«Put me back in prison!»: When patriotism turns into Stockholm syndrome
Dictatorships have a tendency to completely distort the phenomenon of patriotism. Natural human sympathies for the nature and culture of their country are replaced by demands for unconditional loyalty to the ruling regime. Saltykov-Shchedrin already noted this, reflecting on those who confuse the concepts of «Fatherland» and «Your Excellency.» Later, a grim Soviet joke appeared: when the state needs something from its citizens, it calls itself the «Motherland.» And always with a capital letter. Under such conditions, patriotism turns into a form of Stockholm syndrome, where hostages begin to sympathize with their captors.
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