Quote:
Originally Posted by DigitalShadow
What does the word Patriotic mean to you?
Do you consider yourself patriotic? If so, in what way?
Is patriotism always a good thing? Why or why not?
Can someone be patriotic but still criticize aspects of their government? Why or why not?
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Patriotism is an extremely personal thing, and no one else has the right to judge one’s patriotism.
There are things many people do in the name of patriotism that I strongly disagree with. For example, after 9/11 when Bush said “You are either for us, or against us,” I was shocked at his audacity, and small mindedness.
It was, and is, possible to hate what the terrorists did, but not agree that I was either for or against my country, with no gray in between.
There is always gray area in between.
Just because I refuse to put a magnet on my car does not mean I am unpatriotic. Just because I have been adamantly against this war since a year before it started does not make me unpatriotic. Just because I think people have let themselves be duped by the Bush cabal does not mean I am not a patriot.
To the contrary, I am a patriot when I invoke my First Amendment rights, and speak up about these, in my opinion, trite expressions of patriotism,
When I am vocal about the rhetoric people from both the far left and far right buy into, I am a patriot.
I am a patriot when I express my outrage about my country’s use of torture, an obscenity that will take people decades to recover from, both Americans and non.
I am also a patriot in that I want our country healed form the horrific things its leaders have done in the name of God.
I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Unfortunately, when I don‘t follow the “patriot“ crowd, they are adamant that I am
not a patriot, and should just keep my mouth shut if I don’t support our leader’s actions. I am told I do not deserve to live in MY country.
But I do deserve to live in America. I deserve the right to continue expressing my concerns. And every time I invoke that right, I am being patriotic.
I do want to say that I finally understood that people who did put a magnet on their car did so to express their support of the troops, and it took me a while to understand that was probably the only thing they could do. I did some soulsearching about other actions I have criticized, and realized my thinking was black and white, not admitting the grays.
So, while I disagree with many people’s political leanings, I don’t doubt, for one moment, that they are as patriotic as they come, including those who judge me unpatriotic because I refuse to put a picture of a crying Eagle on my wall.
Don’t ever question my patriotism.
Elphaba