Patriotism vs. Blind Nationalism
Ok, can someone PLEASE explain.... Since when did it become “unpatriotic” to address America’s deep-rooted problems and want to fix them? I’m confused.
... Isn’t it our responsibility as citizens to find ways to continually improve it? If we truly care about our country?
True patriotism involves recognizing BOTH America’s greatness AND its shortcomings. It means loving our nation for the good it has done in the world, WHILE fighting to heal the wounds left over from the darkest parts of our history. ...Not mutually exclusive.
To me, “patriotism” is NOT the exhibition of unconditional pride and praise for your country. That’s called “blind nationalism.” ... Those are traits that have fueled toxic national ideologies in the past, such as Nazism. But some of y’all ain’t ready to have that conversation yet lol.
I get it, it’s much easier (short-term) to sweep problems under the rug. To pretend everything was fixed post-slavery or post-Civil Rights movement. But as shown by this year, THESE PROBLEMS DON’T JUST GO AWAY. Eventually they WILL surface and rear their ugly heads.
We’ve been spoon-fed the narrative that EVERYTHING about America is good and right. But the “greatness of America” is not impervious or immaculate.
The truth is—EVERY country’s government and society is NOT perfect and has its own set of problems. There’s ALWAYS room to improve and evolve as a society.
Not allowing our minds to assert the cruel reality of how America has and continues to devalue BIPOC lives is SUSTAINING the systems that oppress human lives... many of whom are American lives. By ignoring these issues, we are stunting our growth and adaptation as a society in a rapidly changing world.
It’s our job as Americans to recognize our country’s problems and solve them together to ensure a better future. NOT to minimize or turn a blind eye to these issues just because they don’t directly affect you or your family.
I love my country. I believe in what America stands for— liberty and justice. And as Americans, we should help to ensure ALL, not some, have equal access to those.
