Resolved: Patriotism should be taught to children in school.

Haha, thank you NOK_Domination. Maybe the Chiefs can get something going this year... :) Patriotism- devoted love, support, and defense of one's country; national loyalty. [1] Patriotism should NOT be taught in schools. I'll agree that patriotism is taught in schools, and everything my opponent provided are great examples of how patriotism is taught. To examine said examples: 1) Pledge of Allegiance: I have no problem with this one. 2) History with an emphasis on America: This is a bad thing. It leads to small mindedness and an overall misunderstanding of the world, or a complete lack of understanding of the world. Its practical purpose is this: The American is widely misinformed on many of the stances. If Americans better understood the world around them, they wouldn't be scared as easily by the media and politicians (who actually study this stuff) wouldn't have the ability to push the public around so easily. Case in point: post-9/11. Was it a terrible attack? Yes. But the American public seemed to glance over the fact that those were Muslim Extremists! All Muslims don't behave that way, and yet we stereotyped them in the blink of an eye. We did the same thing post-Pearl Harbor with the Japanese and Japanese-Americans, post-WWI with the Bolshevik movement, and the list goes on and on. 3) A lot of shady events in the past are hidden: Once again, a bad thing for the U.S. This one-sided view of the world makes it appear to the general public that America has always acted in the best possible way. Our country is moral, right? I mean, we fought a whole war over ending slavery! <-- Proof of another misconception. Slavery was only one factor in the war, and slavery wasn't ended for moral reasons. Economies were a big part in the war. The industrial North didn't need slaves, while the agricultural South heavily depended on them. Those in the North feared that they're jobs might be lost to slaves if slavery was allowed nationwide... after all, why pay someone when you could have it done for free (the basic idea of a capitalist economy...). Slavery wasn't ended for moral reasons, it was ended out of fear. Also, wecan't ignore an ever increasing tensions between slave vs. free states and their roles in Congress. With every new territory came a new fight over how one side had more representation. Bleeding Kansas is a great example of this. [2] And then my opponent states that patriotism prevents wars. I have evidence that states otherwise. "If an American wishes the preferential grandeur and well-being of America above all other nations, and the same is desired for his state by an Englishman, and a Russian, and a Turk, and a Dutchman, and an Abyssinian, and a citizen of Venezuela and of the Transvaal, and an Armenian, and a Pole, and a Bohemian, and all of them are convinced that these desires need not only not be concealed or repressed, but should be a matter of pride and be developed in themselves and in others; and if the greatness and well-being of one country or nation cannot be obtained except to the detriment of another nation, frequently of many countries and nations—how can war be avoided?" If everyone from every nation decided that they're country was the best, and that their country could be better with, say, resources from another country... then in "devoted support" (see definition) they would need to acquire said resources. Who would dare say that the country should be held back! Patriotism leads to the justification of previous wrongs, and a population determined to argue that said wrongs were necessary. It leads to an arrogant, misinformed country, easily persuaded by those who understand the facts. A population quick to believe that others are acting solely to bring us down, regardless of whether they're extremists or not. With that I'll close, and turn the floor back over to my opponent. I wish NOK_Domination luck, and look forward to his response. --SOURCES-- [1] http://dictionary.reference.com... [2] http://jc-schools.net... [3] http://www.everlutionary.net...