George Orwell defined patriotism as the feeling of admiration for a way of life or nation. It is true that when this certain way of life or nation is attacked you feel a willingness to defend it as Joseph Sobran states, “Patriotism is a peaceful until forced to fight”. That does not mean you ignorantly join the army to fight and kill because you feel it will demonstrate your loyalty to the nation. People often misjudge the meaning of patriotism with that of nationalism. While patriotism holds a passive attitude, nationalism, on the contrary, is aggressive by nature.
Nationalism deals with feeling of superiority, where one feels their way of life or nation is better than all others. Ideas of patriotism are often misinterpreted for those of nationalism when we hate other ethnic groups and/or are brutal to people with other cultures and customs. What one may take for acts of patriotism when they yell "Go back to where you came from!" or enroll in the military because it is their “duty to protect their flag”, only shows their misunderstanding of the word.
After 9/11 there were many people filled with anger and revenge enlisting in the military to "serve and protect" in the "War Against Terrorism". Sobran warned "In a time of war hysteria, the outraged patriot, feeling his country under attack, may succumb to the seductions of nationalism. This is the danger we face now."
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