From: hdeshma@eos.ncsu.edu (HARSHAVARDHAN  DESHMANE)
Subject: Re: WITHER PATRIOTISM ?
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 22:17:54 GMT

In article <1992Oct15.210229.26382@news2.cis.umn.edu> prabhak@giga.cs.umn.edu (Satya Prabhakar) writes:
>(Binod K. Taterway) writes:
>>Let no one question any one's patriotism simply because of his/her
>>choice of residence. I find so many people justify patriotism with
>>arguments such as how much US$ NRIs pour in India. You may like
>>this country or any other for that matter and choose to settle   
>>whereever you like, it is your choice. But no one say that it
>>is unpatriotic; I find it repugnant.
>
>Let us go into Socrates mode and ask, "Why is patriotism good?"
>
>In my opinion, patriotism is an emotional term used by some to\
>make others feel guilty. I find no virtue in patriotism from a
wrong.

>rational point of view.
>
>Related questions are: 
>
>What is patriotism?
>
it is a feeling of total devotion to one's kind. The largest patriots
(no puns, please on the missiles, that is), for e.g., Gandhi, viewed
one's kind to mean humanity.
In a lesser sense, it is a readiness to sacrifice in order to
protect and improve your people's lot. In an ideal world, there
wouldnt be many "peoples"..unfortunately, in the real world...
there are a bunch of people who on grounds of religion, race, language
differentiate themselves from others. And even more unfortunate is the
fact that, they would like to see harm come to others, those that
are not from your "bunch"..

now the others can either take shit from these "bunches", or make sure
they are not shitted on. That is patriotism. This all-encompassing
"shit" implies monetary shit, territorial shit, genocidal shit and
perhaps every kind of shit, that the "bunch" can use to abuse the others.

The social uplift of ones people is also patriotism, but to be given a
chance the patriots defined above have to do their work, too..you cannot
uplift anything, if you dont exist.
This kind of social evil that the social patriot tries to remove can
be referred to "social" shit.


>Does patriotism require one to approve governmental policies?

no.

>
>Is patriotism possible when one is living in a foreign land?

absolutely..in this narrow world of today, citizenship is a classification
that is assigned to people, depending on usually where they are born.
i presumed you meant foreign land to imply one where one is not a citizen.
In such a case, one can be labeled a patriot depending on whose point of
view you are looking from, ( the host nation may call you a "spy".)
also, there are positive ways( defined as not frowned upon by host nation,
and behooving a guest), that can help in the removal of many kinds
of shit referred to above..

>
>so on and so forth....
>
>Satya Prabhakar
>


dont take my article seriously, take it semi-seriously, becos i am in a 
light mood...oh yeah, and please, nobody spoil it!:)

thank you

harsh
-- 
_______________________________________________________________________________
Harshavardhan Deshmane, ECE Dept.                   hdeshma@croc.ece.ncsu.edu
North Carolina State University.                    hdeshma@csl36h.csl.ncsu.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian