why is it that with many political questions you get answer in the style of "I love my country and that's why my leaders are right!!" don't these people understand that their country and it's government are 2 different things? I do love my country but i hate the government because they're nothing but a corrupt bunch of sods only interested in keeping themselves in their position and filling their pockets.
In the words of Malcolm X don't let your eyes get so blind with patriottism that you can not see the truth wrong is wrong no matter who says or does it!!! What's your view on the matter
2006-08-23 00:13:10 · 17 answers · asked by peter gunn 7 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
in response to player NO i'm not american.
And yes it is possible to love your country and stand behind your leaders. But my point was that they don't necessarily need to coinside
2006-08-23 00:32:32 · update #1
to the two people dissing on Malcolm X
irrespective of who said it.
its very true!
2006-08-23 01:38:50 · update #2
"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel" - so said Samuel Johnson and "Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious." so said Oscar Wilde. I don't like the twaddle that some so called Patriots declare that if we, as a whole, are not with them, then we must be against them. George Bush came out with this in the aftermath of his 'war on terror'. Er, no George,...we just don't agree with you. That does not make us traitors to our country. It always amazes me that some individuals think they have the right to decide what is patriotic or not and then use the flag to beat down on anyone who dares disagree. Surely the freedom to speak freely without fear is an essential attribute in a democracy.
"They that would give up essential liberty for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." said Benjamin Franklin. Never have truer words been uttered.
2006-08-23 00:38:36 · answer #1 · answered by keefer 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
They do that in order to declare all others as unpatriotic and automatically wrong in every move they make and every word they say. Patriotism is the new blame tool of the religious extremists. Not only in this (formerly known as great) country, but all other countries that are also ruled by religious fanatics.
One can love thy country without being an extremist about it. Patriotism is not a bad thing when paired with equal ability and willingness to question the ones in power. The neo-con supporters have certainly divorced themselves from those abilities, pretending they ever possessed them.
2006-08-23 00:18:51 · answer #2 · answered by The answer man 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Excellent question, and point !
I suppose , you need certain amount of intelligence to know, that your patriotism towards your country, does not , and should not filter down to the government of the time .
Also an excellent answer from "sun M"
A response to "player" and anybody else who love their country and love their leaders :
If you love your country and believe your current leaders are right, what would you do, if after the next election, the current leaders/Party should get kicked out and the opposition should get in ?
would you
1- Still believe the previous leaders/party was right, and go against the current leader/party ! ( that makes you kinda like one of us ! )
2- Sod the previous leaders/party, and again believe the current leaders/party is right ! ( I won't call you any names ! that's rude ! )
2006-08-23 00:18:37 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ok... this answer probably won't get picked because like most people, you're not going to pick someone who disagree with you..
Is it possible, however, that I DO love my country, AND I believe my leaders ARE right?
As with everything else, it depends on what you're talking about, but for the most part, I agree with what's happening around me.
Of course, you ARE allowed to your opinion, and government and country are not the same thing.
Since I'm assuming you're an American (because of what you wrote) tell me this...what's so great about this country where immigrants are taking over, and terrorists are destroying icon buildings? Where a thief can break into your house, and sue you because he cut himself when breaking your window? Where people send their kids to McDonalds, and then sue the company because their kids are fat?
There's a lot of things wrong with this country, and it's not neccesarily the governments fault, but the people who use the "great" constitution, and twist it's laws for their own benefits.
And as the first ammendment says...this is my opinion, and I'm free to express it.
2006-08-23 00:27:28 · answer #4 · answered by Player 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
i don't think anyone COULD get blinded with all the bitching and moaning from the "educated realists" insisting how wrong our intentions, intelligence, leaders, representatives, heritage and country has, is and always will be.
You're seeing a backlash against the "blame america first" mentality that we've all been endroctrinated by in our schools and universities. You aren't seeing patriotic zealots rampaging in the streets like in Pol Pot's Cambodia.
You're seeing people wanting to feel like their country is good and idealistic, not evil and crass like people preach when their party isn't in power.
I suppose I give our people more credit for not getting "hoodwinked" than more "intelligent and caring" liberals do...
2006-08-23 00:29:29 · answer #5 · answered by R J 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
because the brainwash in this country has reached such a high level you can't say nothing but that. anyone who dares to question the government is referred to as an enemy of the state by the people themselves... the same thing with the Jews. you don't have to bring up the holocaust, all you have to do is question the US implication in the middle east and your called an anti Semite
2006-08-23 00:16:14 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
patriotism is like a religion. pater comes from the roman, meaning 'the father'. it's got that whole christian worship of the father thing behind it. as you know, with love and religious feeling, rationality sometimes becomes a side issue, and the banal arms of the state start to mean something more, something higher, something purer...i also think obedience has become ingrained far too much in todays political animal. what do you think?
2006-08-23 00:16:01 · answer #7 · answered by solo 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Patriotism is a form of self preservation, assuming that if you support and help protect your own country against other countries, you increase the safety of yourself and your kin.
Governments can be changed by forces from inside the country, by way of elections or revolutions.
once you lose your country - patria, it is very hard to have it back, and it's very dangerous for the population of that country. therefore love for your own country is love for yourself.
2006-08-23 00:31:11 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree. I like Britain but not the government. I also think we're losing all the good stuff too. 60% of laws arent from britain any more theyre from europe.
2006-08-23 00:22:00 · answer #9 · answered by supersam82 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know how you feel. It's a shame that some people can't see the logic behind all the politicians. Blind fanatism is crap, just like religion.
2006-08-23 00:20:37 · answer #10 · answered by laughing cat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋