to better mankind but completely rejects the notion of a nation and/or is completely oblivious or indifferent towards nationalism.
In this day and time, patriotism or allegiance to a nation has virtually no value because citizens have virtually no power. And those who do believe it matters, for instance, those Americans who shout PATRIOTISM to the rafters, waving a flag and supporting the military, are misguided and have no understanding of what REAL allegiance means.
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