I know China is being held up as the petri dish for this discussion, but i urge all peeps to check their surroundings and see where the petri dish really is.
patriotism is the love of the land, the people, the culture, the history
nationalism is the love for an illusion provided by the State.
2 thoughts on “Patriotism and Nationalism”
i don’t buy the distinction between “patriotism” and “nationalism”. they are like yin and yang: they are intertwined and each contains the seed of the other.
that article is very well written and i am sympathetic to the argument. but she gives it away when she writes:
… if China cannot face criticism without being excessively defensive, positive patriotic impulses may quickly transform into negative nationalist feelings.
but the real root of this problem of patriotism (just a polite word for “nationalism”) is that the modern nation-state is a contrivance that is ultimately based on military power. nation-states are a necessary evil at this point in human evolution: they are better than the other alternatives, which range from chaos to imperialism. hopefully human consciousness will develop to the point where we can discard nation consciousness and graduate to people consciousness and eventually earth consciousness.
i see that happening in many places with any people already, which is perhaps why the nationalism in China gets to my gut … i guess the next post “we need your help” is about the transition you are talking about.