Patriotism: Part 1

This was a very unexpected topic, but one that I am very pleased to discuss. Compared to my family I have always felt somewhat unpatriotic, without even really ever understanding what it means to be patriotic in the first place. For some reason I always assumed that being patriotic had to do with more than simply being proud of the country you were born in, but I wasn't completely sure of the implications behind it all. Whenever I speak to self-proclaimed patriots about America, they often act or outright say that America is the greatest country in the world and that we can basically do no wrong. They are typically huge supporters of the war(s), and often use derogatory remarks when referring to foreigners, particularly anyone from the Middle East. I have heard on several occasions people talking about the lives of foreigners as less important than the lives of Americans, and even talk of these foreigners deserving to die -because of the country they were born in-. These are all issues Jensen addressed in his essay, and they are very dangerous beliefs for anyone to have. Jensen, in my opinion, correctly identifies these and many more disturbing aspects of patriotism. These aspects either are or lead to feelings of arrogance, ignorance, superiority, and a general lack of respect for other human life. I too believe that patriotism can have dangerous consequences when taken too far, and I think it normally is. I don't think there is anything wrong with being proud of your country, but I think patriotism goes beyond that. Patriotism has become ethnocentrism, and that is an idea no country can afford to keep.