Patriotism is Conditional, If It's Unconditional, Then It's Like a Cult
"Love it or leave it" is the wrong motto; if you love it, you will stay and try to fix things
I am an avid proponent of Free software (for 20+ years already). Patriotism is not a concept limited to nations, at least when the term is brought up quasi-metaphorically. Sure, I also like where I live and respect most of the systems most of the time. Patriotism should be conditional; without it (scrutiny and conditions), nothing wrong will be identified and wrongs won't be tackled, which means nothing can ever improve.
Until very recently (about a week ago) every time we walked back from Town we passed by a poster/billboard about Ai Weiwei (critic of the Chinese regime nobody is allowed to even challenge, at least not domestically, which extends to Hong Kong now). He said that if we lose free speech or freedom of expression, it will lead to a certain brutality. He was born in Beijing about 12 years after Japan got nuked, so he saw all sorts of things after "revolution" years.
I've long been familiar with Weiwei's work and artwork. Back in the Wikileaks and "Snowden years" Weiwei was very vocal and nowadays he's critical of the West when the West begins to emulate/resemble China - a regime he has disdain for because it curtails very basic freedoms.
In China, even using art (painting, sculpting, arranging objects etc.) to hint or insinuate or 'provoke' critical thinking can be a punishable 'crime'. To make a point some people "have a go at it", then get arrested. The media won't even mention it.
Weiwei has not been very visible in recent years (not in the mainstream, except in very recent months), but his words serve as a cautionary tale that equally applies to many Russians and Iranians.
My love for Software Freedom is only as strong as my love for Freedom of the Press (yes, capital letters). I moreover believe, based on my experience, that the world cannot ever attain true Software Freedom without insisting on free speech, which is actively curtailed by GAFAM-imposed CoCs and other mechanisms that intercept critics/criticism.
Seeing recent US bills for so-called "protect the children" 'age-verification' (it has nothing to do with safety, children or age; it's about surveillance and remote controls), we must all recognise that the battle for Software Freedom has long been political and continues to have deeply political facets to it (Reddit is trying very hard to censor this page).
This month I've received potent threats (to me and to my family), but they scare me not because having long read about the lives of people like Snowden or Weiwei, I generally expect that scrutiny will prevail and systems will protect themselves by correcting themselves. If you persist in doing evil things, karma will come for you. Sometimes karma is the spouse. █
Image source: Aj Wej-wej (Prague, 2017)
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