Patriots Vs Cosmopolites

What is the role of everyday people in the world? Should we care more about the local community that we inhabit, or the larger world that we share? That is an issue that our readings, and our class as a whole tries to tackle, the disparaging difference between being a patriot, and cosmopolites. In this new modern world where society is easily connected, and where news can travel instantaneously, has made far away countries our neighbors. We as a civilization are no longer bound by our countries border, moving from one country to another has never been easier, or as accepted. This has unfortunately created a conundrum about the role in our own country in this new global world. There still exist patriots, people who still take pride in their
The tension between cosmopolitism and patriots is that they see the same issue, and have two completely differing views on what is the right action to take. Through the Cosmopolitism view, best described by Martah C. Nassbaum in “For Love of Country”, she states, “our highest allegiance must be to the community of humankind, and the best principles of our practical thought must respect the equal worth off all members of that community” (Nassbaum, 1). In short, what she is trying to say is that hold other countries’ problems as they were of your own. This holds in contrast to patriots who hold their own highest allegiance to their nation, and the better improvement of their own country. The example given in this particular reading is that of Martin Luther King Jr who was supported when he spoke about civil rights, but vilified once he spoke about the violence of the Vietnam War, and his dis-support of the violence. When Martin Luther King Jr spoke out in support of the Vietnamese he in thus went against the interest of his own country, something that is not allowed to be considered a patriot. His action could be hailed as a cosmopolitism move since his allegiance was to the Vietnamese people and the “community of humankind” in a larger context. For a Patriot this sacrifice is warranted, those Vietnamese are the enemies and are working against the interest of our country, so we must fight them. The conflict between Cosmopolitism and Patriotism is one whose interest is the most important their nation, or the global community. In this context compromises is possible but on the larger whole there will always be a clear distinction between these two