Thoughts on Patriotism

[wuapinmon]

One of the many reasons why I love to travel abroad each year is because I get a break from the stress of living in my own country. Don´t get me wrong, there´s no finer place to live, and I love the United States of America more than any place I´ve ever been.

However, being without for awhile allows me a bit of extraspection not normally afforded us while we´re in the thick of it. For the last two weeks, I have been stress free. My blood pressure is below normal levels. I haven´t had any acid reflux. I´ve lost about 22 lbs. I´m sleeping well through the night.

Vacationing for a long time anywhere can have this effect on us, but it is especially true, for me, when I´m in Latin America, life slows down, the days last longer, and I don´t have this kind of knot in my throat that has come back to me today as I pack to go home tonight. I opened my email account, the knot didn´t come back. People needed stuff at work....no problem. My wife gave me the loooooooooooooong list of stuff I have to do when I get home, again, no problem. Work is a good thing.

And then I started reading newspapers, and my brother´s facebook posts (he is president of his county´s GOP), and thinking about politics like the statman thread from last night, and it came back. The knot in the back of my throat is there. I feel the acid reflux percolating in my gut, creeping up my throat. I´m not anxious about returning to family, and work, and projects. No, the anxiety, I honestly believe, stems from all of the bullshit politics, the partisan stuff, that seems so damned pervasive in our country. The rhetoric is bellicose, and the strawmen abound. People don´t read, don´t support their statements with facts, and interpret things willy nilly when they try to.

I will be my old self in a few months, capriciously moderate, a middling troll, volcanically caustic as the moon wanes. But, at least for a couple of weeks a year,, my patriotism takes a different form. I am "El gringo" and I don´t have to explain politics or my opinions about them to people. I simply get to hold my head up high and feel the envy, an envy that I almost relish, of people who wish they were lucky enough to have been born in the land I call home. In spite of all the bullshit, I love America.

[Flattop]

And then I started reading newspapers, and my brother´s facebook posts (he is president of his county´s GOP), and thinking about politics like the statman thread from last night, and it came back. The knot in the back of my throat is there. I feel the acid reflux percolating in my gut, creeping up my throat. I´m not anxious about returning to family, and work, and projects. No, the anxiety, I honestly believe, stems from all of the bullshit politics, the partisan stuff, that seems so damned pervasive in our country. The rhetoric is bellicose, and the strawmen abound.

This is why I don't read newspapers or watch TV news programs.

[woot]

One of the many reasons why I love to travel abroad each year is because I get a break from the stress of living in my own country. Don´t get me wrong, there´s no finer place to live, and I love the United States of America more than any place I´ve ever been.

However, being without for awhile allows me a bit of extraspection not normally afforded us while we´re in the thick of it. For the last two weeks, I have been stress free. My blood pressure is below normal levels. I haven´t had any acid reflux. I´ve lost about 22 lbs. I´m sleeping well through the night.

Vacationing for a long time anywhere can have this effect on us, but it is especially true, for me, when I´m in Latin America, life slows down, the days last longer, and I don´t have this kind of knot in my throat that has come back to me today as I pack to go home tonight. I opened my email account, the knot didn´t come back. People needed stuff at work....no problem. My wife gave me the loooooooooooooong list of stuff I have to do when I get home, again, no problem. Work is a good thing.

And then I started reading newspapers, and my brother´s facebook posts (he is president of his county´s GOP), and thinking about politics like the statman thread from last night, and it came back. The knot in the back of my throat is there. I feel the acid reflux percolating in my gut, creeping up my throat. I´m not anxious about returning to family, and work, and projects. No, the anxiety, I honestly believe, stems from all of the bullshit politics, the partisan stuff, that seems so damned pervasive in our country. The rhetoric is bellicose, and the strawmen abound. People don´t read, don´t support their statements with facts, and interpret things willy nilly when they try to.

I will be my old self in a few months, capriciously moderate, a middling troll, volcanically caustic as the moon wanes. But, at least for a couple of weeks a year,, my patriotism takes a different form. I am "El gringo" and I don´t have to explain politics or my opinions about them to people. I simply get to hold my head up high and feel the envy, an envy that I almost relish, of people who wish they were lucky enough to have been born in the land I call home. In spite of all the bullshit, I love America.

Good thoughts. I've really enjoyed being able to ignore most of it, although I've started watching the Daily Show occasionally lately which has broken the spell somewhat.

I also don't like that most of what gets called patriotism is actually nationalism. I can't say I have much of either, but it still irks me a bit when people continue to claim the superiority of America over every other country. In some ways the US is great, but in the ways that seem to most apply to people's day-to-day, there seem to be a great number of places that would be better. I'm also really concerned that we can't seem to get anybody in office that cares about the privacy and freedom of the people. What does America stand for these days, if anything?

[NorthwestUteFan]

Thanks for writing this thread Wuap. I am amazed how much better I feel about everything when I stop paying attention to partisan debates. There is little appreciable difference between the parties anyhow, so I don't want to waste any stress on it.

Good thoughts. I've really enjoyed being able to ignore most of it, although I've started watching the Daily Show occasionally lately which has broken the spell somewhat.

I also don't like that most of what gets called patriotism is actually nationalism. I can't say I have much of either, but it still irks me a bit when people continue to claim the superiority of America over every other country. In some ways the US is great, but in the ways that seem to most apply to people's day-to-day, there seem to be a great number of places that would be better. I'm also really concerned that we can't seem to get anybody in office that cares about the privacy and freedom of the people. What does America stand for these days, if anything?

More good thoughts, thank you.

"Patriotism", as George Orwell stated, means admiration for a certain way of life, and entails peacefully standing up against oppression. Indeed it may be accurate to say the insurgents in Iraq were "Patriots". Nationalism is the belief that one's nation is greater than all others in all respects. Orwell further called Nationalism "the worst enemy of peace".

Patriotism by definition includes the ability of the patriot to criticize his country, and to accept criticism of his country, in pursuit of a better way of life.

Likely those who continually tout "American exceptionalism" have spent very little time out of the country. America IS wonderful. In many ways it is exceptional. However in our day-to-day lives we are somewhat less free than many countries to whom we are supposedly "superior".