Mary Wakefield Mary Wakefield

Patriotism isn’t uncivilised – it’s what makes civilisation possible

You trust yourself first, your family, then your clan and then, slowly and hesitantly, something bigger

issue 22 November 2014

Is it racist to be patriotic? Is patriotism, by definition, small-minded and exclusive? When you strip away the onion layers of sentiment about history and hymns, Shakespeare and lawn clippings, does it have a hateful heart? I ask because, as I’ve written before, I feel patriotic, and until recently I’ve considered this to be a good thing.

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