Do you consider yourself to be patriotic?

Yes and very. I love my country and for most of what it stands for. The US is far from perfect but when you look back over the past couple centuries and what we have accomplished and most of all how and why this country was founded….and despite some obvious and glaring flaws….there is a lot to be proud of. Also why I loved my time in the Cub and Boys scouts both as a youth and an adult leader because of the Patriotic tenets they teach our young boys. There flag ceremonies are some of the most Patriotic, respectful and solemn moments I have very fond memories of. I proudly fly my flag that was flown at the White House every national holiday.

Yes. My country is my only home. If I don’t love my own home then where else can I love? Yeah there are lots of flaws, now and again there are people complaining about something, but no one is perfect right? And we’ve got things to be proud of too.

Yes. I’ve grown up around and still have so many people around me who came to this country for a better life and feel they have that here that I can’t help but appreciate the United States of America. It doesn’t mean there aren’t other great countries in the world. I don’t mean to imply the US is best, only that I love the ideals of America and what it represents. I feel lucky to have been born here. I do think we are losing our way a little and we need to work on getting things on the right track. Being patriotic for me doesn’t mean I believe my country is perfect, just that I love America and think it is worth working on the country improving. I was raised with the message that freedom of religion provided a paradise for my people, and I don’t let go of that. America was one of the first countries I think to really embrace that and have it part of our ideal. I know it seems like there is a lot of religious tension in America, but if we go back 200 years, this countries understood religious freedom from the government and among our neighbors. We still can find proof of hatred and racism going on, but it was not what was supposed to happening under the ideals of what the country was founded on.

Also, I don’t think this has to do with patriotism, but I thoroughly appreciate how large my country is and that we have varied climates, topography, and incredible natural beauty.

Patriotism seems to be nothing more than tribalism on a grand scale. It’s “Us vs Them” writ large. While there is something about human nature that’s strongly inclined to thinking in tribal terms, it’s something that humanity absolutely has to grow out of.

I’m not immune to my own tribal impulses. When the Olympics roll around, I find that I reflexively favor American competitors for reasons that I can’t really justify on other grounds. But I certainly wouldn’t be one of the people in the crowd chanting “USA! USA!”. Nor do I think that the US does everything—or even most things—better than anyone else. In fact, it seems to me that most of the things the US has a right to be proud of are well in the past now; we no longer seem capable of doing even the small, necessary things, much less the big ones. By any objective measure, we’re not that impressive among developed countries in anything other than our excess.

That absolutely doesn’t mean that I don’t take my responsibilities as a citizen seriously. I care deeply about people—all people—and so I use my powers as a citizen to nudge public policy in a direction that benefits people. We need the humility to observe what other countries and cultures have done that seems to work well for their people (and, by the way, to stop assuming that the way we do things is the way everyone else ought to be doing them).

Not even slightly. Love of one’s country is, by definition, excluding everybody outside the borders. I consider patriotism a prerequisite to nationalism. Both are dangerous.

@thorninmud I find it interesting you gave the example of the olympics. Even though I post things like USA! USA! Sometimes during the olympics, I really don’t care about which “country” wins at all. I see each athlete as an individual in that setting. Even back when we were in a cold war with Russia I was enthralled with their skaters and gymnasts and if they were fantastic I wanted them to win.

By whose definition?

I am patriotic and love the US and the freedoms it was built on.

But I am not patriotic in the sense of backing the president (or congress) whatever they do. I am not patriotic in that I do not support every policy. I am not patriotic in the sense that bow down to the flag.

I think that true patriotism means that we have the national right and freedom to think and speak for ourselves, even if it is critical of the current government.

Great point about the definition.

I used to consider myself somewhat patriotic.

The standard bearers for “patriotic” now seem to be the tea party, especially the extremist components. And the term seems to be a free pass for attacking anyone who disagrees with any of their ideology. It’s so firmly entrenched that I can no longer use the term in reference to myself.

I believe and love the idea that this country was founded on the ideals of democracy, freedom of (and from) religion, freedom of speech, and a fair justice system. The older I get, the less I think that we have reached and/or are practicing those ideals.

Put it this way, I love that we’re an island, I also love that we are set apart from Europe & don’t define myself at all as european.
Little old englandtown, that’ll do for me.

I consider myself to be truly patriotic, not knee-jerk patriotic. I am not a flag waver, but I believe deeply in the American system and the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

I don’t have flags on everything or wave the flag all the time or anything like that, but I do consider myself patriotic, for the most part. I think we live in a great country (the USA is where I live) and there are a lot of rights and privileges that many people take for granted. My father is from a Central American country and his life changed so much for the better when he came here. I feel like when people come here and they bash this country, they should go back to where they came from and see how things work out for them, there. They usually don’t, because they know better.

yes, I think I live in the greatest country in the world. A country that has to put up a fence to keep people out not keep people in. I also think that the countries that knock us all the time want to be us. Pure envy. Yep. USA, USA! sorry for that :)

This comes to mind.

Of course not.
Patriotism is a mental illness.

Sure. But I’m not a jingoist or chauvinist about it, so it’s not always “obvious”. I don’t fly flags from my car windows, for example.

When someone provides a definition of it that I like, I’ll say “yes”, otherwise “no”.

A bit, but I don’t trust patriotism. All sorts of nasty things can be wrapped up in a flag. Look at the ‘Patriot Act’ for example.

@flutherother From Merriam…

pa·tri·ot·ism noun \ˈpā-trē-ə-ˌti-zəm, chiefly British ˈpa-\

: love that people feel for their country

No, because I’m not a child.

@Blackberry Why do you feel it is childish to be Patriotic? Please explain….

No. I don’t think of myself as patriotic. I would like to be but patriotism has developed some pretty negative connotations for me.

@elbanditoroso Your own definition. Hence my wording “do you consider yourself”.

@Cruiser The way people are patriotic, they end up more nationalist than anything: not caring about people just because they live somewhere else. Only seeming to want to care about Americans only as if there aren’t major problems elsewhere.

@Blackberry Those people I pay little attention to as they are morons and self serving who are cowardly and will wave the country flag at the drop of a hat that will serve them…do not turn your back to these people.

I think some people need to check the definition of patriotism vs xenophobia, their lines seem a little blurred.

“Patriotism is the virtue of the viscous” -Oscar Wilde
Health broken while in prison for being homosexual.

Did you mean vicious? Viscous is more sticky than slimy.

Yes it’s this Chromebook keyboard, it’s really goofy sometimes, hard to fing homekeys and I’m never sure that the touch will actually make the letter show up. My grammerly app ususally catches mistakes.
Stupid really, my response a quote should only be used to support a stance. Fuck it, thanks doctors for ruining my brain. You know I was incontinent once and worse, but they checked it off as a success. Yeah right a turnip can’t get into much trouble. That’s why I have a cartridge chambered. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but soon.
If you put life aside you become immune to death.