From: ibshambat@gmail.com   
      
   A friend of mine, who is black, said that all of us are racists as we identify   
   with our own groups.   
      
   My response is that there are miles to go between identifying with one's own   
   group and hating other groups, and that the two sentiments should be separated   
   into benign patriotism and malignant patriotism.   
      
   Benign patriotism wants the well-being of one's people; malignant patriotism   
   wants the destruction of somebody else. The first is based in love; the second   
   is based in hatred. If such things as love and hatred mean nothing to you,   
   then what should mean    
   something is the results. The results of benign patriotism are peaceful,   
   prosperous, livable countries. The results of malignant patriotism is rape and   
   pillage. And that makes the two as different as night and day.   
      
   If you are in Syria, it is fine to want the well-being of Syria; it is not   
   fine to want the destruction of Israel. If you are in Russia, it is fine to   
   want the well-being of Russia; it is not fine to want the destruction of the   
   United States. If you are    
   in China, it is fine to want the well-being of China; it is not fine to want   
   to conquer India, Africa or Japan. The first is healthy and constructive. The   
   second is destructive and wrong.   
      
   No, you don't need to hate France in order to love America, nor do you need to   
   hate America in order to love France. No, you don't need to hate Jews in order   
   to love the Germans, nor do you need to hate Germans in order to love the   
   Jews. Wanting the well-   
   being of one's own people is healthy and righteous, and nobody should be kept   
   from doing that. The problems happen when people decide that loving one's own   
   people means hating other people. And it is then that the healthy sentiment   
   that is benign    
   patriotism turns malignant.   
      
   Benign patriotism should be accepted and nurtured in people. Malignant   
   patriotism should be suppressed. The reason, once again, is that benign   
   patriotism leads to positive outcomes, and malignant patriotism to negative   
   outcomes. The people of the world -    
   including one's own people - benefit from benign patriotism. They suffer when   
   the patriotism turns malignant.   
      
   The problem is not patriotism; patriotism is healthy. The problem is malignant   
   patriotism that wants not the well-being of one's own people but ill for   
   somebody else. Benign patriotism should be nurtured; malignant patriotism   
   should be confronted. And    
   then we will get to see all places in the world benefit, resulting in better   
   life for everyone.   
      
   Ilya Shambat   
   https://sites.google.com/site/ilyashambatthought   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)