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PeterC  ·  3776 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: "You're Doing Great Work, It's Just...You Aren't Trying Very Hard."

Countries are always judged by their people. I've got a theory that I want holes shot in so I'll put it out here.

Lesser (hideous vile) people naturally associate themselves with things that will hide their quality of character. They lose themselves in the group - the KKK, Nazism, bad cults. Often they misappropriate a good cause and turn it into shit - I'd say the Black Panthers might fall here. Nationalism is no different. It can attract highly outspoken morons easily. Like moths to light, and they swarm to it in clouds. Patriotism is generally viewed as a good thing so it gives them a mask to wear.

Meanwhile the good people - by their inherently tolerant nature - tend to rise above national boundaries and instead focus on people. Because they're concerned with everyone, it's hard to tie a nationality to them.

Eventually this translates into a global redefinition of what an American patriot is where the loudest group dominates the news people see.