Politics and Patriotism internationally

[Lousy_shot]

In Sweden, a man calling himself a patriot is sure to be dimly viewed by government and peers alike; politicians claiming to be patriotic are rare and always seem to have a hidden agenda.
Why?
In Sweden, somehow patriotism has become synonymous to intolerance, xenophobia and racism in the public eye. The only place where it's appreciated is in the armed forces - which are often referred to as being intolerant by the press.

It truly saddens me that our national heritage has become something which is more closely knit to the sentiments of no-good skins in army boots with bomber jackets than to that of the people.

I haven't even heard or sung our national anthem since my time serving in the Air Force!
Something is truly rotten in a country where exclaiming that you love your country only renders you suspicion and snide remarks.

I truly do envy you Americans for what you have - a country that will not be denied. Don't let the rest of the world get you down - pride is what makes a nation great.

Sweden had pride once, but it seems to have been swept under the carpet about three hundred years ago.

I'd love to read how patriotism is viewed in other countries, and particularly if there is any difference in how it's viewed in different parts of the US.

Just my €.02
/Lousy Shot

[Art Eatman]

Love of country in the sense of "For the good of the nation" seems strongest in rural areas and among the more politically conservative. (This is not necessarily the same as any caring for government.)

As near as I can tell, most strongly-Liberal are suspicious of patriotism and any verbalizing of respect for the Constitution--which, really, is a respect for a government of laws, not a government of men or opinion polls.

Having patriotism is inherently an assumption of responsibility for the well-being of others. As Heinlein put it, "Patriotism means women and children, first."

Art

[USGuns]

Hi Lousy_shot,

Unfortunately, the same things you mentioned are happening here in the USA. If you think government is sticking it's nose in places where it doesn't belong and say so, then you're labelled as some kind of anti-government wacko!

You either put your faith in people or you put your faith in government. I find the latter extraordinarily dangerous...and so did our founding fathers.

[Navy joe]

Two other countries I've seen that take it seriously are Turkey and Italy. Both are very proud people and not afraid to show it. Can't say much for Italy's politics except for they aren't too much more screwed up than ours. The problem is patriotism is loving your country, nationalism is a little pride and a lot of hating everyone else which is what always seems to befall many European countries.

[UltimaThule]

Tjänare, granne!

I guess things are pretty much the same here as in Sweden. But if you come for a visit the 17th of this month, you'll see that we have at least one day of the year when flag-waving and national anthem-singing is permitted. (That is our 6th of June, 4th of July depending on where you come from )

Maybe we have allowed those skin-heads to "monopolize" national symbols for too long. Although I can't really figure these morons out. They call themselves "nationalists", and then they travel all over Europe to march with their swastikas or whatever. One example is Swedish skin-heads celebrating on the death-day of Carl XII, the Swedish soldier-king who died in 1718. He is a great hero to them, and probably rotating in his grave. They always invite their Norwegian counterparts to join the party. Oh, you Americans probably don't know how the king died. He was shot in the head by a Norwegian sniper! (Unless of course that theory is contested by our Swedish friend, there are almost as many conspiracy theories about this as there are about the second gunman in Dallas.)

But don't think that we are all knee deep in neo-nazis over here. There aren't that many, they just make a lot of noise, and that is after all their right, isn't it? Even sh!t-heads are entitled to free speech. So are the rest of us. Maybe it's time we take our patriotism back, it's perfectly possible to be proud of one's country without being xenophobic. If anyone has a long memory you may remember that the Winter Olympics in 1994 were held in Norway. The men's cross country relay was won by the Italian team. They were cheered by thousands of spectators waving Norwegian flags. That I think, is something we can be proud of. To put it into perspective, try to imagine baseball being an Olympic event and Guatemala winning the finals at a US stadium.

And speaking of nationalities and such, did you hear that the largest shopping center in Sweden had a catastrophic power failure recently? Hundreds of shoppers were trapped in the escalators...
Hey, Lousy_shot, I hope you have a sense of humor, or at least that your choice of handle is based on fact!

[USGuns]

I think Navy Joe nailed it.
For many on the left, being patriotic means if you show your love your country, you have to hate other countries.

Personally I love my country and take pride in it and because of that I don't hate other countries!
What's wrong with that???

[HankB]

Here in the USA, one of the surest ways of getting yourself labeled as an "extremist" in certain quarters is to quote radicals like Patrick Henry, Nathan Hale, and Thomas Jefferson.

There is hope, though. For at least the last ten years, the combined audience of the major networks - CBS, NBC, and ABC - has been declining.

[Solitar]

Here in the USA, one of the surest ways of getting yourself labeled as an "extremist" in certain quarters is to quote radicals like Patrick Henry, Nathan Hale, and Thomas Jefferson.

I could send you the newpaper clippings which label me and my compatriots as anarchists for citing Jefferson and Madison and, even worse, actually trying to implement in city council the goals of these patriots. When we have spoken of the Constitution and rights to property, etc. we are attacked as radicals who want to tear down government, who want to "go backwards" in our opponents words. Yep, we do want to "go backwards".