Patriotism, I don't buy it, it leaves me cold. It is mindless and unthinking.
It is a cliched snoozefest. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Blah, blah, blah.
It is The Borg. And what makes us great is our difference.
It is join the dot living. You know, when life was meant to be expansive.
It is try hard. When everything that is great, is just a little humble.
I love Australia because it is naturally a part of me, I am Australian. We are strong in our sunburnt country, our open spaces, and our vastness. We have that smugness when we are overseas that we can visit, and see, and drink everything in, but we always have the greatness of our island nation calling us home.
I love having an accent when I travel. I like people commenting on my voice. I like hearing another Australian voice in a crowd when I am in London, or Rome, or Amsterdam. It is like being gay, when you meet another gay guy there are just certain things you know. Unspoken things.
I like the idea of nationality, of course, we all do, it is where we are from, and I guess I am saying that that should be quiet, it should be reserved, never loud and obvious.
The emotive speeches, and the parades, and the hands on the hearts are just window dressing, I always suspect, for people who are emotionally stunted. Conservative voters, and the like. You don't have to spruik all "that", when you were born into "it" just naturally.
Loud patriotism is the safe refuge of the art that matches the couch. Loud patriotism is a yawn. It is obvious.
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