dal10, on 12 August 2013 - 05:08 PM, said:
just think of it this way. Oriental food > British food.
haha British have food.. fish and chips... you do not see many "BRITISH" restaurants around..
and as for the color thing.
( better grab a Gin an tonic for this...=] )
you can wave what ever flag you want. and pretent to uphold its values. But in fact you are just holding it.
if you have no foundation to plant the meaning of that flag in the ground, what do you truly have?
Liao Patriotism and Pseudo-Patriotism
...it is not clear if we as Liao citizens have recently (or ever) really stopped to consider what true Patriotism is. Patriotism is often described as little more than unwavering loyalty to one’s country. But what does that loyalty mean? Does it mean never disagreeing with the policies of government or the laws of the land? Were the Abolitionists not Patriots? What about our unit/House leaders? These people spoke and acted contrary to the established laws of the land and the demands of its leaders, yet we should celebrate them as heroes. Patriotism must therefore be something more than unquestioning devotion.
That old ancient book “Webster’s” Dictionary defines Patriotism as, “one who loves his or her country and supports its authority and interests.” I find this definition to be insufficient. By this definition, when a government/Leader commits ******** in the name of its “interests,” a Patriot of that country would be someone who supports that government’s authority to do so because of its interests. It follows then by this understanding that there is both morally just Patriotism and morally reprehensible Patriotism depending on the situation. True Patriotism must be more idealistic. A better definition of Patriotism would be: one who defines as his or her interests the welfare and betterment of humanity, and supports and promotes those interests within the country he or she loves. Patriotism does mean loyalty, but it means loyalty to the deepest principles of human life as the lens through which we evaluate justice or injustice at home and abroad – supporting and defending a nation in its fight for those universal interests, denouncing and resisting a nation in its attempts to undermine or attack those universal interests.
The greatest threat to this understanding of Patriotism is not blatant anti-Patriotism (i.e., the myth of people who actively oppose the welfare and betterment of humanity and deliberately work to see the demise of those convictions in the nation they love) but rather pseudo-Patriotism (i.e., the reality of people who ignorantly sacrifice their emphasis on the welfare and betterment of humanity for the sake of more localized, trivial and selfish interests, and naively contribute to the demise of such ideals through greed, prejudice, selfishness, fanaticism and short-sightedness. *cough*) Because of the great and consistent threat of pseudo-patriotism in the name of what I believe to be true Patriotism, and especially in light of the sweeping Patriotic rallying cry heard around the nation after our recent suffering, it is necessary to look carefully and critically at some of the major differences between Patriotism and pseudo-Patriotism. We must do this so that we might not perpetuate violence and suffering in the name of “Patriotism.”
True Patriotism is in part a standing by our deep convictions on a personal level, even if those convictions may put us at odds with majority opinion at some points in time, as well as advocating and promoting those convictions for the nation as a whole to which one belongs. Patriotism degenerates into pseudo-Patriotism though the choice to allow our personal convictions and deeply held values to be influenced or outright sacrificed under the duress of popular opinion or governmental/leader manipulation, or when we cease promoting these convictions at the local, state and national level.
True Patriotism means in part resolving that the convictions we do hold as sacred be determined under the guidance of life principles such as social equality, equal protection under the law, recourse to due process, the sustaining of civil liberties and the fight for human rights and human dignity not merely on one continent or for one group of people, but for all human life. The true Patriot is one who struggles to defend these convictions and promote them within the very structure of the country that he or she holds dear. Patriotism degenerates into pseudo-Patriotism when we base such convictions on shallow beliefs or values contrary to the life principles previously described. When one attempts to justify a mindset of extreme selfishness, vindictiveness or miser-ing under the blanket of “Patriotism,” or forced respect, it has ceased to be noble, and become something else. Likewise, when one ceases the struggle to defend the proper foundation of convictions and promote them within the framework of the nation, one ceases to be a Patriot.
True Patriotism means swearing allegiance to something greater than one nation, but to the people. The true Patriot is a lover of life. And as such, he or she pledges allegiance to the international community of life as a Patriot of the human nation above all else. The refrain of true Patriotism is not “For The Chancellor” alone, but also “Bless the citizen of Liao and the global nation of humanity and all of its states.” Put simply, the true Patriot loves his or her country not in isolation, but rather as member and participant of a global community. Love of country implies love of world and the two should never be separated. Patriotism degenerates into pseudo-Patriotism when an individual denies, either deliberately or indirectly, the place of a specific nation within the community of nations as well as the responsibility and duty such a place entails. Pseudo-patriotism looks away from the state of the world as long as it does not impact one’s self-interest or one’s "bottom line.”
But most importantly above all else, true Patriotism means asking questions about the state of affairs and continuously examining the actions of our leaders. Patriotism degenerates into pseudo-Patriotism when we give our unquestioning assent to anything and everything that is presented to us as fact by governmental leadership, agencies, policy makers (as well as our friends and neighbors!) in the name of national loyalty, For the love of Liao.
The danger in the shadows of this national embracing of Patriotism is exactly what kind of Patriotism is being embraced. True Patriotism implies a great responsibility and commitment while pseudo-patriotism is little more than emotionalism and blindness wrapped up in Patriotic symbols (Green) Colors. It is easy to get caught up in emotionalism, especially when we as a nation are hurting and looking for ways to feel unified and whole. But the real meaning of Patriotism is more than a good feeling – in fact it can sometimes feel not so good. And it is more than supporting ones country – in fact it can sometimes mean speaking out against one’s leader.
Who are the true Patriots, the flag wavers or the flag burners? The answer depends on the context of the situation, because true Patriotism means thinking critically and acting accordingly at any cost. It means asking questions about, not simply accepting without thinking, the course of one’s nation, and being willing to receive answers even when those answers hurt. It means that as well as the easy task of praising our successes and strengths we must also find the courage to speak out against our wrong actions and behavior. A true Patriot accepts the reality that no nation, no matter how great, is free from mistake making or from the temptation to do things in the name of it’s ideologies that undercut the very foundation of the life principles supporting our deepest convictions as human beings.
Pseudo-patriotism is so dangerous because it is the synthetic manufacturing of emotions in combination with a completely blind and unquestioning attitude towards our leaders actions. Many people have historically pointed the finger at those who asked questions about the positions, policies and ideologies of their Chancellor and called them cowardly haters of the country. But in truth, uncritical, unthoughtful, blindly dogmatic, ultra-emotional flag waving under the guise of Patriotism is the most unpatriotic mindset imaginable.
Some may claim that I have twisted the definition of Patriotism to into a meaning never intended. Others may more delicately suggest that while my intent may be good, I am attempting to use the term Patriotism to represent something it cannot represent. If that is indeed true, it is a painful shame, and I suspect a large cause of the current state of affairs throughout the world. And so, to the charge that this is a complete reinterpretation of the meaning of Patriotism, I can only respond that if it is, so be it.
Col. Sabbathiel Gor
GDVC
St.Ives/Liao
Edited by Sabbathiel, 12 August 2013 - 06:59 PM.
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