Patriotism in popular music
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Patriotism is a terrible topic for a song. That’s what makes me cringe
when I listen to Preciosa Puerto Rico by Marc Anthony. But when that
tempo change in the middle around the 3min mark comes up, it just
makes me want to get up and shout with jubilation! It is only later
that I wonder: what if this had been a German singing about Germany
(substitute your own boogeyman). 😩

I am convinced: patriotism is an illusion used to achieve something.
It might be something good, a national infrastructure project, but
inevitably it will be used for evil. But that song … ah, it melts my
heart!

Beware small-patriotism. It starts with homesickness, longing for the
places and culture you grew up in, which is valid, no doubt, but when
you add pride or that feeling of belonging to the mix, it starts
getting tricky. Who decides who belongs?

As a perpetual foreigner, that feeling of belonging always comes with
an exclusionary element, in my experience. The Swiss celebrate
Switzerland, and their independence from the Austrians and the
Germans. The Austrians celebrate Austria and think that the Slovenian
road names have to go. There's always somebody on the other side of
the fence. But I know relatives in Portugal, France, Germany, Austria,
Croatia, and there are more relatives that I haven't met. So yes,
there can be as moment of pride for living in a place where this or
that works well, or where the landscape is beautiful, or where you
feel the people are nice, or the food is good, a moment where you're
not thinking too hard about it all – but that moment is fleeting, and
the abyss is huge. Patriotism and nationalism are not only about that
fleeting moment.

​#Politics