Yeah, myself, I’ve always felt like the notion of patriotism is really odd and subjective. Like, I am eternally grateful to have been born in America. I proudly fly an American flag from my front porch because I truly believe in the ideal of the nation for which it stands, and also because I am grateful for the bravery and the sacrifice of every single person that has ever laid down their life or limb in defense of it. But if a pollster asked me if I am proud to be American, I probably say no, because it’s not pride that I have for our country, but rather gratitude. If that same pollster asked me if I feel grateful for America, did the answer is absolutely resoundingly yes. I’m just not someone who can find pride in something that I did not work to accomplish on my own. I did not earn being an American; I was born here (and gratefully so!). So if patriotism is measured in pride, I have little to none. If patriotism is measured in gratitude, I have it in abundance.While there is a correlation between “patriotism” and Republicanism (and a healthy debate on whether patriotism is actually a beneficial thing), this dynamic is way more complicated than you’re suggesting.
National pride is declining in America. And it's splitting by party lines, new Gallup polling shows | The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Only 36% of Democrats say they're “extremely” or “very” proud to be American, according to a new Gallup poll, reflecting a dramaticwww.ap.org
A lot of it is religiosity. As all of us who grew up in conservative Christianity can attest, you’re taught you need to act like you’re happy, whether you really are or not.
Yeah, reasonable debate to be had about how beneficial patriotism is for a country, but no real debate about which party is more patriotic in general based on that data. Fascinating to me how Democrats seem to have “elastic” patriotism (to borrow an economics term) while Republicans have more “inelastic” patriotism that sticks no matter which party is in power.While there is a correlation between “patriotism” and Republicanism (and a healthy debate on whether patriotism is actually a beneficial thing), this dynamic is way more complicated than you’re suggesting.
National pride is declining in America. And it's splitting by party lines, new Gallup polling shows | The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Only 36% of Democrats say they're “extremely” or “very” proud to be American, according to a new Gallup poll, reflecting a dramatic
It’s especially interesting because, at least until the current Trump term, Republicans have had a more elastic view of the “right direction/wrong direction” question than Democrats. In other words, Republicans are more likely to swing from right direction under a Republican president to wrong direction under a Democratic president, or vice versa, than are Democrats. So I think the main issue with the “proud of my country” question is more of a wiring thing than an elasticity thing. Republicans are more likely to think it’s virtuous to be “proud” of one’s country than are Democrats. I don’t dispute that at all.
Completely agree. There are entire hard-wirings that correlate strongly along party lines (i.e. America is a racist country, agree or disagree) that would very much explain why one party tends to view it as virtuous to be proud to be an American and the other one not so much.
The perception that Democrats don't like the country, aren't patriotic and that flag flying is almost exclusively a Republican activity is one of things that hurts the Democratic Party, IMO.
Lol. Nah, ain’t no damn body voting one way or another because of “flag flying” or similar patriotic cosplaying. People vote against Democrats because either 1. they feel that the Democrats aren’t good for their pocket books or their financial bottom line, or 2. think that the Democrats have weird social/cultural stances, or both. Nobody is voting because of theatrical patriotism or lack thereof.
I don’t think flag flying matters much, but I do agree the perceptions of “don’t like the country” and “aren’t patriotic” are things that hurt the Democrats on the margins.
Racism in America isn't a question of hard-wirings. Y'all both-siders love that shit. If there was any doubt at all that America is a racist country, the last year has put that silly idea to rest. When Reagan judges are writing things like, "this is the most blatant example of racial discrimination I've seen in forty years on the bench" you should take a hint.
"But you know as well as I, patriotism is a word; and one that generally comes to mean either my country, right or wrong, which is infamous, or my country is always right, which is imbecile.