On Patriotism

Patriotism is a dangerous, and I think, rather stupid thing. It is the act of being proud of of one's country. Any degree of patriotism is dangerous, as the next step is nationalism. Patriotism in America specifically is synonymous with nationalism. When we reach this level of patriotism we assume or imply that our country is superior to that of others', and our citizens are superior to those of other countries for living in our country. It is an arrogant and ignorant idea to possess. Perhaps this is why America is disliked so much- our arrogance and ignorance stemming from our strong patriotism. When we see ourselves, society, and state (gov't) as superior we lose touch with the rest of humanity. We separate ourselves. We become selfish as a nation and people.
Besides, why should I be proud of or adopt the idea of patriotism simply because I was born in America- inside of an invisible line on a map. Maybe we feel entitled to patriotism because we helped build this nation, or because we are a part of its government. The reality is that when we become proud of our government or country we become proud of all its actions, including the the wrong ones. Patriotism, especially that put forth by the government, threatens individuality by attempting to unite us behind everything the government does. Without individuality we are nothing but sheep. The strength of a country should not be decided by how strong of a following the government has but by how much the people can think for themselves and decide if what the government is doing is right or wrong.
Many, especially the far right, become patriotic about an idea of America that does not even exist. As far as America goes, we are not the best off nor are we even the most free. I will not be the patriot of a country that continues to deny the rights of minorities, women, homosexuals, and the poor, through its legislation, courts, and economics. I will not be the patriot of a country that allows the growth of the wealthy at the expense of the poor, the world, and the environment, through laws and war profiteering. I will not be the patriot of a country where in many places the beliefs of one religion govern and represent everybody, spreading bigotry and ignorance.
Only in a society that cares for the equality of all and is built by all and recognizes that we are just people inside lines, humans like the rest, can we be truly proud. This pride, however, is not patriotism but humanism. So rather than be a patriot blinded by rhetoric and empty phrases, be a humanist. Be someone that calls out the evils of the government and political organizations- of the system itself. Be someone that realizes we should not be supporting the superiority of our government or people but the humanity of it. We are all just humans living in lines. We may have different cultures, but in the end we are humans who are all equal.
One major step we can take to achieve this is to change how we perceive our own government. As Noam Chomsky said, the best way to approach our own government is with the principle of universality. We must apply to ourselves (our gov't and society), the same standards we apply to others. Our system is based too much on rhetoric and meaningless phrases, used to gather quick support. The people become blinded by this rhetoric, which leads to blind patriotism. If we assume that our government is naturally more ethical than others we are choosing to live in a world of illusion. To break this we must look at the evidence for what our government actually does and apply the same ethical principles that we apply to other governments, to our own. In other words, don't be hypocritical.
Some of the previously stated blind rhetoric comes into play when talking about the military, war, and the troops. I support the troops for their necessary commitment to the country, but our government's rhetoric has led to several misconceptions about our soldiers. First of all, the troops are not fighting for our freedom, and they haven't since the Civil War. (This does not mean there have not been good reasons to go to war, for example the World Wars were to protect the safety and freedom of Europe). The only people threatening our freedom are politicians, with laws that hurt women, gays, the poor, minorities, non-Christians, and the environment. A second misconception is that the troops are defending our country. Defending our country does not mean going to other countries to kill people. That's called avenging, and it has only done more harm than good (this is not the troops fault however). Only when troops are fighting enemies on our soil, or to keep them out of America is it defending. Do not misconstrue my words though. The military is necessary for defense, and I thank the troops for their willingness to defend us when that time does come. Finally I also support the troops for all they do. They are not the ones sending themselves to foreign countries to fight or die. It is the rhetoric politicians use to try to equate support of the troops with support of the war that is horribly wrong and deceptive.
In conclusion, patriotism should be abandonded and replaced with humanism. Only then can people open their eyes to deception and inequality. If we rid ourselves of the notion that our country is superior to or separate from another we can better help those in need and start acting as humans rather than patriots.