The United States of America

Originally posted by coolmovies
I like the country but i havent been there . what about you ? have you been there or even live there ?

what are your views ?

🙂

I love my country,the USA. I just hate our government that runs it.Our country is the not the same country that our forefathers faught for anymore.

Instead of the people having control over the government like the constitution of the united states says were SUPPOSE to have, and in which we did originally when we fought for it,its now in control of greedy selfish corporations and businesses. People like Thomas Jefferson actually warned the people back then to guard against tyranny cause they knew that could easily happen like it has over the years.

Originally posted by Mr Parker
I love my country,the USA. I just hate our government that runs it.Our country is the not the same country that our forefathers faught for anymore.

right, blacks are no longer in slavery and women can vote

what a crappy 200 years it has been

I think American patriotism is great. I think more countries should feel like that about their country and should not be scorned over it either.

eg. French are so pompous about their language!

Also, founding fathers had a great idea about freedom of doing and being, but some things are bound to change and evolve eventually, no?

Patriotism is great until people begin to try and use it as a bludgeon or a weapon against others who may disagree with their stance or ideas.

To quote the great film Paths of Glory: "Sometimes, patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."

Of course. I concur. Nothing is to be taken to extreme. But the love for the country Americans feel is admirable.
Also, I don't think people who feel the love for their country should make fun or demean those who love their countries, too.

Nationalism and patriotism...it can cross a line and morph into some kind of discriminatory...thing.

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
Of course. I concur. Nothing is to be taken to extreme. But the love for the country Americans feel is admirable.
Also, I don't think people who feel the love for their country should make fun or demean those who love their countries, too.

Nationalism and patriotism...it can cross a line and morph into some kind of discriminatory...thing.

Isn't the dividing line between "nationalism" and "patriotism"?

A nationalist is a particularly intense patriot.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Isn't the dividing line between "nationalism" and "patriotism"?

A nationalist is a particularly intense patriot.

I don't believe it is black and white with nationalism. The term is used to describe the sense of national sovereignty and identity. But recently, it is more used to describe those who love their own but hate someone elses (and others).

I think we should embrace love for nations, identity of a nation and its sovereignty but denounce ethnocentrism completely.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
I live in the state of Oregon.

Me too, though I live closer to Portland (Beaverton). Great place to live

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
I think American patriotism is great. I think more countries should feel like that about their country and should not be scorned over it either.

eg. French are so pompous about their language!

Also, founding fathers had a great idea about freedom of doing and being, but some things are bound to change and evolve eventually, no?

When are you coming to NYC so we can hang out? 😄

Its a beautiful country, pity about the people.

Originally posted by BackFire
Patriotism is great until people begin to try and use it as a bludgeon or a weapon against others who may disagree with their stance or ideas.

To quote the great film Paths of Glory: "Sometimes, patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."

edit

That quote is been used in other movies. I personally like it more in The Rock. Connery just pwned during the whole movie.

very disappointed by it. 🙁

Eh, I say give Empire America 4-5 more years before it collapses, by collapse I mean anumber of things ie revolution, economy failure, etc. The people I've noticed just don't care about politics and if you don't care about politics you might as well throw the entire framework of your Consitiuion away and start pissing on George Washington's grave.

didn't America piss on GW's grave when they ended slavery and the oppression of women?

Originally posted by ChakraStrings
Eh, I say give Empire America 4-5 more years before it collapses, by collapse I mean anumber of things ie revolution, economy failure, etc. The people I've noticed just don't care about politics and if you don't care about politics you might as well throw the entire framework of your Consitiuion away and start pissing on George Washington's grave.

Yeah...we're going down with Obama and you guys with Gordon Brown.

Bloody socialist!

Actually, the Constitutional Congress had heated debates in regards to ending slavery but it was kept in to appease southern states and create a union with many of the framers assuming that slavery would be phased out once the country had developed sufficient infrastructure and government. Instead the south just got really ****ing lazy. The constitution was specifically written to be a changing, living document to adjust for the times and contemporary values. They also lived in a time when indentured servitude, a form of white slavery was still widespread.

As for the difference between Nationalism and Patriotism, I see patriotism as love of country and idea/ideal of country and choosing to identify with a nation state as part of your personal identity. I see nationalism as blind, jingoistic love of country and government, feelings of entitlement to resources that conform to realist IR theory (the strong will take what they will and the weak will suffer what they must-Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War), an attitude of war mongering and persecution against other nations, people of other nationalities, or people who do not view their national identity as being as important as other factors, and view of all other peoples, ideologies, and nationalities as inferior; essentially a stateist equivalent to racism or ethnocentrism typically identified with the extreme right or the extreme left (but only in cases post-revolution in which a cult is formed around the state or single personality or figurehead).

Originally posted by Darth Jello
Actually, the Constitutional Congress had heated debates in regards to ending slavery but it was kept in to appease southern states and create a union with many of the framers assuming that slavery would be phased out once the country had developed sufficient infrastructure and government. Instead the south just got really ****ing lazy. The constitution was specifically written to be a changing, living document to adjust for the times and contemporary values. They also lived in a time when indentured servitude, a form of white slavery was still widespread.

interesting, also found this:

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/thirteenthamendment.html

forgive my ignorance, though, but wouldn't Washington and most, if not all, other founding fathers have been slave owners?

are there any notable exceptions?

Do you make a distinction between African slaves and indentured servants?