[Buzz62]

I can certainly understand patriotism. Patriotism is about the protection and expansion of what you have. Protection of your personal benefits would be things like, a stable and growing economy, a stable government, etc. etc. Most importantly, it's the protection of these personal benefits without regard to those outside your nation (because, fuck'em, they aren't us). This makes it easier to justify meddling and toppling foreign governments for example. This makes it easy to justify cutting deals with dictators, say the Saudi Family for oil (human rights violations there, be damned), or African dictators so that your companies can setup shop and main their resources. All the while the native citizens of those nations are left poor and suffering.

Understanding this clear definition of patriotism (because "Love for your country" is not clear and is a very nebulous definition), it's easy to see why it's such a useful tool to convince people to be a patriot.

Granted...

Those in power in Europe benefit from this invasion. The business elites get an expanded labor which depresses wages. Your politicians can easily win the votes of immigrants just for letting them in, and allowing them to use social benefits. Not to mention, often the business elites are also government officials. They get personal benefits. Clearly, that's what they care more about than you. If the winds blew a different way, and it made sense again to shutdown borders, and push the patriotism line down to citizens, they would do that in a heart beats.

It's all about politicians and business elites doing whatever benefits them at the current moment.

If you are correct, then I say these leaders are traitors.
And maybe they will be finally exposed for this, before Europe is completely over-run.
Should that happen, I'll join you in chasing them down.

[Reichstraten]

I can see that fighting for your country could be a way for some people to give meaning to their lives.
But fighting for your country sounds too abstract for me. I prefer my own little life.