the.com/patriotism
Loving your country enough to want it to do better, not just win more.
means Devotion to one's country — a felt loyalty to its people, land, and ideals that makes you want to protect and improve it.
from Traces back through French 'patriotisme' to Late Latin 'patriota' (fellow-countryman), rooted in Greek 'patris' — fatherland — itself built on 'pater,' father. The word entered English usage with a political edge: in the 18th century 'patriot' could mean either a principled defender of liberty or, depending on who was talking, a loud troublemaker opposing the crown — a reminder that love of country has always come bundled with arguments about what loving it should mean.
- orwell's take
- he called it defensive, nationalism offensive
- etymology
- from greek pater, fatherland
- dark twist
- last refuge of scoundrels, per samuel johnson
- sports proof
- peaks oddly during olympic medal counts