One question in my mind, which I hardly dare mention in public, is whether patriotism has, overall, been a force for good or evil in the world. Patriotism is rampant in war and there are some good things about it. Just as self-respect and pride bring out the best in an individual, pride in family, pride in teammates, pride in hometown bring out the best in groups of people. War brings out the kind of pride in country that encourages its citizens in the direction of excellence and it encourages them to be ready to die for it. At no time do people work so well together to achieve the same goal as they do in wartime. Maybe that's enough to make patriotism eligible to be considered a virtue. If only I could get out of my mind the most patriotic people who ever lived, the Nazi Germans. . Andy Rooney
About This Quote

In many ways, patriotism is a great thing. It does motivate people to work together and strive to overcome adversity. However, in order for patriotism to be considered a virtue, it must have a clear meaning. In the case of the Nazis, they were highly patriotic because they believed in an ideology, not simply because they wanted to be part of Germany.

They also did not see the meaning of their actions in terms of families or towns. Instead, they believed that the world would be a better place when everyone was German and all races were pure-bred Germans. Thus, they acted in a way that would result in pure-blooded Germans and a world in which no races existed.

Source: My War

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