Is patriotism a dangerous emotion in today’s world?
Talks of Singaporeans’ “rootlessness” and political apathy are common in the newspapers today. As Singapore approaches “developed country” status, the local government shifts its focus to promoting patriotism among locals; the decision to turn Social Studies into a compulsory subject for upper secondary students here is a case in the point. Indubitably, patriotism must be desirable or the Singapore government will not be fretting over the dearth of it. However, patriotism can be a dangerous emotion in today’s world. Any country in the world will hanker to have a patriotic society. It is the sentiment of a citizen being proud of his country and a behaviour of demonstrating lovee for his country. Patriotism also constitutes citizens recognizing their responsibility. The emergence of patriotism is definitely not one of overnight; it surfaces only if a country and its government is doing exceedingly well such that its people feel proud to be part of it. Post-WWII Americans and Twenty-first
