What does the word mean to you?
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What does the word mean to you?
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To me it's now just a word that's thrown around too often by those thinking that they're righteous and that their way is the only way.
Unfortunately you are right. The word has lost its weight like many words of power because of folks who are for lack of a better term ignorant or blind. Fortunately being a patriot and the word are two separate things if that makes sense.
basically the people that are quickly dismissed these days, some call em maniacs others just don't trust that word anymore!
New England football team
Patriotism... according to wikipedia, "patriotism is a cultural attachment to one's homeland, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy. In a generalized sense applicable to all countries and peoples, patriotism is a devotion to one's country."
A word used to control the feeble minded. By attaching a value to a single circumstance of one's birth, those in power breed loyalty to an abstract construct and thus, quell free thinking. Want someone to do something idiotic? Say its patriotic, and if they don't, you're not patriotic.
Don't get me wrong, I love the ideas America was founded on. But we weren't founded on blind loyalty to the country, we were founded on the idea of standing up for something you believe in, even if its against something larger and more powerful. We were founded on the right to express even the most screwed up ideas! We were founded on people working together and compromising. We elected the few to look over the welfare of the many, and politics were a burden, not a privilege.
And that's not what America is anymore. We glorify the state over the individual. We substitute rational thinking and compromise with vitriol and unyielding stubbornness. The burden of public service corrupted into a sort of modern bourgeoisie. The average man no longer has a say. And if you attempt to defy the status quo... you're unpatriotic. We were founded on freedom, and yet, we oppress. Don't follow a normative view of the relationship of one man and one woman? Then you cannot marry. Do you believe that you should be able to punish your child as you see fit? Too bad.
Some forfeiture of freedom is necessary. I forfeit the freedom to, for example, go out and kill my ex girlfriend. In return, I receive assurance that the likelihood of me being killed by someone is reduced. But those forfeitures are become too frequent, too many freedoms are being handed over. Some ostensibly for safety, some to further agendas.
I don't consider myself patriotic. I don't love this country. In the end, all America physically is two arbitrary lines from one body of water to another. I don't think America is the greatest country in the world. I don't think we're perfect. But I also don't think we're the worst. We're not China, or Afghanistan, or North Korea. Yet. What I love, is the IDEA of America. the idea of the liberties of man. Something we've grown apart from. And for me to assume the label of patriot, the ideas will one day have to match the reality.
So what does patriotism mean to me? At the moment, nothing.
plagiarizer don't no its not patriotism.Quote:
Originally Posted by TaintedSpud
He gave credit where it was due. Try harder next time.Quote:
Originally Posted by THE BAD BUTCHER
To me personally It's to be proud of something have pride in my faith and belief like for example being a huge loyal fan of my football (or soccer to you Americans)team, which I am :D I feel people have lost understanding of the word as it's being thrown around so much with the whole "patriotic American" thing as often being a neg. Which is not so much the case.