• Question: Do you think patriotism can have a negative impact/ how?

    Asked by anon-236977 to Tom, Rachel, Priya, Jessica, Dan, Beatrice on 13 Mar 2020.
    • Photo: Priya Silverstein

      Priya Silverstein answered on 13 Mar 2020:


      Yes, definitely. It can make people “other” other people a lot, and see borders where there are none.

    • Photo: Jessica Pope

      Jessica Pope answered on 13 Mar 2020:


      It can have a negative impact, in my opinion. Take, say, a football match between Liverpool and Everton. Liverpool fans also see themselves as a collective social group, who dislike people who don’t belong to their group e.g. Everton fans. The same can be said for the Everton fans, they dislike people who don’t belong to their group e.g. Liverpool fans. This can lead to tensions and anti-social behaviours between the two groups.
      Now imagine this on a bigger scale, when we see ourselves as a British “social group” compared to say the French? We still only like those who are in our social group and “discriminate” against those who aren’t in it. This kind of explains how patriotism can be negative

    • Photo: Beatrice Hayes

      Beatrice Hayes answered on 15 Mar 2020:


      It’s great to be proud of your country and where you live, but there are times when this is taken too far and people think they are better than others. When this happens, it becomes very restrictive and can breed hate.

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