Patriotism in technical terms

Patriotism

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Patriotism

Patriotism in technical terms is the sentiment of affection and commitment to a nation, country, or a political movement (Tolstoy, 2017). For years, patriotism has been considered synonymous with nationalism despite nationalism originating 2,000 years after the concept of patriotism (Takeuchi et al., 2016). Patriotism can be traced to the greek and Roman ancient times, where it was considered loyalty to a political conception of the republic. Patriotism is affiliated with the devotion to common liberty and the love of the law with the aim of realizing the common good and responsibility to conduct oneself justly towards one’s nation. The traditional Roman concept of Patria entailed the common liberty of a republic, which can only be guaranteed by the civic spirit of its citizens.

The civic spirit is what is referred today as the civic duty, which is a concept grounded on the principle that citizens owe a certain level of fidelity to their government, which in turn allows the government to protect them. Civic duty as a mark of patriotism includes the example of an individual that enlists and serves in the army. A soldier in the military has made the decision to safeguard the freedoms of their nation in the event of a war and in various scenarios in the United States, helping other countries defend their freedom as well. Other civic duties that define a patriotic citizen include the adherence to the law, exercising the right to vote, and paying taxes.

According to Niccolò Machiavelli, the sentimental attachment to common liberty allowed citizens to compare their private and individual interests as part of the common good, which helped them avoid vices such as corruption and tyranny (Kwak, 2017). Whereas this love of the republic is intermixed with pride in sovereignty, military strength, and social superiority, political institutions are the distinguishing focal point of this patriotic affiliation. To love the nation is to be ready to sacrifice one’s own interests-including life-to safeguard the collective liberty.

Jean Jacques Rousseau and his Consideration of the Government of Poland brings the discussion back to the link between nationalism and patriotism (Inston, 2016). Rousseau was an advocate for the love of the nation and the celebration of state philosophy, in which he believed that the culture or philosophy of the land is critical on the primary basis of promoting devotion to the political fatherland. Rousseau’s nationalism originated from and aided his archetypal republican insistence on fortifying the loyalty of citizens to political institutions.

The German philosopher Johann G. von Herder provides a more explicit connection between nationalism and patriotism. In his view, patriotism is not a political connection but a spiritual attachment to the nation (Woods, 2014). In his context, the idea of fatherland is the distinct characteristics of language and culture which afford a nation coherence. Contrary to the notion of patriotism as the preservation of political freedom, Herder associates the affection towards one’s nation with the preservation of mutual values and the spiritual unity of a people. Contrary to the view of the classical republican idea, where “fatherland” is one with political institutions, Herder defines the nation as pre-political, and the love of one’s national values is a natural predisposition that gives individuals the opportunity to express their unique character.

This paper takes Herder’s account of patriotism, where patriotism is related to the elite attachment to one’s own values and opposing cosmopolitan and cultural assimilation. What this means is that liberty is not synonymous with the fight against political domination but the preservation of a unique people and patriotic sacrifice with the aim of securing the survival of a nation in the long run.

The connection between patriotism and the private attachment to the “fatherland” has invited critical opinions that consider the sentiment of patriotic pride as morally treacherous, resulting in the rise of chauvinism that is unharmonious with cosmopolitan objectives and the acknowledgment of the equal moral worth of all people. More considerate approaches to patriotism have looked to base it on new forms of loyalty that are in line with universal values, respect for human rights, and acceptance of ethnic and national diversity. At the center of these tolerant attitudes lies the belief that to be stable, democratic societies need to have a strong sense of fidelity on the part of their citizens. The high degrees of pluralism that symbolizes modern societies possibly give rise to tensions and disagreements among nationals that may undermine the polity, contemporary democratic states committed to a certain level of equality rely on the inclination of citizens to forego personal interests for the common good, be it in terms of daily reallocation of revenue to meet welfare needs or the delivery of communal goods and services such as education or healthcare. Therefore, proponents of the new forms of patriotism see a resilient sense of unity as a requirement for stable democracies.

Going back to recent times, there are numerous actions by individuals that clearly define what patriotism is. A good example is the action of the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick who took the step to stand up against police brutality directed towards people of color (ESPN, 2016). Kaepernick knelt on the sidelines when the national anthem was playing, resulting in unending controversy and questions of his loyalty to the nation. In this decision, Kaepernick chose what he considered meaningful to him regardless of the stand taken by his coaches, fellow players, and the media. He received media speculation since this incident in 2016. He lost his contract requiring him to continually reiterate that his actions were not out of disrespect and lack of love for his nation, but a question on the overall principle of American freedom and the idea of “Justice for All.”

Although many people tarnished his name as a result of his action, Kaepernick brought awareness on the subject of prejudices faced by minorities in a country that swore to protect every individual regardless of race and creed a true act of patriotism. His actions were synonymous with the contemporary idea of patriotism as coming together to create a country with people from diverse backgrounds but uniting in the spirit of patriotism to create a common identity without having to shun individual values.

In conclusion, patriotism is developing a nation with people from diverse cultures that come together to create an integrated race without the need for the assimilation of primary cultures. This integrated race is then maintained by the feeling of pride, devotion, and a sense of belonging to the “fatherland” and a connection to fellow patriots. Being active in representative democracy, paying taxes, obeying laws, volunteering for the community, and serving on juries include acts of patriotism. Although some may consider patriotism to be synonymous with nationalism, they both have varying connotations. Although both are based on the feeling of love for one’s nation, the basis of this love is different in both perspectives. A patriot is of the idea that the system of government and citizens are complementary and work together for the betterment of the quality of life. They embrace liberty, justice, and equality. On the other hand, nationalists believe in the nation’s superiority over others and carry a suggestion of distrust and disapproval of other countries to the extent that they assume these nations to be enemies.

References

ESPN. (2016, September 3). Colin Kaepernick Protests Anthem over Treatment of Minorities. Retrieved November 15, 2019, from https://theundefeated.com/features/colin-kaepernick-protests-anthem-over-treatment-of-minorities/Inston, K. (2016). Finite Community: Reading Jean-Jacques Rousseau with Jean-Luc Nancy. The European Legacy, 21(2), 184-204.

Kwak, J. H. (2017). Republican patriotism and Machiavelli’s patriotism. Australian Journal of Political Science, 52(3), 436-449.

Takeuchi, H., Taki, Y., Sekiguchi, A., Nouchi, R., Kotozaki, Y., Nakagawa, S., … & Yamamoto, Y. (2016). Differences in gray matter structure correlated to nationalism and patriotism. Scientific reports, 6, 29912.

Tolstoy, L. (2017). Patriotism and government. In Anarchism as Political Philosophy (pp. 70-85). Routledge.

Woods, E. T. (2014). Cultural nationalism: a review and annotated bibliography. Studies on National Movements, 2, 1-26.