From: Ramez Naam (mez@apexnano.com)
Date: Tue Nov 26 2002 - 18:05:47 MST
From: Eugen Leitl [mailto:eugen@leitl.org]
> On Tue, 26 Nov 2002, Ramez Naam wrote:
>
> > I find no conflict in loving my country, being proud of it, and
> > feeling that it's heading in a very sad and very dangerous
> > direction right now.
>
> Another data point: I find a sentence which involves 'love'
> 'being proud' and 'my country' to be really sicko. I've had
> enough propaganda rammed down my throat during those little
> commie nazi camps I was privy to during my childhood and
> early adolescence that I feeling an intense urge to puke if I
> see such combinations. Ugh.
That's an understandable reaction. Many of my friends (who are as a
rule even more liberal than me) feel the same way. Personally, I feel
free to love my country and be proud of it on my own terms, but I
bristle at anyone telling me that I should do so.
I should also be clear that I feel a much stronger membership in the
group "humanity" and even stronger than that in "sentient beings" than
I do in "americans". Nevertheless, I'm an american (if a fairly
out-of-step one, politically), and happy to be one.
cheers,
mez
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