Patriotism

Defining Patriotism

Although there is widespread agreement that patriotism consists of love for and loyalty to one's country, deciding what kinds of thoughts and behaviors merit the label “patriotic” can be controversial. For some people, to be patriotic means to support one's country no matter what, to display an uncritical loyalty and conformity to national norms. In this view, criticizing the policies of leaders such as a nation's president, particularly during wars or other international crises, is tantamount to treason. Proponents of this view would argue that support of a nation's citizenry is most critical during crises and that an internal challenge to a nation's leaders only steels the resolve of its enemy. For other people, however, true patriotism requires a critical loyalty. Being patriotic, in this view, entails challenging the nation to change its allegedly errant ways. Political protesters in the United States, for example, have often characterized their behavior as patriotic, for their intent has often been to bring the nation's policies in line with the ideals that inspire love and loyalty in the first place—ideals such as freedom and equality. As one antiwar activist in the 1960s said to an audience that questioned the activists' patriotism, “We are not conspiring to destroy America. We are attempting to do precisely the reverse: We are affirming the values which you have instilled in us and which you have taught us to respect” (quoted in Huntington 1981, p. 3). The true patriot, he argued, is one who is actively engaged in public life, who does not keep silent while his nation marches in a flawed direction.

Another disagreement over what it means to be patriotic emphasizes the relationship between patriotism and nationalism. Some scholars hold that the central distinction between these concepts is that nationalism draws on apolitical ties of ethnicity, culture and/or perceived kinship, whereas patriotism implies willingness to participate in a shared political project in which individuals from all backgrounds and ethnicities are welcome. In this view, patriots possess a love of their own countries free of any sense of superiority or dislike for other countries, while nationalists combine such love with derogatory or even hateful attitudes toward outsiders. As Theodor Adorno wrote, “The genuine patriot, it would appear, can appreciate the values and ways of other nations, and can be permissive toward much that he cannot personally accept for himself” (quoted in Sullivan et al. 1992, p. 204). Yet the reasons why it is argued that apolitical ties can lead to derogatory attitudes while political ties do not are not necessarily clear. In this vein, others question whether it is possible to love one's country without feeling superior or hostile toward other countries. Patriotism, they would maintain, is simply nationalism with a positive spin. While most of us can agree that love is a more commendable phenomenon than hate, the question of whether patriotism constitutes a constructive political force is perhaps best answered empirically.

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