Patriotism Completely Explained PDF Version
Here is the first definition of patriotism that turns up on a DuckDuckGo search. With this definition in mind, countless U.S. citizens plus even more from other lands, enemies and foes have died in wars,….had bombs dropped on them…. and many are buried in graveyards where only patriots are allowed to be buried. Internments in a special graveyard is a patriot’s reward. Being honored as a veteran is another reward. Proclaiming oneself as Patriot Joe or Patriot Bill gains the eyes and ears of other citizens and exalts the professed patriot in the eyes of others.
noun
1. Love of and devotion to one’s country.
2. Love of country; devotion to the welfare of one’s country; the virtues and actions of a patriot; the passion which inspires one to serve one’s country.
3. Love of country; devotion to the welfare of one’s compatriots; the virtues and actions of a patriot; the passion which inspires one to serve one’s country.The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
I am telling you , from my vantage point within the light of reality , that patriotism is an emotion and has nothing to do with intellect. Not true? Count the dead from all wars on all sides. Count only the dead from the country where you live. Then add up the number of “patriots” whose deaths actually benefited the societies they live in.
Patriotism is an emotion that gets activated in the citizens of a country. Once the patriotism emotion is in place, soldiers are more than willing to die. Reasons don’t have to be legitimate, Emotions spur action independently of right or wrong. Those who can successfully manipulate the patriotism emotion in the hearts of their brethren, make fortunes by doing so.
Citizens and patriots go off to die on behalf of higher – level citizens who use them to accomplish their goals independently of the safety, protection or interest of the country. History shows that every war which has ever been fought has been optional. This includes WWII, although the participation of the average citizen was not optional. While the war could have been prevented, average people were put into a position of either fighting or dying.
With respect to WWII, had the U.S. not engaged in the evils of imperialism, there would have been no base in Hawaii for the Japanese to attack. There would have been no Bataan Death March because there would have been no troops in the Philippines to begin with. If the U.S. would not have cut off Japan’s oil supply, they would have never attacked us. Evidence has emerged that the war mongering faction in the United States that the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was anticipated and allowed to take place, just to activate the patriotism emotion in the U.S. so that we would enter the war and have plenty of patriotism generated volunteers.
Yes, WW2 was preventable. Certainly, the next war for profit is also.
I say no thanks to patriotism and a resounding yes to intellectually acquired reasons for being loyal to one’s count. Doing it this way, we are more prone to being on the righteous side of history, righteousness, meaning right ways.
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