Patriotism

Thailand gets uptight about the king, and India requires people to stand for the national anthem at movies.  What is it that is attractive about an anthem?  Loyalty is admirable, when it is deserved, but at the same time the US allows flag burning, the Under God clause is controversial amongst atheists and agnostics (and polytheists).  The US is a mass of contradictions, paradoxes (and perhaps that is a good thing).  But again, what is attractive about an anthem to you?  Just curious, you need not say.

On our coins, we have the motto, e pluribus unum.  Al Gore misinterpreted that as 'from one, many'   (it means, "from many, one.").  I think there are good things about anthems, and pledges, and oaths, but not if they are taken too far.  Germans tend to not like the anthem, "Deutschland Uber Alles." and rightfully so.  They were very big on such symbols, when they were goose-stepping through Paris.  I think that it is good to teach mottos and slogans to children, giving them a common basis, but I think adults should be fond of such slogans, and nostalgic, but look upon blind parroting with suspicion.  They mean something, something that is generally positive, but something that can also be twisted.  I would suggest that it is better to be familiar than not familiar, because with familiarity, can come a bit of inoculation.  I think some knowledge of such things may be necessary to be a good citizen, but being a good citizen is not the same thing as being a good human being.  The two can coincide, but they are not the same thing.  It is better, and probably more difficult to be the later.

Is a good Nazi, a good human being?  You see no harm, but what about Hitler Youth?  Or the equivalent of Soviet or red China?  How do you distinguish between good loyalty, and bad loyalty.  No, I think that there are times when one should be disloyal to the state, in order to be a Mensch.  That is why I say there is a difference between being a good citizen and a good human being.  When do people admit that their government ('they') are wrong?  Granted there are some people who are alarmists who see a threat everywhere.  They 'cry wolf' over someone flying a flag, or other behavior.  But, there can be a point when there actually is a wolf at the door (actually I like real wolves).  It has happened before, and will happen again.....

toyomotor wrote: I consider the term "good Nazi" to be an oxymoron.  So that ends that!!

franciscosan wrote: Actually from what I recently heard, the Essenes gave an oath when they entered the order to follow the rules, which included a rule about not giving oaths.