Eh? No thrill when the Union Jack gets hauled up the flag pole? No tightening of the gut or liquefying of the bowels when some two bit tyrant insults your country? Not even a small amount of irritation? Think about it.
Pride. Identity. Since I'm neither great nor remarkable in any way it's nice to think of myself as part of something that IS great. Yeah, I guess it's a little lame because all I've done is get born here but I still would feel a kinship with another American should we run across each other hiking in the Alps. It can be compared with school spirit I suppose. Yale vs. Harvard. Ra Ra shish cum bah. It can give people a sense of belonging and purpose. Or rivalry. With all the rhetoric about Unity in this group it's pretty clear this is the purpose and intent of Patriotism. Is it a bit sophomoric? Probably. I learned the Pledge early and recited it in school throughout middle school. Reading and watching and hearing about the sacrifices of those that have gone before and knowing I belong here gives me comfort. Us Americans share something. No matter what color we are, what our accents are, how rich or how poor we still share something with one another. Admittedly, this sense of sharing has diminished over the last 15 years or so. It's more like "What's in it for ME?" The shining city on the hill has a sewer problem. The shit is piling up. dj On Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 7:44 AM, Lee <[email protected]> wrote: > We have, like most things, had a bash at this here before, but I still > have unresovled questions so here goes again. > > I'm not really a patriot, it's not that I hate my country, I certianly > don't, but I don't really love it either. I don't feel anything for > the land in which I have been blessed to be born. > > I don't get patriotism, I simply don't understand how one can feel > pride in the achivments of ones country without also feeling the shame > for the shamefull things, and most patriots that I am aware of > certianly do not exhibit that they feel such shame, whilst the pride > of any patriot is almost overwhelming. I don't undertand this. > > What vaule or merit is there in patriotism? > > In the interest of full disclosure though I must admit that as a > native Londoner, my heart does skip a beat everytime hear a London > accent on the TV, or in a piece of music, yet I have come to quite > detest the city(perhaps this is just my age?). I feel no pride in > being a Londoner, the footie team I support is a Northen english one, > yand I certianly can't explain this heart skipping thing at all. > > What do you think?© > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > ""Minds Eye"" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en.
