Why do people think "Patriotism" is "Hate-riotism"?

From The American Heritage Dictionary, via Dictionary.com

Patriotism - Definitions from Dictionary.com
pa·tri·ot·ism (pā'trē-ə-tĭz'əm)
n. Love of and devotion to one's country.
jingoism - Definitions from Dictionary.com
jin·go·ism (jĭng'gō-ĭz'əm)
n. Extreme nationalism characterized especially by a belligerent foreign policy; chauvinistic patriotism.
From these two sources, it doesn't appear that the current Hate-ritoism jives with patriotism at all, but with Jingoism. Here are some prime examples of Hate-riotism:

1. Invading countries on false pretenses (Whatever happened to those WMDs?).
2. Gitmo.
3. Closing our borders to all but a select few.
4. Vilifying those who disagree with your foreign policy!

What are your examples of Hate-ritism?

And if you don't love and have devotion to what your country does/is doing...
what does that make you then?

Scuba Pete said:

What are your examples of Hate-ritism?

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The so-called Patriot Act.

lilithu said:

The so-called Patriot Act.

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The key word of course being "Act".

UltraViolet said:

And if you don't love and have devotion in what your country does/is doing...
what does that make you then?

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I don't have love and devotion in what my country is currently doing. But I still have love and devotion to my country. Always will. It's because I love my country that I want to see it be live up to its stated ideals. It's because I am a patriot that I bear witness against those things that are wrong.

UltraViolet said:

The key word of course being "Act".

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You do know what the Patriot Act is, right?

Of COURSE I DO!

sheesh.

It's the govts. right to take away all of our (percieved) rights
in the case of martial law. (which THEY of course have the right to declare)

It also accuses just about everybody of being a potential terrorist.

They are all ACTORS. Patriots my a**. That was all I meant.
It's all a big show.

People will give up all their rights,
to protect their rights. lol
go figure.

"So called" = "Act" ya know?

(I know. People must think I'm stupid and uninformed because I don't choose to vote.)

UltraViolet said:

And if you don't love and have devotion to what your country does/is doing...
what does that make you then?

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I love and am devoted to my kids. Does that mean I turn a blind eye when they screw up? The Hatriots' first line of defense is that ANY disagreement is sheer treason. Hey, that's exactly what Hitler told Nazi Germany too! You can find similar statements from Mao and Lenin.

Devotion is best when it is constructive and not blind.

UltraViolet said:

"So called" = "Act" ya know?

(I know. People must think I'm stupid and uninformed because I don't choose to vote.)

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I asked whether you knew what it was because your response didn't make sense to me. And it still doesn't. *shrug* I didn't know you don't vote, but yeah, I don't think too highly of that.

lilithu said:

I asked whether you knew what it was because your response didn't make sense to me. And it still doesn't. *shrug* I didn't know you don't vote, but yeah, I don't think too highly of that.

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I guess we all think highly
of whatever it is we happen to think highly of then.

Yet another case of a little friendly word play gone bad....

UltraViolet said:

Yet another case of a little friendly word play gone bad....

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It's the unfriendly word play that gets me! Nah, it's more than that. It's the concept that we should only want good for America. Some act like we are the only ones who deserve freedom.

If I love and devote myself to my country, do believe we should close our borders except to those of our choosing, and yet believe that people should be able to criticize the government (hopefully with sound arguments), what does that make me?

A patriot or a jingo?

UltraViolet said:

The key word of course being "Act".

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lilithu said:

You do know what the Patriot Act is, right?

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"Act" can also be a euphemism for sexual intercourse, Lil. Does it make sense now? The Patriot "Act" . . .

hateriatism is

having a one party state so the delegates you are allowed to vote for are part of the same state mechanism.

the murder of political opponants domestic and abroad

the disproportionate use of budget to defense

a paramilitary police force

no freedom of speach or assembly

the personality cult of your leader

a general subjegation of the residents of that hateriotic country by fear

doppelgänger;1143834 said:

"Act" can also be a euphemism for sexual intercourse, Lil. Does it make sense now? The Patriot "Act" . . .

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If you read her explanation:

They are all ACTORS.

It's all a big show.

"So-called" = "Act"

somehow I don't think she meant sex.

But if that's what you read into it, well that's interesting.

I think Dopp is saying Patriots are getting screwed.

lilithu said:

somehow I don't think she meant sex.

But if that's what you read into it, well that's interesting.

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I think the intent was how this "act" has affected us. Sometimes sex is used as a metaphor for power over your life as exercised by the government. As in: We have all been ____________ by this administration. Graphic? Yes. To the point? Indubitably. Accurate? I don't like the comparison my self.

Scuba Pete said:

It's the unfriendly word play that gets me! Nah, it's more than that. It's the concept that we should only want good for America. Some act like we are the only ones who deserve freedom.

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How does that square with being against liberating a whole country and toppling a murderous dictator?

I think the increased dislike of the word "patriotism" is that many people have come to believe that complete freedom and democracy equals a perfect world. This is simply a fallacy that people have bought into.

1) We don't live in a democracy. We live in a republic, which is why we have a government that represents us.

2) Independence in America is not the same as having the freedom to do whatever we want.

3) It is the governments responsibility to restrict the freedoms of other for the purpose of preserving its people.

Perhaps the Patriot Act is too far. That's a legitimate argument. But point number three is simply a definition of LAW. Law is the term used to describe the actions of a government to restrict people's freedoms for the protection of others. Throwing someone in jail? You're violating an individuals freedom. But law converts that situation into one where an individual chooses to violate their OWN freedom. Once you break the law, you lose your independence by your own choice.

To be a patriot, then, is to merely support the government's role and to acknowledge that we are lucky to live in the country that we do. The reason there is so much patriotism in America? Because we are a nation of immigrants who have everything to thank for this government that we have.

It is unfortunate that just because one or two administrations (a mere 8 to 16 years, btw) we decide that our government is "broken" or "corrupt". Some people can be so short-sighted about life. In twenty years, the people who are my age won't have even known Bush as a president. But our country will continue to have the Bill of Rights and the Supreme Court to uphold it, regardless of how powerful we are compared to other countries. Everything will continue to be worth admiring in America.

Patriotic rant over.

Reverend Rick said:

How does that square with being against liberating a whole country and toppling a murderous dictator?

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And yet we've been best buddies with other murderous dictators, even putting some in power by helping then remove the previous, democratically elected leader. Talk about being a little inconsistent with our supposed morals and values. Sure, Saddam was a horrible ******* who deserved to die, but things are still a horrible mess with people dying all over the place. The invasion ****** off the arab world even more, increasing terrorism rather than decreasing it like people are trying to claim its doing. If we were really concerned about terrorism we would've focused all of our military resources on Afganistan (you know, the country that actually had something to do with al qaeda and Osama), but in stead of fixing a mess we just created a new one with a unjustified and unwinnable war. I think in the end all we'll have accomplished is replacing a sunni dictatorship with a shi'ite dictatorship, unless we plan on staying over there indefinitely and keep suckering our kids to die for it.