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The Forum > Article Comments > Patriot games > Comments

Patriot games : Comments

By Tony Coady, published 3/11/2006

Australia's politicians stoop to conquer with their fondness for thoughtless patriotism.

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Tolstoy also has something say on patriotism he said... Patriotism is slavery elsewhere he defined patriotism as .....

"the principle that will justify the training of wholesale murderers; a trade that requires better equipment for the exercise of man-killing than the making of such necessities of life as shoes, clothing, and houses"

And another Marxist E Belford bax ( yes he was a leftie and sported a fine moustache to boot)he was also a barrister said.

"The time is fast approaching when to call a man a patriot will be the deepest insult You can offer him. Patriotism now means advocating plunder in the interests of the privileged classes of the particular State system into which we have happened to be born.

I think the time Belford was referring to has well and truly come - we are less bold about beating up patriotism than some but our leaders are out there banging on 'bout values - stressing at every corner the differences between us and them - and I dont need to tell you who the them is - in order to keep the enthusiam for murder and mayhem alive in our hearts - becuase if we do not do these things a worse fate may befall us -

Patriots go to war and or urge others to go to war or stay on a war footing - and that is our national focus.

And we can see the effects on unbridled patriotism in Iraq - on both side actually - a few elites round up as many young men and women as they can and order them to kill each other - stupid really.

And in reference to the priviliged clases bit - the Sooppreeeem Commander of our Standing Army recently and quite correctly queried the notable under representation in the services of the children of politicians -

Patriotism is a crock - of course failure to be a patriot will be aligned with not loving ones country - and allegations of white anting our great nation will follow.

So Coady's essay is well overdue
Posted by sneekeepete, Friday, 3 November 2006 2:37:31 PM
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PATRIOTISM FOR WEDGE POLITICS

From the comments above the "p" word sure looks divisive.

Funnily enough the Howard Government is aware of patriotism's divisive nature and uses it against the Labor Party and its supporters.

I reckon patriotism is yet another of Howard’s WEDGE POLITICAL tools. He knows that key ethnic groups in Melbourne and Sydney (eg Muslims) reputedly prefer Labor. Many other Labor supporters Australians are strongly patriotic "true blue" Aussies.

By bringing up patriotism Howard forces Beazley and local Labor MP to choose a line to prove that Labor is patriotic or at least addressing the multicultural issue. Whatever line Beazley uses he alienates certain groups of Labor politicians and potential oters.

To some extent Howard and Costello also outdo themselves in kicking the patriotism can as part of the succession struggle.

Patriotism has little to do with country where politics is concerned.

Pete
http://spyingbadthings.blogspot.com
Posted by plantagenet, Friday, 3 November 2006 2:54:04 PM
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Ho Hum
You're quite right that the political right uses prejudicial language and oblique attacks, but it seems to me that the this is something the left is equally guilty of. I suspect most of us find bias a lot easier to identify in the words of people we disagree with than those we agree with.

This article is not above a bit of prejudicial language – “indulgence in flag-worship” and “the crocodile man was better known and more loved in America than Australia, which may explain some of the prime minister's infatuation with his image” both qualify as "emotionally manipulative slur words", in my book (even though I have some sympathy with the opinions they're intended to convey).
Posted by Rhian, Friday, 3 November 2006 3:04:23 PM
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The author is correct when he refers to that famous quote…..’patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel’. Some people do abuse it and some people use patriotism for purely selfish reasons. Recently an estimated 20,000 very patriotic Australians were found living in the south of Lebanon. Their paroxysms of flag-worship were greeted with astonishment and scorn.

The most overt displays of patriotism can be found in the USA. How do we explain that the USA is still a magnet for millions of people? An estimated 7 million illegals want to be classified as USA citizens. They want to be American, proud, patriotic and the all the other jingoistic tosh that the yanks go on with. How so?

A person would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to have noticed America’s dirty washing on display for all the world to see yet 7 million people seem to still want to commit to what they view as worthwhile ideals.

Maybe patriotism ain’t all that bad
Posted by Sage, Friday, 3 November 2006 5:29:17 PM
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Those who argue for a "gray" reality may well get it. Or at least some semblance of gray, induced by a stiff knee in the back as they find themselves bent to the will of oppression as the very rights they claim as "theirs" are chocked from them.
Of course they will also demand that they be protected by those very same patriots that they have vilified.
That's the beauty of gray. Your always right(or more right)because you advocate no thing.
Posted by aqvarivs, Friday, 3 November 2006 5:58:16 PM
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The dictionary says that a patriot is a lover or defender of his country. Do some of the people in these posts object to being a patriot to this country because in time of war their allegiance is to their old tribe in their old country. It makes a lie of the vows they swore when they were granted citizenship and swore loyalty and allegiance to this country doesn’t it.

As for professor Coady. I say what kind of person doesn’t love their country or want to defend it. Whos going to be standing on your side of the line Professor Coady if war breaks out and the line is drawn in the sand. You’ll want your fellow countrymen to protect you then wont you. The fact that some of the people in these posts don’t feel patriotic to their sworn Australian citizenship highlights the point I always make. That mankind is tribal and incapable of multiculturalism unless intermarriage takes place because their first allegiance will always be to their tribe if a world war breaks out
Posted by sharkfin, Friday, 3 November 2006 10:18:17 PM
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