Are you Patriotic?

Nope, not me. I prefer people to landmass.

There is too much my country does and chooses to be that I don’t agree with for me to really feel proud of it.

@GloPro: “Keep in mind that being patriotic is not synonymous with supporting your country’s politics…”

How are you defining “patriotic”? If part of the answer is “love of country”, what do you mean by “country”?

I don’t consider myself to be in any way patriotic.

I’m proud to live in the US for what we sometimes stand for, but also ashamed by some of the shit we pull.

Patriotic : showing love or devotion to one’s country. The word is chiefly a British word, which is something interesting I did not know.

I find it difficult to work my way through the logic of loving or taking pride in my country for some of the reasons @hominid may be prompting the question “what do you mean by country?” Is country the land that I am living on? Is country the community of people I grew up with (who are technically more representative of California than the collective United States)? Is country my government (which is probably the aspect that most people take the greatest contention with)? Is country our history? Our culture?

It’s difficult for me to say I love my country when my interaction with said country is almost exclusively limited to the state in which I currently reside. I have no idea what it is like for those of you living in other regions. The rest of the country is very abstract to me.

I have a love-hate relationship with my state. I don’t even know that I would adopt the label “patriotic” for California.

I vote in every election including primaries and fly our flag on all sanctioned flag days and attend our local Memorial Day and 4th of July parades.

@GloPro: _“showing love or devotion to one’s country.”

As @muppetish mentions, I do have a problem with this because I have no idea how I’m supposed to interpret “country”...

- my government?
– federal laws?
– state laws?
– the military?
– the people as a whole who are citizens of the country?
– the individual people who are citizens of the country?
– the historical actions the country’s military took?
– the collective actions of people in the country who forced government and laws to change?
– my neighbor?
– how my taxes are spent?
– the people who have been bombed with my tax money?
– the poor people?
– the rich people?
– the so-called “middle class”?
– the operations of the government?
– etc…

I just can’t find an “it” there to be comfortable saying that I show “love or devotion” to it. And if I were to find an “it” here, I’d be immediately faced with the realization that “it” is exclusionary, and I’d be left trying to figure out why/how I could have love for x and not for y.

@hominid All that considered, would you ever be patriotic to ANY country?

If by patriotic you mean my country, right or wrong, then no.

@GloPro: ”@hominid All that considered, would you ever be patriotic to ANY country?”

I think that’s what I was trying to explain in my last paragraph. I can’t even understand what it would mean. If I were to arbitrarily decide that “country” meant “the people who are citizens of the country”, and I decided that I have some level of “love and devotion” for them, why would it make any sense to not just have “love and devotion” everyone globally? The category of country seems arbitrary – and would require justification.

I’m not necessarily saying that I don’t understand what it would mean to be patriotic as an American. I’m confused about the whole concept, and would be just as confused if I were a citizen of any other country.

according to what yardstick? I love my country and the ideals for which it stands.

I despise the politics and the way that governance has been hijacked by extremists.

Nope, there is nothing on a country, state, county, or city level that I feel strongly about in a positive manner. It’s one of the little factors that pushed me towards leaving the military. I just cannot put country first. There is no love there.

No.
Patriotism is a plague.

Patriotism is a new phenomenon. It arose with the advent of the nation-state in the 19th century in the West. Prior to that time, there was no idea of loyalty to a large land mass. People served local aristocracy, and they did not necessarily feel loyal to them. It was simply the way things were.

I have a love for where I live presently, but I am not, judging by the definitions in this thread, patriotic to the country who gave me a passport. I participate actively in the civil life of my country of birth, because I enjoy it. I like voting. I write to my elected officials often. I even call them on occasion. I have participated in demonstrations.

The idea I must love the country of my birth is childish. It takes a great deal more active thought to work to make that country a better place. Sometimes doing so means I oppose people in power. Sometimes my desire to leave a better place for my children means I stand on the side of the disenfranchised.

Citizenship requires work. I participate.

I am very patriotic but keep it to myself since today the country is turned upside down and most don’t have a clue how fortunate they are to be Americans. enough said. I know when to shut up just by reading some of your other answers. sad, very sad.

I care very much about the country, but believe passionately that the separation of the place from its ideals is ongoing and relentless. I also believe that it’s a major mistake to substitute waving a flag made in China for critical thought on what such a flag reflects regarding separation of the place from its ideals.

I’ve served in the U.S. military for 20 years now. Does that count for being patriotic? Protecting the ideals of democracy and all that stuff?

Not even slightly.

@Bluefreedom Yes that counts as patriotic and thanks for your service sir.

just remember that every nazi was a patriot

@Bluefreedom Thank you for your service. yep you are a true patriot!

Patriotism and nationalism are NOT the same thing. I don’t always agree with our politics but I love our people and our freedom (what’s left of it)

When I hear about how a woman in Sudan has just been sentenced to death for marrying a Christian man, I am glad to have been born with citizenship in one of the most tolerant countries in the world. The United States is far from perfect, but there really aren’t any countries of this size in area and population which are really doing any better. So, I wouldn’t say that I’m “patriotic” or even “proud” to be an American… just that I’m appreciative to have the luxury of a relatively easy life – most of it hovering between the lower and middle class – compared to the majority of the people in the world.

I have never considered myself patriotic. I don’t say the National Anthem or the Pledge of Allegiance, both of which seem to be rather childish, nor do I get a hard-on listening to some Senator or Congressman tell me what a great American some other congressman is, with a tear in his eye and a flag lapel pin shining brightly for the cameras. Nor do I feel any great respect for the office of the Presidency.

For what it’s worth, I’m very glad I live where I do, where I can be free, or at least, a hell of a lot more free than just about every other place. I am in Canada. The only other places I would live in are the States and some places in Europe (France where I was born, England, Germany, Belgium) or Scandinavia. (not related to my love of Vikings) Maybe Japan, but probably not.
I do not show my ’‘patriotism’’ because in the long run, a lot of what it seems to entail doesn’t really matter. I’ll come back and tell you how patriotic I am if my country ever gets invaded by force or something.

Also the Montréal Canadians won against Boston. I’ll just sit here until Saturday when the Rangers crush us. :)

@ARE_you_kidding_me
Patriotism is Nationalism’s little brother, and it is only a finger snap away from growing up.

Yes I am. I love many things about our history, our spirit, our people. I raise a flag, I vote, etc…

I think so. I have an idea of what America could be, which I believe is in line with my interpretation of the Constitution and the spirit in which this country was created. But my opinions, solutions, and suggestions often put me at odds with whole groups of other Americans. I have noticed over the years, however, that most of the people who are in disagreement with me have one common denominator: They’ve never lived in a foreign country and they have never lived in countries with vastly inferior economies or countries with vastly different ideologies, or among people of much different cultures. I think if they had, they would find models for the solutions to many of our problems and not waste so much time and treasure arrogantly re-inventing the wheel—and they would have a much more positive outlook toward our future and our potential. I want the best for my country and it’s people and I think that makes me a patriot.