Saturday, January 10, 2004
A Lesson in Patriotism
I was reading the review of the new Iced Earth album (which has very American, patriotic undertones, going so far as starting out with a killer rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner) today on Blabbermouth, when I came upon a comment from a Swedish fan. He sums up, in totality, what I believe Patriotism is, and he does so much more eloquently than you'd expect from a metalhead. This is his comment, unedited. Everyone break out your notebooks and start a-writin':
COMMENT | The reason...
posted by: Jonas
...many europeans get a sour taste from the word "patriotism" is that in the US the meaning of the word seemed to have become the exact opposite of it's true meaning.
People seem to think a patriot is someone who continues to wave the flag and support his government no matter what they do.
In truth, a patriot loves his country so much that he always put's a critical eye to everything that happens in his country, and when a government does something that isn't to his liking he won't stay quiet, he speaks up.
Being a patriot isn't so much about feeling pride in your country as it is about guarding it. And it isn't so much about guarding it against foreign powers as it is guarding it from the people in power within the country.
I must raise a glass of Killian's to this boy. He knows more about patriotism than the majority of Americans.
|
I was reading the review of the new Iced Earth album (which has very American, patriotic undertones, going so far as starting out with a killer rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner) today on Blabbermouth, when I came upon a comment from a Swedish fan. He sums up, in totality, what I believe Patriotism is, and he does so much more eloquently than you'd expect from a metalhead. This is his comment, unedited. Everyone break out your notebooks and start a-writin':
COMMENT | The reason...
posted by: Jonas
...many europeans get a sour taste from the word "patriotism" is that in the US the meaning of the word seemed to have become the exact opposite of it's true meaning.
People seem to think a patriot is someone who continues to wave the flag and support his government no matter what they do.
In truth, a patriot loves his country so much that he always put's a critical eye to everything that happens in his country, and when a government does something that isn't to his liking he won't stay quiet, he speaks up.
Being a patriot isn't so much about feeling pride in your country as it is about guarding it. And it isn't so much about guarding it against foreign powers as it is guarding it from the people in power within the country.
I must raise a glass of Killian's to this boy. He knows more about patriotism than the majority of Americans.
