What is the difference between patriotism and terrorism? Why?
440655
Hey Sonnyblu I believe the original poster asked that proselytizing be kept out of this thread. Thanks :)\n\nPatriotism and Terrorism- the exact same thing from different perspectives\n\nLook at the American Revolution. To the colonies they were patriots. To England they were terrorists.\n\nEven today, from their (Muslim extremists) perspective they are patriots. From our perspective they are terrorists. I am not saying either side is right in their judgment, but thus is the nature of Patriotism/Terrorism. \n\nWords describing the same action yet holding entirely different meanings.
497303
Social Chauvinism is fanatical patriotism.  It is the only chauvinism I found that related to patriotism directly.
244670
I think terrorism is the result of violence, and for most people violence can only be answered with more violence: terrorist acts. For example if you drop bombs in a country, and invade a foreign country, you can only expect more violence in return, so the only way to stop violence is not to use it as a way of changing the world.
805219
I believe Bush is different from terrorist.  They are fighting the only way they can to try and free their countries from our economic and military domination, fighting for their homeland and families; and Bush is making our young people fight, die and kill innocent people for oil profits for the wealthy.
807037
Terrorism is not spacific to religion.  All people are capable of terrorism.
491208
A terrorist for someone is a freedom fighter for other. It actually depends on which side you are. Yes you are right there is no difference between a marine killing a civilian and a terrorist killing a civilian.
447731
There is no "best" country. Patriotism is not the belief of "my country is the best because I was born there", rather it is the knowledge of what you owe your country based upon what your country has given you. Those who are born in countries like American, Britain, and Australia (among others) certainly owe their countries a great deal of loyalty and civic participation, but no country is "better."
273056
A terrorist is a person who intimadates others by means of psycological and/or physical means. They want others afraid of them.\n\nFrom the time man began on this planet there were terrorists. You can see a good example of this in school yard bullies.\n\nI am afraid they are not going away and will be around as long as mankind exists.\n\nTerrorists do not always kill or blow themselves up and you can find plenty of them in all countries of the world and in all societies.
1121339
Patriot.\n\n\n"A patriot loves his country. A nationalist hates everyone elses"
608226
i'm spiritual so i dont condone terrorism..\nbut as to where it came from,historically a lot of times when 1 country cant defend themselves against another by lining up their soldiers in a field somewhere they resort to kill a few here &there by stealthy means\nwe need to remember its not just 1 or 2 or 10 countries who practise it; most of the countries in the world hav done so at one time or another
1139072
Terrorism:\n\nacts perpetrated by terrorists, i.e., those who target civilians indiscriminately for the purpose of intimidation.\n\nFreedom fighter:\n\nOne who wages war against a government which is oppressing his/her people, but does not target civilians.
779301
Ironically, yes patriotism could imply that depending on what your country believes in. For instance, in Nazi Germany it was quite patriotic to turn in Jews.\n\nHowever, what our country is supposed to believe in means that we stand up to those who propogate injustice. True patriots of this country are willing to die for what they believe in.\n\nA true patriot would not be intimidated by acts of terrorism. They wouldn't act like frightened sheep running to the proverbial sheperd hoping that he/she could protect them.\n\nA true patriot of this country doesn't suspend basic rights for people, citizen or not. A true patriot does not condone torture, as it is against everything that we stand for.\n\nA true patriot does not take away the rights of the many in the name of security.\n\nTrue patriots of this country have an event like 9-11 happen and say, "Is that all you got?!". True patriots don't let fear change the way they live.\n\nIn this day and age, our country is lacking in true patriots.\n\n~X~
44422
Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it.\n- George Bernard Shaw\n\nThat being said, I still consider myself patriotic... you can't help but be proud of the country you belong to.
558901
Terrorists are different from revolutionaries and freedom fighters. The latter two might accidentally kill innocents by negligence, bad luck or lack of thought. Terrorists by deffinition target innocents in the hope of creating enough fear to win their objective. Terrorism by nature is an admission of the inability to win militarily as such they attempt to scare/intimidate an enemy. This almost always fails so terrorists are also people with a complete lack of knowledge in history. Terrorism in the past has almost always hardened resolve and hurt a people's cause. \n\nSo no, most people could not actually intionally harm children in particuler. How many of you could sit on a bus with a bomb strapped to you and look at the child accross from you knowing you were about to kill them? I don't think many of us could do that. \n\nTo be a terrorist you have to leave your humanity behind. You have to decide that the qualifications for being a human are your narrow specifications. That those not like you are not human. Again most educated people cannot draw this line. Killing soldiers and enemy leaders yes. Killing those of your own group who betray your cause yes. Intentionally killing children and innocents no. \n\nThis is also why I feel that the accusations of the West being terrorists are groundless. When a missle hits a hospital by accident, often because the enemy placed military targets right next to a hospital, it was not something they wanted to do and we feel bad about doing this. The Arab nations know this and intentionally place targets near schools, hospitals and other areas willingly sacraficing women, elderly and children to generate negitive PR against their enemy. There is something inately psychotic about doing that in my opinion. \n\nMe I could easily blow up enemy bases, help sink enemy ships, assasionate an enemy leader and such if I felt I had really good cause to do so. I could not knowingly execute children. It's just not in me.
837292
Depends on who is running for office..I have noticed that Bush interchanges these words to fit the audience.\n A terrorist would be an outside agitator with no Country identity ,,whereas the insurgent is not unlike our own forefathers who fought the British.
764305
Terrorism doesn't threaten our COUNTRY. Only the President's misguided actions in rolling back civil liberties and abandoning our national principles threatens our COUNTRY.\n\nTerrorism threatens individuals and property. \n\nConservatives have totally lost sight of the reality of the situation.
334984
Both.  \n\nHe is a terrorist in that he attempts to use terror and fear as his primary weapons to bring down a regime.  The fact that he's on the losing side deson't help this definition.  If by some odd act of entropy that we surrendered to the fool we'd be calling him a freedom fighter and a revolutionary.  Its all subjective, after all the victors write the history books.\n\nHe is also a fanatical fundamentalist who does not represent Islam nor the majority of its people, only a specifically deranged minority with a nasty tendency to explode.