gladstone on patriotism

I wish my stepfather was a High Court Judge.

Not if it produces this rubbish.

The Backpacker has lost his way if he thinks patriotism is out of this world

Amanda Vanstone
Former Howard government minister and former Ambassador to Italy and Griffith, NSW et al.

There is nothing shameful in declaring that you are proud to be Australian.

Sadly, Ben Groundwater, Fairfax's globetrotter on a shoestring, who writes The Backpacker column, has declared he is not a proud Aussie. He wonders what we should be proud of and asks what makes Australia so much better than everyone else's country. He does acknowledge that as he travels the world he finds people in other countries who are also proud of their patch.

For the Fairfax world traveller, the concept of nationality and nationhood has become irrelevant. One cannot be sure but the article reads as though he believes patriotism and nationalism are one and the same. Many, including myself, will disagree on that point.

The test is for The Backpacker to identify for himself the country of which he would rather be a citizen.

I take a patriot to be someone who loves their country above all else in the sense that they would unflinchingly put the common good for their compatriots ahead of any personal gain. Patriotism, in this sense, is a good thing.

Like it or not (and The Backpacker doesn't) nation states are the prime mechanism for citizens to group together for each other's benefit. They are also the key vehicle through which large numbers of citizens (one nation state) communicate with others (in other nation states) to encourage fairer trade, protect our natural environment and encourage world peace, to name a few laudable objectives. In other words, by being good citizens of our nation state and by Australia taking helpful and constructive positions on the international stage, we are in fact being what The Backpacker professes to want, namely good citizens of the world.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/the-backpacker-has-lost-his-way-if-he-thinks-patriotism-is-out-of-this-world-20130120-2d14k.html

Another mega rich tool with all the answers. God help Australia.