Aug 9 marked Singapore’s National Day, and the little island nation celebrated its 57th birthday with the usual fanfare, that is, a heart-stirring 2.5-hour-long parade featuring songs, dance and performances by local artistes.
Of course I had to take this opportunity to try to garner a little patriotism in my child, who currently holds two passports – one from Singapore and one from America. The latter was received on the basis of jus sanguinis –meaning “right of blood,” whereby at least one parent is a citizen of the country – and the former due to the right of jus soli*, which refers to the location of his birth, which was Singapore.
*Just so you know, Singapore, like China, does not give citizenship on the right of jus soli if neither parent is a citizen.
Let’s start with first clarifying that I believe in a spirit of patriotism but not nationalism. What’s the difference? Helpful Professor helpfully replies: “The key difference between nationalism and patriotism is that nationalism is the belief in an exclusionary and insular nation-state, while patriotism is the non-exclusionary love of your own nation. Here is a breakdown of the differences: Nationalism is a belief that your nation sits that the top of a hierarchy of nations.”
Now that we’ve got that cleared up, let’s get down and talk about how you can practically inculcate a spirit of patriotism in your child. Start simple: For younger children below 3, introduce them to the country’s national flag. Draw, color and make your own national flag for them to wave around the house. Then, further their knowledge by looking up the national symbols, particularly the ones in categories your child is interested in. For example, if your child is into animals, look up the national animal. Better yet, visit it at the Beijing Zoo. Don’t forget lesser-known national symbols like the national flower, bird and, in the unique case of America, tree!
There’s more to this story! This article originally appeared on our sister site, Jingkids International.
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Images: Unsplash, Pexels
Personally I don’t much care for governments and countries. I do care for, indeed love, a few individual human beings, of various races. Love your country? Patriotism? I don’t even know what these words could possibly mean.
What is wrong with exclusion of people who do not fit into one’s culture? There is extensive literature that indicates social capital is directly related to relative homogenity.
10 AUG. ’22: FBI, KGB—two spoonsful from the same toxic bowl of alphabet soup.