Quote:
Originally Posted by Stoic Thinker
My pleasure. I am a firm believer in distinguishing between nationalism and patriotism - i.e. in the difference between irrationally believing your country to be innately superior to all others, and in wishing to protect your the interests of your country.
|
I believe in patriotism but I think it shouldn't be too intense and should certainly start with your family and local area and be far stronger for these local bodies than for anything the size of England or Scotland which are beyond the measure of humans to fully know. In those notes Orwell talks about patriotism being attachment to a particular place and England isn't a "place" on any human scale, I think it is negative to have anything but vague warm pride and recognition for it. Anything else seems the worship of an abstraction.