Sztandary i demony
Standards and Demons

Summary/Abstract: „Despite everything I am a patriot,” said Juri Andruchowytsch after seeing the Ukrainian flag in Madonna’s video clip, American Life. Why “despite everything”? Because, as the author explains, patriotism in the Ukraine has a range of negative connotations such as Soviet brain washing, singing patriotic songs, meetings and training related to the love of the great Soviet state as well as military service and being prepared to defend Soviet territory against the capitalist aggressors. Even the wave of genuine patriotism shown during. Ukraine’s struggle for independence turned out to be a “safe haven for scoundrels” embodied by politicians who used the situation to their own advantage, hiding behind the pompous notion of patriotism to conceal their lack of morality. Although the author uses the word “patriotism” in an ironic way, he asks several serious questions regarding its meaning. Is patriotism the opposite of cosmopolitism? Why does the fact that it is derived from the word “pater” make people perceive it as chauvinistic? Does the prevailing EU approach negate patriotism? Should Ukraine eventually join the EU or should it strengthen its links with Russia? One question leads to another and Andrukhovycz concludes that “on a larger scale patriotism is amoral”. It seems that we do not have to look far to confirm this conclusion: it is enough to switch on the television and watch the latest news.

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