Does Patriotism Have a Counterfeit?

The word “patriotism” describes a feeling of love and devotion to one’s country. The related term “compatriot” is used to describe a fellow citizen and has positive connotations of loyalty, comradery, and devotion. Patriotism is a loyal love for one’s country and its people and is linked to a strong desire to protect.

Nationalism is often confused with patriotism. In essence, the two concepts are distinctly different from each other. However, they can look eerily similar. That is why nationalism is a counterfeit of patriotism. From certain angles, nationalism looks a whole lot like patriotism, but when we look closer at its basis and its effects, it is a far cry from the loyal love of patriotism.

Nationalism is not based on a love for one’s country, but a hatred for other countries. The focus of nationalism is that one’s own nation is better than other countries and that one’s own people are better than other people. Nationalism is not the belief that one’s country is good, it is the belief that one’s country is the best and all other countries are worse. It is a hollowed-out version of patriotism twisted into a powerful manipulation tactic.

When the citizens of a country believe that they are better than the rest of the world’s population, they begin to see everyone who is not a part of their nation as less than human. This happens because being born in some specific place is a weak justification for being superior to everyone else. So, naturally, to convince oneself of something that ridiculous, one must rationalize other justifications – the most common being “all people who are not part of this nation are less than human. They are savage, dumb, and evil.”

Nationalism is based upon hatred for other nations and the degradation and alienation of their people. Throughout history, especially during wars, we have seen countless examples of propaganda encouraging nationalistic views. Nationalism’s hate is a powerful motivator, and more importantly, the way it warps identity is a dangerously effective way for a nation to maintain control over its citizens because it creates a massive divide between “us” and “them”. 

Adolf Hitler’s regime, the most infamous example of nationalism, and the tactics he used to build his raging army of Nazi soldiers is the perfect demonstration of what nationalism really is. Hitler built the Nazi ideology upon two main concepts: the superior nature of Germans and the dehumanization of all other people. Hilter’s government spewed a constant stream of propaganda depicting Germans as intellectually and morally superior and calling the Jew’s (and other German enemies) degrading names like “rats” and “cockroaches”. In an article about the dehumanization of Jews in Nazi propaganda, Miguel Criado states “Jews were represented as being incapable of human feeling” and “depicted as agents of evil, as demons, as nefarious cabal scheming up threats.” 

Nationalism creates an “us vs. them” mentality. It is motivated by hatred and fear and seeks to reject and destroy anything outside its nation. Nationalism divides and strips any “other” of its value.

Patriotism connects. It celebrates the virtues of its homeland and seeks to extend those liberties to other people. It is motivated by love.

The goal of nationalism is to destroy everything else.
The goal of patriotism is to protect your nation and its people and ideals.

I feel deeply grateful to be living in the United States of America, a country where I am safe and free. There is a lot of good to appreciate here. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to every person who has and is putting their life on the line to protect mine and the lives of my loved ones. Thank you for your sacrifice.