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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

22 November 2014

9:00 AM

22 November 2014

9:00 AM

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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