George Monbiot on patriotism

George Monbiot writes:

I don’t hate Britain, and I am not ashamed of my nationality, but I have no idea why I should love this country more than any other. There are some things I like about it and some things I don’t, and the same goes for everywhere else I’ve visited. To become a patriot is to lie to yourself, to tell yourself that whatever good you might perceive abroad, your own country is, on balance, better than the others. It is impossible to reconcile this with either the evidence of your own eyes or a belief in the equality of humankind. Patriotism of the kind Orwell demanded in 1940 is necessary only to confront the patriotism of other people: the Second World War, which demanded that the British close ranks, could not have happened if Hitler hadn’t exploited the national allegiance of the Germans. The world will be a happier and safer place when we stop putting our own countries first.

www.monbiot.com

When I taught in Greece in the mountain villiage of Arachova, I often felt annoyed that all of the children insisted that Greece was the best and most beautiful country in the world. Best food, best people, best countryside, best everything. Most of them had never gone further than Athens (nearest big city). How did they know? I asked. They just knew. This is maybe more understandable in a relatively cut off, very trditional and orthadox villiage with very limited access to other ideas (noone there I knew then had the Internet); but I think it is less forgivable in Britain. We are clearly not best. I am proud of some things I think British people do well - but sad about things we don't - and definitely don't think we can rank a people overall in any kind of bestness heirarchy.