Is patriotism a good or bad thing..

Oh? I've never felt such a need to do anything like that. Many people have been openly critical of Bush all along (I'm not sayin' this is necessarily what your conversation involved) and don't seem to be vanishing.

 

A person (I believe) is defined by how large a group she/he claims. If you claim a group on skin color you are a racist. If you claim a group on gender you are a sexist and so on. I think that claiming a group based on where you happen to have been born is kind of primitive. I claim to be an ethical being. The day that we all belong to that group will be the day that our problems end. However, I fear that that day will be a long time coming.

 

I think this means you have judged all the peoples of the planet and their solidarity with their kin as racists. Do you think that is reasonable? Moreover, if this is your criteria for using the word "racist" you neutralize it of any perjorative meaning...

 

I don't even believe in nations. Consider it like this: what we call Britain or America, for example, are essentially areas of land with artifically perceived frontiers and boundries, frontiers that are to some extent ever changing.

We decide that we as a "nation" own a particular part of land; but to go back in time a few million years we were evolved from creatures born of the Earth herself...so surely, we belong to the Earth, and not any part of the Earth to us.

The only other thing as far as I can see that "Britain" or "America" could actually be defined as is a concept within the mind. These concepts are also, to some extent ever changing...it seems impossible to specifically define a non-empirical concept of "American-ness".

Are nations not, therfore, simply mutable and unsubstancial concepts within the human mind, empty of any inherent individual existence?

 

Patriotism is not a good thing. In america, where I live, what people call patriotism is really nationalism, they blindly except everything their gov't says. I am an anarchist, a true anarchist not one of those fuckin wanna-be anarcho punks (i HATE them), anyway, so I am against any form of central gov't, making patriotism obviously something I am against. But its the "patriots" from the countries like the U.S., the U.K. and Israel that I hate the most, cause those are the three most imperialistic countries in the world, and there is nothing, NOTHING, I hate more than someone who controls anothers life. Therefore, I support the Palestinian guerillas who bomb Israel and I support the IRA and I support any militant group, regardless of whether or not they are anarchists, that are fighting the imperialistic whores that occupy their countries.

 

No offense, but you are still a vulnerable little child. You really dont know what you believe. You live at home with Mommy and Daddy and would not survive outside of home more than a week on your own. You have no credible opinion as of yet.

 

Thats quite an accusation to make on a forum.

 

Patriotism and nationalism are useless. We are all humans... let's be humanists.

 

Uhh, do you know me? That's right, you don't. And trust me, my opinion is credible, I've been through more at my age than most people have in their whole lives. And if by saying that my opinion wasnt credible meant that I'm too young to have actually learned anything, you're definately wrong. I am not vulnerable, I dont believe what I believe just because it's the rebellious thing to do, I've gone to court and been expelled because of my beliefs, and, I would die for them in a second.

 

Until you hold a 9-5 job, pay taxes, pay for health care, pay car loans, pay a mortgage, get through college, or trade school and live on your own you cant possibly understand life yet. You are still a child. Emotional intelligence comes with time and life experience. If you have been expelled from school because of your beliefs, that's stupidity on your part. You should have the self-control to keep your mouth shut until you can articulate your ideas with clarity and calm. Understand that most people are moderate in their views, and you make a lot of reasonable people here look like idiots with the extreme things you say...

 

Im not gonna even bother arguing with an ageist person like yourself.

 

First off, I'm not a communist, I'm an anarchist, and second, I'm an atheist, no god put me where I am. And thirdly, how is my sig "racist", zionists, capitalists and imperialists arent races.

 

And, there are so many things I could say to you right now involving those "innocent" Israelis, but I dont have time.

 

No time, but rather, no real response.

Oooh....an anarchist, you can join all the other 13yr old prepubescent boys who pretend to be anarchists because it is cool. Anarchy has too many rules, hating the government an all that. ORW, 'god' has nothing to do with it, its simply you should support whats best for your country(not necessarily the gov), or leave.
"Palestinian guerillas" hahahaha....anyone who uses attacks on civillians are not guerillas, but terrorists, who should be hunted down. Which isreal luckily does.

 

Ohh your so tough to insult me over the internet, if you ever called me a Nazi to my face I'd fuckin slit your throat. The right to defend itself? Ever since 1948, 3 Palestinians have died for every one Israeli, thats not defense. You are preaching nationalism. You are saying that because they are born in Israel that they should love it and fight for it. In response to that, I'll use the good old fashioned quote, "would you jump off of a bridge just because everyone else is." Questioning authority is a good thing. And, as a final not, don't even try arguing with me about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict because I will tear you to pieces.

 

Magnalodium, I hate those kids. I hate those wanna be anarcho skater punks who give real anarchists a bad name. In the past 5 days, the Israelis have killed 11 innocent civilians, they are the terrorists.

 

Ohh ya, one last thing Magnalodium, I had to go eat dinner, considering today is Father's Day and all.

 

To me, the saddest thing about it all is that while you all sit in your comfy homes spouting your inane and hateful rhetoric at each other, real people are dying from bombs and bullets all over our beautiful planet. So much for the hippie philosophies of loving one's fellow man - that means ALL people, be they black, white, pink, red, brown, whatever, wherever...

 

Well, I and just about everybody that I know that has any brains or morals is against the war. We vote, protest, and try to wake people up, and unfortunately it does very little good, as the majority of the country is totally apathetic. Personally, I do love my fellow man, and so do most other people I know. Don't blame us for the war-blame the Godless, war-mongering Republicans and the people that voted for them (and the people that support Blair and Labor since you're in the UK, and they have their share in the blame, too). I do everything I can to get people to oppose the war everyday. At least we 'hippies' care-that's more than I can say for most people.

 

Yes patriotism is a bad thing. It's another tool for controlling the masses into conflict.