Sarah Palin is intelligent, just not in an elitist "too smart for patriotism" way. It's possible to be of the opinion that America isn't the great Satan, not be ashamed of expressing it and still be smart.[58 comments]
On the matter of patriotism: Patriotism is believing your country is great, no matter the evidence of the ocntrary, just because you were born in it. Taking pride in being a patriot is stupid. Being proud of an accident of birth is like being proud of being black haired or being proud of having a sixth finger.
You can be glad to be amrican, but being proud of it just plain stupid. And by the way this goes for all the nations in the world not only for america.
Since when are you prohibited from taking pride in "accidents of birth?" That works in under self-esteem, you know. I don't think it was foolish of me to be proud of my parents' choices of houses, yet I had no say in the first four houses that we lived in.
Patriotism is a lot like cheering for the home team, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's an identity thing. Imagining a world without patriotism is like imagining a monocultural world: too bland to contemplate. You'd have an entire planet of people too horribly collectivist to contemplate.
Nullo said:
Since when are you prohibited from taking pride in "accidents of birth?"
Nobody said it was prohibited. It is just foolish.
Nullo said:
a world without patriotism is like imagining a monocultural world: too bland to contemplate. You'd have an entire planet of people too horribly collectivist to contemplate.
I think the analogy offered by Thammuz about being proud of having a certain color hair or even a birth defect. George Carlin says it well, in the following video;
To answer your second question, I think it is preposterous that you think you can accurately picture a world without patriotism and summarize it so simply and so negatively. I also have a huge problem with statements that resemble "world peace would be boring" and likened it to that, sorry if that was incorrect.
I never used the word prohibited. I used the word "stupid" several times though, and the fact that you didn't notice is somewhat ironic.
Nullo said:
Patriotism is a lot like cheering for the home team
Which is just as stupid.
Nullo said:
Imagining a world without patriotism is like imagining a monocultural world: too bland to contemplate. You'd have an entire planet of people too horribly collectivist to contemplate.
Thammuz said:
I never used the word prohibited. I used the word "stupid" several times though, and the fact that you didn't notice is somewhat ironic.
It's called "hyperbole," which is when you exaggerate for effect. In Western culture, arbitrarily calling something stupid is much the same as saying that it's wrong, and we typically make rules prohibiting people from doing wrong.
Thammuz said:
Which is just as stupid.
Which is an arbitrary statement.
Thammuz said:
Prove it.
I can't, unless you have some way of getting into my head. Who did you think I was talking about?
Nullo said:
It's called "hyperbole," which is when you exaggerate for effect. In Western culture, arbitrarily calling something stupid is much the same as saying that it's wrong, and we typically make rules prohibiting people from doing wrong.
No, we make safety labels to prevet people from doing stupid things, and we make laws to prevent people from doing wrong things. Your whole reply was based on an assumption.
Nullo said:
Which is an arbitrary statement.
Juat as much as your statemet about the monocultural world
Nullo said:
I can't, unless you have some way of getting into my head. Who did you think I was talking about?
You stated it as an undeniable obvious consequence of the lack of patriotism in the owrld, I want you to prove that you're not bullshitting.
doing away with patriotism would allow you to compare your nation objectively to the others. if your country is so bad that you apreciate it only because you were born there well, then you should do something and not live in the illusion that as long as you're patriotic that's fine.
How so?
I guess we should define our terms here but why if you dispensed with patriotism would you replace it with some other, particularly a self loathing "national identity".
No, that would be nationalism, Patriotism would be pride of the virtures of your country and government only after express proof that such things exist when given. Nobody thinks that taking pride in the existence of the Declaration of Independance and the Constitution is a nationalistic idea, but at the same time Americans are the only ones who can take pride in such things in the first place, that is materialistic patriotism, what you're suggesting is nationalism.
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