Patriotism
Can anyone tell me why the national anthem should be played at a sporting event? Do we go to see a ball game or to celebrate our country? What does one have to do with the other? As a Canadian, I dearly love my country and would fight to defend it, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else, but I don't believe in waving the flag or singing the anthem at the drop of a hat. To me, a flag is useful to identify a ship, for instance. At a border crossing it tells you what country you're entering, in case you didn't know. In the U.S. the flag is a sacred object, not to be trod upon or desecrated in any way. It's a symbol, sure, but it's a piece of cloth for God's sake! The flag waves in the breeze, the anthem is sung by the latest popular rocker, eyes get dewy with hand over heart - come on you guys, get over it! You're not the hope of the world - take a good look at yourselves and the President you've chosen. Chauvinism sucks!
"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." - Samual Johnson. Good ole' Sam must have anticipated George Bush. And here are a couple of quotes for the residents of American inner cities - "No man can be a patriot on an empty stomach." (W.C. Brann) "How can a man be said to have a country when he has no right to a square inch of it." (Henry George) Or how about Alexander Pope - "Who dare to love their country and be poor." And then Thomas Jefferson must have anticipated the present day - "Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just."
Can anyone tell me why the national anthem should be played at a sporting event? Do we go to see a ball game or to celebrate our country? What does one have to do with the other? As a Canadian, I dearly love my country and would fight to defend it, and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else, but I don't believe in waving the flag or singing the anthem at the drop of a hat. To me, a flag is useful to identify a ship, for instance. At a border crossing it tells you what country you're entering, in case you didn't know. In the U.S. the flag is a sacred object, not to be trod upon or desecrated in any way. It's a symbol, sure, but it's a piece of cloth for God's sake! The flag waves in the breeze, the anthem is sung by the latest popular rocker, eyes get dewy with hand over heart - come on you guys, get over it! You're not the hope of the world - take a good look at yourselves and the President you've chosen. Chauvinism sucks!
"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." - Samual Johnson. Good ole' Sam must have anticipated George Bush. And here are a couple of quotes for the residents of American inner cities - "No man can be a patriot on an empty stomach." (W.C. Brann) "How can a man be said to have a country when he has no right to a square inch of it." (Henry George) Or how about Alexander Pope - "Who dare to love their country and be poor." And then Thomas Jefferson must have anticipated the present day - "Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just."
posted by puzzled @ 7:05 AM
1 Comments:
There's a lot of truth there. I love my country but the government does things every day, like spend several hundred thousand dollars on a gala dinner for the new Governer General, that make me want to puke. But I am proud of recent things we've done, no ABM, staying out of Iraq, Kyoto accords.
Though when I stood on the floor at the Canadian Karate nationals, this past spring. And they played the national anthem, I had tears. Of course Karate is something I'm passionate about.
Thanks for the comment on my page. We'll get'em!
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