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Patriotism
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Patriotism can be both for or against the current government of a nation. Supporters of the current government may hold the opinion that patriotism implies support of one's government and its policies, and that opposition to the government's policies amounts to treason. But in other instances, rebellion against a corrupt or tyrannical government may be justified as an act needed to save the nation, and ... is likewise motivated by patriotism.
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Patriotism is a feeling of pride and love for one's country. Common acts of patriotism include erecting a flag of one's country in the home or yard, decorating one's car with as many flags as possible, and singing national tunes!
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Patriotism ... has its dangers--stimulating virulent nationalism, preventing fruitful policy debates, and carelessly directing a nation into wider destruction, pain and sorrow. Politicians, government agencies and "special interests" take advantage of critical situations to advance their positions. Pernicious forces subvert genuine patriotism with slogans, simplifications and "calls to patriotism" that disguise faulty policies and mask tendencies that create crises.
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Patriotism has quite a bad reputation in Australia. For example, at the 2007 Sydney Big Day Out, a music festival held on Australia Day, organisers argued that waving the Australian flag was symbolic of racism and needed to be banned. According to promoter Ken West,
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Patriotism by definition demands allegiance to one fatherland. This is a dilemma for any immigrant; and the dilemma is no small matter in a nation of mixed heritage that is composed largely, if not almost entirely, of recent and remote immigrants, of hyphenated citizens. Does one hate the grandfather or refuse to love him in order to be totally devoted to the father? How does a child born of a Moroccan mother and a Mongolian father and brought up in Malmö speaking Swedish before settling in the US conceive her or his patriotism? The poor child is perhaps by destiny unpatriotic. Not quite so exotic, an American born of a German father and a French mother, may find herself divided in her allegiance vis-a-vis her polyglot cultural heritage and her American citizenship.
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Patriotism denotes positive and supportive attitudes to a 'fatherland' (Latin [P]atria < Greek patris, πατρίς), by individuals and groups. The 'fatherland' (or 'motherland') can be a region or a city, but patriotism usually applies to a nation and/or a nation-state. Patriotism covers such attitudes as: pride in its achievements and culture, the desire to preserve its character and the basis of the culture, and identification with other members of the nation. Patriotism is closely associated with nationalism, and the terms are often used synonymously. Strictly speaking, nationalism is an ideology - but it often promotes patriotic attitudes as desirable and appropriate. (Both nationalist political movements, and patriotic expression, may, yet need not, be negative towards other people's 'fatherland').
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Patriotism