My most basic understanding of patriotism is some form of "love of country" and "love of fellow countrymen". I see that declining all around me. Even the formulation I just made love of "countrymen" is anti-woke because of the word root "men" I used. If you said such a phrase on an American university campus, hecklers would attack you as being non-inclusive. The majority of students would understand what you were really saying, but would not openly support you for fear of being attacked themselves. I believe that "woke" Americans do not love America. They have no realistic understanding of how America's institutions, while flawed and imperfect, are still the best humanity has so far been able to build. Their nhilistic power is directly responsible for the decline in American patriotism. The woke left has captured all the main sources of cultural dialog in the USA: news media, education, and entertainment. Their self-hatred is making America itself lose its former confidence in its values.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, I am sorry that you feel that way.
Funny thing is, this is exactly what a woke person would say to a conservative or neocon. Saying the conservative don't like America unless this is their version of America, highly religious (like overturning roe v wade) and living in the past and too paternal etc, I am not a woke person, so I don't really know their argument for sure...
Anyway, in the old days, there are left,, there are right, and there is middle, I mean, this country is basically built on that, from the separation of politics and judiciary structure. to the bi-partisan ship, used to be the two side have their political indifferent, but they still respected the other side, for me, I don't know since when this was no longer the case, the problem is, if we cannot see the issue from the other side, that's what we will get, a country that deeply divided.
At the end of the day, how we choose to love our country and love our fellow countrymen can be different, I mean, I served in the US Armed Force, does that make me more patriotic than others? I personally didn't do that for the country, I saw that as a kind of a job, some were forced because they did some stupid shit and the judge gave them that choice, while some do join because they love their country do much they felt compel to. For those people, I might not be an American Patriot. On the other hand, aren't we all in the same organisation that serve the same country at the end? Then how when we are in the same army, one can be less patriotic than the others? And if this is already a question, then how about people who served and people who do not? That would be a whole other can of worm.
For me, patriotism is not related to political allegiance, because whether you are a liberal or a conservative, you still have to live in this country. In the end, what are the differences between a liberal or a conservative? That's how we see things in the extension of our political affiliation. While you may see a liberal is less patriotic, or even anti-establishment, or they see you the same way, that does not mean they are not patriotic, that just mean they see America on a different way. And sometime, centric idea is probably the best way to move forward.
Por fin, I don't know if you have heard of a TV show back in the 90s called "Becker" that show predicted a lot of political issue and movement we face today back in the 90s. And for some reason, your thought reminds me of this particular scene.
