I think the reaction to a World War II situation would be the same today as it was in 1942. Initially people would question but once patriotism got stirred up the whole thing would gather momentum and we'd all pull together.
There is a fuzzy but real distinction that can and I believe should be made between patriotism which is attachment to a way of life and nationalism which is the insistence that your way of life deserves to rule over other ways of life.
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The higher American patriotism on the other hand combines loyalty to historical tradition and precedent with the imaginative projection of an ideal national Promise.
