“wh Is Patriotism?
“What is Patriotism?”
Emma Goldman
In “What is Patriotism?”, Emma Goldman, an anarchist, activist, and feminist icon, argued about the difference between the idealistic meaning of patriotism and the reality of it. If we ask what patriotism is, people may say that it is the love for the native land. They might also describe a paradise where all their dreams and desires come true. However, according to Goldman, if that was the truth, a lot of American men would become non patriotic, because they have destroyed the nature of their land to turn it into big cities with big factories (75).
Patriotism is used as an excuse for justifying the training of slaughterers, and for investing more money in better equipment instead of using that money for real vital necessities, such as clothing, food, or houses.
The basics of the American patriotism are “conceit, arrogance and egotism” (75). Patriotism presumes that those blessed people who were born in a specific place are superior to those who were born in another place. As a result, the ones who consider themselves superior have the responsibility of imposing their control to the inferior ones by fighting, killing, and even dying. All this happens because children are brainwashed with blood stories about other nations. Then, when the children are all grown up, they believe that is their obligation to protect their country against any outsider attack or offensive.
The American government uses the army and navy as toys. It spent a large amount of capital for the army’s entertainment when it is more necessary for eradicating the hunger and for helping the unemployed. It is maintained by Americans that they are peaceful people who are against violence. However, they are always ready for war, and are satisfied of becoming the most potent nation.
Some people are starting to understand that patriotism is a too restricted and limited concept. There has been a...
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