Patriotism

[RedCheetah]

I had a little chat with my dad today while watching dogfights on History Channel:

Dad: "Isn't it amazing how well those guy fly?"

Me: "Yeah, but they never show the Vietnamese aces or the German aces, I hear the Germans had much better aces than us."

Dad: "They show how hard a fight they put up, their aces usually give these guys a really bad time."

Me: "Yes, but in the end it's always America winning and coming back a hero. I'd love to see what the German aces did."

Dad: "This is OUR show, let them show their aces."

Me: "'OUR show'? It's SUPPOSED to be the History Channel, and history is impartial. Their victories are just as important as ours."

Dad: "Well let them show their victories over in their countries."

Me: "I'm sure the German people would love to revisit the days when they were ruled by Hitler. Seriously, all they do here is propaganda like America is the best at everything. It's misleading and only tells half the story."

Dad: "YOU don't watch the show that much so YOU wouldn't know!"

Me: "I come in every now and then and I've never once seen it from a German or Russian perspective and never once were American soldiers shown as anything other than heroes killing the evil forces of whatever."

He then went on a tirade about how I forced the stuff down his throat etc. He has his sun-bleached United States flag on his car and wears the shirts with it and has a cap with it and I just feel like slapping him. Other people too. They force their mindless patriotism down your throat. You can't go out your door and not see the flag or "God bless our troops" plastered on cars and business windows. Am I alone in feeling patriotism is way too prevalent?

[Mex]

No you're not. Having a sense of pride for your country is one thing, but being so full of it to the point of blindness is another. I see it in my town a lot myself. A lot of those "if you don't like it, leave it" bumper stickers and all.

well no I would rather not leave. I actually would like to see this country progress rather then stick to such a stubborn way of thinking. In that sense I may very well be the better "patriot"

[Keke Le Cat]

I don't think all patriotism is pointless but I do feel that some Americans just take it too far. Esp with their hatred of other nationalities and religions.

I bet they all know the Pledge of Allegiance but they have never considered that "freedom and justice for all" implies that Muslims, French people and other less than popular entities deserve freedom and justice without prejudice just as much. What they mean is freedom and justice for all like minded Americans of similar background.

I love what our constitution stands for, but I don't love the execution. It seems like people have lost track of what was really meant by those individuals who wrote that document.

All of the government inspired patriotism you see just seems like gladiator matches while Caesar plunders the treasury. IE: A distraction from what is really going on.

[Nidogod]

But patriotism's awesome! You get to be part of a massive like-minded group with the same likes and dislikes! It's like religion but deals more with the here and now than the hereafter. And deep down inside, you know YOU'RE people are better than all the other people even though you'd never put them down in polite society.

And really, who doesn't love that?

[Mex]

I don't think all patriotism is pointless but I do feel that some Americans just take it too far. Esp with their hatred of other nationalities and religions.

it's not just America

[God]

Hardcore patriotism is obviously just a way for rural people to take pride in something, as they don't really have anything of their own. Same with racism - poor rural whites are discriminated against by rich urban whites as poor rural blacks are discriminated against by poor rural whites(well not as violently of course. same general idea). Or if your country is really awesome, like South Korea, or like it will be when I am President.

[Hicky]

With UK being a monarchy, you can imagine the patrioism being 100 times worse than the U.S.

[Qoorl]

RC You'll whine about anything won't you? "I hate Christians!" "I hate people with National pride" "I hate public Education" "I Hate people with tighly bound systems of morals"* And so on.... bitch bitch bitch. You're a dirty hippie aren'tcha?!











*Some of those I just made up.

[RedCheetah]

Well there's a lot to complain about.

[Mex]

you have a problem with dirty hippies Qoorl?

[Qoorl]

Yeah... Yeah I do. They need to learn to shave and bathe on occasion, hunt with spear and knife, eat meat, respect the opinions of others, NOT sing Kumbaya, limit their marijuana intake, temper their whining with something productive like warfare or capitalism, hook me up with their hot hippie chick friends, and um... what number am I on? Well it doesn't matter that will pretty much suffice.

[God]

QOORL IS ON THE WAR PATH

[Nidogod]

This pretty much sums the discussion up...

[Mex]

Yeah... Yeah I do. They need to learn to shave and bathe on occasion, hunt with spear and knife, eat meat, respect the opinions of others, NOT sing Kumbaya, limit their marijuana intake, temper their whining with something productive like warfare or capitalism, hook me up with their hot hippie chick friends, and um... what number am I on? Well it doesn't matter that will pretty much suffice.

dude...

by saying this you're not really respecting the opinions of other's yourself.

That's some massive generalization there.

[RedCheetah]

He's kidding, and if he's not then it discredits him as a person with an opinion.

[God]

that post was fantastic