Love of Country: What does it mean to you?

[SuperFerret]

Patriotism is a weird thing. I don't particularly understand it myself, but a common theme for people is them saying that they "love their country". Surprisingly (or not), often these people have vastly different political views and probably see their country differently from one another.

So, I ask two questions:
1) Do you feel that you love your country?
2) If so, what does that mean to you?

 

[Thundercrack85]

I do, but not in the same way most do. I am unusual however in that I have lived in many countries. I view myself as a Westerner first of all, and my nationality is secondary.

I do have a particular affinity for America however, even though I am not American. I feel that America represents and the best and worst of the Western World.

 

[CConn]

1. Kind of? I feel like I have a decent grasp of the good things my country has done and the bad, and I'm okay with it all things considered, but it's not like some unconditional, radiant love.

2. I think it's a combination of things:
(a) The current government.
(b) The general constitution of it's people.
(c) The point and purpose of the nation, and its government.
(d) It's history.
(e) It's overall cumulative results; whether they be economic, domestic, foreign, etc.

And probably a few more that slip my mind at the moment.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

1) If anything I appreciate America's history, geography, and culture.Then again, I could probably appreciate those aspects of many other countries equally if not more. America will always be home but outside of that it's just a comfortable place I happened to be born. I don't see the point of patriotism beyond controlling the gullible public.

 

[chamber-music]

This sounds like something a hippy might say but I feel like a citizen of the world. I'm a big picture type of person. We are billions of people on a rock orbiting the sun and a bunch of arbitrary lines on a map that have shifted since the dawn of human civilisation mean very little to me.

Countries come and go.

 

[Warhammer]

I love the United States. But in the sense that I love living in a Western nation. It's not blind patriotism and "America, F*** YEAH!" I don't think that if I was born in the UK, I would say "Damn, I wish I was an American" but I would be grateful to live in a Western nation. I didn't get to choose to be born in the US, but I am happy that I was. Therefore, I love my country. And like some have said, in retrospect, the history of the nation is great to reflect on and think "I am a product of that".

You get what I mean?

 

[Mechanix]

To me, love of country should mean loving where you live and feeling as though your country "supports" you. It's hard to describe, but I was born in Germany, raised in Canada and I love both countries. I feel like I would have a great life in whichever one. I love Canada because of it's scenery, its people, our reputation with the world, its job opportunities, its security, etc. As long as I can have a good and safe life, I would love the country where I live. Canada, Australia, or Europe would be all fine with me.

I don't think that people should have to love their country just because they were born there or live there. And I think blind patriotism is damaging.

 

[The Question]

To me, love of country is all about cultural touchstones. Locations, traditions, holidays, regional lifestyle variations, all of that. I love Americana, as well as all of the subsets and alternatives to Americana that aren't quite mainstream (and by mainstream I mean white/middle class/Christian/straight/cis).

That's about the long and short of it. I do get butterflies in my stomach if I go to the major landmarks in DC, but that's about it as far as the government goes.

 

[TX85]

I feel lucky to have been born and raised in a country like the U.S. and not in a very poor place with no opportunity or in a country under dictatorship,So I love my home but I don't care for patriotism!

 

[moviedoors]

I'm privileged and thankful to be an American, but I'd hesitate to say I'm "proud." Words like "love" I reserve for my family.

 

[Shikamaru]

Patriotism to me seems like a weird label for anyone to use regardless of the country they live in. When you think about it, assuming we go by the actual definition of "loving your country", almost everyone is patriotic. There's no way you can't be. Even if your average Joe is not an activist or think about politics too much, (s)he still possesses certain beliefs in day-to-day life that stem from patriotism: the desire on live a happy life (on their country's soil), the desire to have civil liberties, to have a strong economy, etc. Something as simple as the pleasure you get from visiting certain locations within your area would be part of your patriotism. Really the only way you can't be patriotic is if you possess radical beliefs and/or perform radical actions (i.e. serial killers, terrorists, etc.).

Like everything else, context is everything. Most of the time when people bring up the topic of patriotism, what they're really talking about is blind patriotism. The idea often pitched is that if you criticize your country in any way or don't agree with the customs and cultures currently in place, you're unpatriotic. It's not only silly, but weird to even have the word "patriotism" attached to this idea. If you actually love your country, you should criticize it and aim to make it better.

Thus if we go by the actual definition of patriotism which is "love for your country", I'd say it's not only reasonable but normal. But if we go by what people are actually referring to in 99% of cases, I'd say it's a toxic mentality that needs to die.