Seems a simple enough question, so of course I’ll complicate it–or at least expand on it.
Thinking specifically of the nation-state of which you are a citizen or permanent resident: would you call your dominant emotional attitude “love”? Please go into as much detail as you feel comfortable with.
Oh, and stop waiting for the poll. Ain’t gonna be one.
Well that’s kind of a loaded question. You can love your country but hate its government.
It’s not a loaded question. A loaded question is one so phrased as to prompt the respondent to answer in a given way, and the question I posed is not so phrased.
It’s not that easy to answer. I hate the International Bankers and their central banking scam that were all currently enslaved under.
Yes, I’m an American citizen and I love my country and I’m proud to be an American.
Even acknowledging our faults, I believe the United States has done more good than bad and has been a positive force in history.
Such a pity that the OP demands a yes-or-no answer and forbids further expansion on pain of torture.
Oh, wait. The OP does the exact opposite.
Um, we’re just very good friends.
I’m Australian. I like my country a lot. If I had carte blanche of where to live in the world, and no other ties, it might or might not be the one I would end up picking, but it’s certainly high up on the list.
I don’t think that qualifies as ‘love’
Love?.. Sort of like one loves a relative. In general it’s a pretty decent relative: for example, being a Spaniard I get to move around quite easily both within Europe (not only EU, and conversely some EU countries don’t seem to have received the memo) and within a lot of our ex-colonies, and even some countries which aren’t ex-colonies but still view us favorably; we also happen to have an absurd amount of interesting landscapes and architecture. Doesn’t mean I don’t know, for example, that there’s a relationship between the sticky fingers of our politicians and those of so much of our population.
Nava has nailed it. The USA is like a cousin I was close to as a kid, but has been making some really bad life choices. I still care, but I’ve had to distance myself. Canada, my other country, is like the cousin I never knew as a kid but I’m getting to know now. Canada has some issues, but I’m a lot more willing to hang around while he works through them.
I might feel different if I was just American or just Canadian.
I’m not sure I’d say I love the US, but I love being a US citizen. Even with all the problems, like the healthcare issues, I think I’m better off here than anywhere else. Some countries might be just as good, but I don’t think any are on the whole better. Even though being a woman and a Jew means I have to claim rights that get handed to other people, and make choices and compromises (anyone who thinks this isn’t a de facto Christian nation hasn’t tried being a member of some other religion here), it’s certainly better than being a woman in a country where I’d have to cover my face, and my taxes don’t go to support an state church.
I confess to a certain amount of patriotism-- I served in the military, and I celebrate July 4th, Veteran’s Day, Presidents’ Day, MLK Day, and I have never missed voting in an election. I also consider civics to be important-- I don’t dodge jury duty, and I’m very conscientious about renewing my car tags, and things like that. If that’s what you mean, then yes, but personally I don’t get warm fuzzies about America like some people seem to. I don’t think it’s a perfect country, and I don’t engage in “my dad can beat up your dad” kind of discussions with people from other countries. I don’t get weepy or sentimental when I see patriotic propaganda. So my answer is “No,” but I have great regard for it.
Yes . . . but it’s a platonic love.
I love the United States while acknowledging that it has flaws. The fact that our government tortured people and no attempt was made to punish those responsible or guarantee that it won’t happen again makes me angry. Likewise the fact that we have so many people in jail.
These things must be weighed against the positives. The USA has been immensely good for its own people and people all over the world. We were the first country founded on principles of individual freedom and limited, constitutional government. Our view of government has influenced nations all over the world for the better. We are responsible for more science and technology than the rest of the world combined during the past two centuries. Everyone on earth benefits from things invented and discovered in the USA. Charities located in the USA do the greatest share of good in other nations. Food grown here has helped to feed people worldwide.
I’ve never really thought about it, but I love the Netherlands, yes. The way you love a place you grew up. I don’t think we are better then others, but we have ovjectively solved a lot of problems in our own country really well. We still cause problems in other countries, though, like Shell in Nigeria, but no more then other super- rich countries. Life is good here. But mostly I love Holland because I grew up here and that is what people do, love the places and people of their youth.
I wouldn’t say I love “my” country, no.
Not even 100% sure which country counts as “my” country. (My parents were born in one country, I was born and grew up in a second country, and I’ve lived for roughly 1/3 of my life in a third country.)
I grew up in a civilised country and am currently living in a semi-civilised country and I like both, but prefer my birth country’s football team. Love? No, maybe rather gratitude.
This. I’m a veteran, vote regularly, and practice law for a living, for whatever value those data points may have.
I do not know if I would call it love.
But I would probably take it to bed just to try it out.
No. I love the landscape she sits on, but there’s too much bad blood between me and the actual country to love it, it’s parochial and provincial, the people are, on the whole, small-minded, partisan, culturally-impoverished, gullible idiots without a civic-minded bone in their bodies or any attempt at considering the future or the welfare of others…and I’m against nation-states in principle.
I do love my city, though. Clearly I should have been a Renaissance Italian…
I don’t think it’s a helpful notion.
I wonder at the correlation between people who ‘love’ their country, who similarly accept the concept of patriotism and who believe ‘God is on our side’. It’s all a bit high school.
Unless you think a little better you wind up in a First World War trench fighting on behalf of owners of capital against other poor fools doing the same.