Jensen make extremely poignant and effective arguments in his article "Saying Goodbye to Patriotism". I was struck a number of times within the first few pages with just how successful he is with correlating his ideas of patriotism being morally devoid and examples from history and present policies. Jensen writes "I want to put forward the radical proposition that we should care what the facts are. We should start with the assumption that everything about the United States, like everything about any country, needs to be examined and assessed. That is what it means to be a moral person". Is this not the fundamental procedure to achieve critical thinking? By making this relation between assessment and examination with critical thinking and comparing the lack of both in regards to patriotism is enough to convince me (my opinion is easily persuaded, especially in this case where patriotism has never been a component in my personal life).
Jensen further proposes that instead of the conventional method of patriotism in which one assumes their nation is above all others, that person should support their nation for their strengths (not in relation to other countries, just on the basis of how the particular concepts of their nation affect them) and admit their shortcomings. By participating in this altered sense patriotism would not posses such a stigma of one nation superior from another due to personal opinion. Instead, it would be a recognition and appreciation of the strengths of a nation, while admitting there could be improvements.
After reading Jensen's article and considering his examples of the shortcomings within America, would you ever consider moving to another country? Once there would you consider being patriotic for your previously foreign, now domestic, land?
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