To be unpatriotic?

[malificent7]

Im really worried about all of this nationslism rising atm.
Whilst i think the UK is a beautiful island, i do not think we are beyond reproach. For example... i hate our colonial past, Brexit and East Enders.

I m just not feeling this bling jingoism atm. The wall between the US and Mexico is appailing in my eyes.

Aibu to ignore all ttjis jingoistic nonsense, to not wave the union jack and to not fall for all this white wing rhetoric?

[malificent7]

Blind jingoism even!

[FastWindow]

I'm with you but your keyboard needs a talking to

[EagleIsland]

History has a habit of repeating itself. Boom.....bust....war.

[booklooker]

all of this nationslism rising atm.

Your statement implies that you feel this is a recent phenomenom.

How long do you think this has been happening?

[counterpoint]

The wall between USA and mexico has nothing to do with Britain (for once!). But, effectively, we may have done worse against our fellow Europeans with Brexit.

ATM I'm more concerned with how easy it is to manipulate 'the masses' using 'our' media. I've had liberal-minded friends who cannot see even the simplest hypocrisy or double-standards in some of the handling of news.

[ir080485]

I believe the stupidest words ever spoken are "My country, right or wrong." If my country is wrong then I reserve the right to tell it loudly and in no uncertain terms. That level of blind faith leads to ethnic cleansing and holocaust. If your country is in the wrong, the patriotic thing to do is tell it that it's wrong, march in the streets, protest and if necessary throw rocks at politicians( I never would). I'd imagine that the citizens of nazi germany probably paraphrased those words and then lowered their gaze from the awful things that happened afterwards.

[Autumnsweater]

I agree. Isn't it just an accident of birth? If one was born in France for instance, would one not think that was the best country? I just don't get the flag worship in some places and would hate to have to do the flag thingy that they do in American schools.

I have a love for Britain that I have missed when living abroad - particularly humour, pubs, roast dinner. Overinflated sense of importance in the world - didn't miss this so much.

[imisschocolate]

Try living in scotland just now. We not only have brexit to contend with but SNP harping on about another indy referendum.

[charlestrenet]

Yanbu. What is a nation anyway? A bit of land that a ruler has claimed as theirs because they won a war or did a deal. In that sense, it's ridiculous to feel proud of happening to be born in one area over another.

[RortyCrankle]

It's up to you OP. Personally I love my country and would call myself patriotic.

[Livelovebehappy]

I love the UK for all its flaws. If you've ever lived abroad for any length of time, you would realise we have so much to celebrate about living here. To have so much angst about living in a democratic country with all its positives is a waste of energy imo, but then I'm definitely a glass half full person rather than half empty, and focus on the good things rather than the bad.

[Ifailed]

Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel

[Bibblewanda]

I dunno. I love the UK and wouldn't live anywhere else, but I'm not a Britain First bellend.

Tbh it's the nationalist idiots who spend more time whinging about the country than anyone else I know.

[Livelovebehappy]

And whilst you might not like all the 'nationalism' at the moment; surely it's up to the individual and whilst you might not like it, you should respect that we all have different views and outlooks, just as I respect your right to be unpatriotic. Entirely your choice.

[skippy67]

I'm not patriotic. It's just geography. I could've been born anywhere...

[sunflowers14]

I'm not patriotic at all, but I wonder if that's largely down to it being seen (for England at any rate) as crude and faintly distasteful to be so, a territory occupied by the far right and football hooligans. A united sense of identity isn't necessarily a bad thing but in England it always has been.

[derxa]

Good for you. You are just expressing the 'correct' views of the MN hive mind.
Personally I have a strong identity as a Scot. Last night was Burns Night.
Some time soon I'm going to a Burns Supper. At the event there will be no wailing and gnashing of teeth about our colonial past. It will be a politics free evening listening to funny speeches and poetry and eating haggis.
An event replicated all over Scotland and indeed the world.
No doubt there will be someone along soon who will tell me how wrong this is.

[GinIsIn]

I'm sure if we weren't an island Boris and Nige would have proposed a wall, so I think there's a real parity between what's happening there and here right now. It fills me with absolute horror and real shame, and to be honest - fear. The last time we let walls be built like this it turned areas into ghettos and was a precursor to some of the worst events in modern history.....

[PrettyBotanicals]

I love the UK for all its flaws. If you've ever lived abroad for any length of time, you would realise we have so much to celebrate about living here. To have so much angst about living in a democratic country with all its positives is a waste of energy imo, but then I'm definitely a glass half full person rather than half empty, and focus on the good things rather than the bad.

Most of my life I lived abroad in all sorts of countries, under benign and not so benign rule.

I cannot think of a more tolerant, welcoming, funny, beautiful country than the UK and I am privileged and proud to have made my home here.

I wonder which country the OP would prefer and why she doesn't move there. It's really not that hard to live in another country if you are so determined.

[Ifailed]

derxa
Would you go to a Burns Supper if he hadn't been Scottish?

[YokoUhOh]

I love the UK but I hate Brexit and think it stands for the opposite of pride in our country. I'm not proud of colonialism or nationalism; I'm proud of e.g. our cultural and sporting prowess.

[VikingVolva]

You can remain patriotic whilst deploring jingoism.

OP it is perfectly resonance to take the political and moral view s you want, and to change them in light of events.

It is however utterly unreasonable to link, even if inadvertently, the Union Flag to actions in the USA

[derxa]

Well Burns was Scottish so there's no point in discussing any other scenarios. It's just a fact.

[CaoNiMa]

I can't think of a single situation in history where nationalism/hyper-patriotism has gone well.

The minute you start thinking your country is "best" or "better", then treating other countries/people badly becomes acceptable to you.

[PausingFlatly]

For me, being patriotic means taking responsibility for my country, and trying to make it the best it can be (for my subjective values of best, of course.)

It doesn't mean believing something is already the best just because it's done by my country.

In fact quite often my country does things I find abhorrent. I think I'm being patriotic resisting those things.