Patriotism

Patriotism denotes positive attitudes by a person to their own nation, to its national homeland, its culture, its members, and to its interests. The word is derived from the Latin patria, fatherland, which has a much broader meaning than a geographical territory.

Post-2001 patriotism in the United States

The September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States led to a wave of patriotic expression, unparalled since the Germans in the Second World War. While there was a groundswell of international outrage and support for the US public after the attacks, the link between the War on Terrorism, the 2003 Iraq War, and US patriotism has been difficult for some outside the US. Modern Western Europeans, particularly in the United Kingdom (perhaps due to its imperial history) and Germany, have tended to view any ostentatious display of flags and national symbols as small-minded, jingoistic or, what is worse, racist. While patriotic statements appear to have played well to the US domestic audience, they necessarily exclude foreigners. Further, many abroad feel that the attributes described as typically or exclusively American—such as freedom and democracy—are not only found in the United States, and to claim so is inflammatory.

Related Topics:
September 11, 2001 attacks - War on Terrorism - 2003 Iraq War - Western Europeans - United Kingdom - Germany - Jingoistic - Racist - United States

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Many believe that the surge in patriotism enabled a number of major changes in national policy. The (significantly named) USA PATRIOT Act, which was signed into law on October 26, 2001, was designed ostensibly to combat terrorism but is considered by many to constitute a harmful assault on civil liberties. It is also possible that the patriotic surge created a political climate for the Bush Administration's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Related Topics:
USA PATRIOT Act - October 26 - 2001 - Civil liberties - Afghanistan

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Like almost all wars, the wars themselves appear to have increased patriotic feeling. As casualties have mounted and opposition to the war has increased, a pattern seen earlier in the Vietnam War has reemerged: those in favor of war consider that those who oppose it are unpatriotic, or even outright traitors. Several conservative commentators have indicated they feel that news that paints the US in a negative light is giving aid and comfort to the enemy. Since war opponents understandably resent such accusations, the political debate has taken place in an atmosphere of increasing anger.

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It has been claimed that patriotic fervor has decreased the ability of Americans to obtain objective or even simply rational information about the world situation. In particular, the journal Political Science Quarterly published research showing that those who obtained their news from outlets that appear to make a concerted effort to be patriotic were more likely to have factual misconceptions about the Iraq war. These misperceptions were: that weapons of mass destruction had been found, that evidence linked Saddam Hussein to al Qaeda, and that world public opinion favored the war. Respondents that received their news from public broadcasting, conversely, were far less likely to hold these perceptions.

Related Topics:
Political Science Quarterly - Saddam Hussein - Al Qaeda

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