Aahhh patriotism. That wonderful feeling you get when rallying behind the country you love. It feels like nothing can go wrong. Your country can do no wrong. We’re all getting behind the best presidential candidate in history, because we need to make our country even better! We’re going to war because country X is a threat to our freedom, and we’re gonna smoke them! We live in the best country in the world, and anyone who says otherwise is nothing more than a dirty rotten traitor! Our government protects us from terrorist threats, so we owe them our lives!
The truth about government is, of course, very different.
Voting may be able to make you feel better, feel like you’re making a difference, but of course, you’re not. It’s a game of manipulation. Divide and conquer (www.theeyesofawareness.com/how-to-vote-libertarian/). War, especially on the side of an empire, is rarely for self-defense. More often than not, it is for expansion and resources. Terrorism? It’s likely that said terrorism is more akin to retribution for war crimes committed by your precious government.
For those of us who accept these facts, the question remains - why are so many people so loyal to such an evil system, many being willing even to become violent to defend their country from mere slander?
The Psychology of Patriotism
Stockholm, Sweden, 1973. A pair of men walk into a bank heavily armed. They initiate their plan to rob the bank. In the process, they take four of the employees hostage and hold them for six days. The hostages end up forming an emotional bond with the robbers so deep that they start to believe that the criminals are protecting them. After being gassed by police and the bank breached, the hostages refused to leave without their captors, seemingly not wanting to be rescued. The emotional bond formed was dubbed “Stockholm Syndrome” from that day on.
Stockholm Syndrome occurs when five conditions combine for a kidnapped victim*.
- The aggressor poses a credible and serious threat to the victim, requiring a defensive mechanism to activate.
- The victim believes they cannot escape.
- The victim is unable to overpower or defend against the aggressor.
- The victim believes their captor to show kindness, even if that kindness is only in the form of less abuse.
- The victim is isolated from the outside world, though there are cases when, after time, the victim will be allowed some contact, usually after the condition has set in and the victim will defend their captor.
How does Stockholm Syndrome apply to patriotism? To answer that, let’s break down the conditions. - Does your government pose a credible and serious threat?
Try not paying your taxes, or even a parking ticket (and continue driving). Government is the only entity on the planet with the (self-imposed) right to initiate violence. Not only is this written into the laws, clearly explaining the extent that they are willing to go to enforce their rules, but they have demonstrated over and over again their willingness to follow through with killing people who disobey even the most menial laws. - Can we escape easily?
What would be required to “escape” the government? Start with giving up everything with any meaning in your life. Friends, family, career, society… all must be given up. Then there’s the expense. Any of you who have ever moved knows that it’s not cheap. Now try crossing national borders. And in the end, you’re only going to become subject under another government, so what’s the point? - How likely are we to overpower or defend against the government?
This is not an impossibility if enough people come together, but it is an incredibly daunting task nonetheless. Taking on a group of people who literally have the ability to wipe out entire geographical regions with the push of a button is not to be taken lightly. To the average person, this would seem like an impossible undertaking, especially without a private defense network in place. - Does the government show kindness, even if only with less abuse?
Politicians are constantly making promises for lower taxes and higher freedoms. They steal through taxation, but give some back through providing social services. Your government probably isn’t the most oppressive in history, either. - Are you isolated from the outside world?
Perhaps not completely, but how many people can afford a plane ticket around the world? Most people’s perspective of the world outside their own borders is limited to what their government controlled media tell them, or what another countries government controlled media says.
Patriotism is Stockholm Syndrome
Government is the controller of your life. You are held hostage and encouraged to believe that your kidnappers care for you and only want what’s best, like a parent over a child. Those displaying symptoms of Stockholm Syndrome (patriotism) show the signs clearly. Emotional closeness, loyalty, adoption of a belief structure, perception of protection, failure to escape when the opportunity is presented, gratitude, rationalization, and sensitivity to the needs of the captor**.
Breaking a person of a psychological dependence is not something that can happen overnight, and in most situations, they must come to the paradigm shift themselves. As with Socrates’ story of the cave, if you drag a person from the dark into the light, it will hurt their eyes and cause them to retreat back into the cave. They must come out on their own. The only thing we can do is continue telling people about a world outside the cave and ensure them that the light is nothing to fear. Only then will they come out of their own accord, and stay out.
“You are a slave…
Like everyone else, you were born into bondage.
Into a prison that you cannot taste or see or touch.
A prison for your mind…
I’m trying to free your mind…
But I can only show you the door.
You’re the one who has to walk through it.”
-Morpheus, The Matrix
*Huemer- The Problem of Political Authority pp 126-28
** Huemer- The Problem of Political Authority pp 124-25
I think patriotism is a dangerous form of irrationality, bordering on madness.
Here's a great, relevant talk Huemer gave on the psychology of authority...
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