Nitrous oxide

In conclusion, N₂O induces its effects through classical volatile anaesthetic mechanisms like NMDA receptor antagonist, GABA-A potentiation and potassium channel activation as well as novel mechanisms such as a benzodiazepine-like effect and stimulating endogenous opioid receptors. For example, some Restorationist Christian denominations, such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mennonites, refuse to participate in patriotic acts and ceremonies and refuse to wear patriotic attire. Exactly how N₂O causes the release of opioids is still uncertain. While patriotism often appeals to religion, not all religions countenance patriotism. It seems N₂O-induced released of endogenous opioids causes disinhibition of brainstem noradrenergic neurons, which descend into the spinal cord and inhibit pain signaling. The idea would be that the other side is in fact fighting against God’s will, and thus can be considered to be engaged in a false kind of patriotism. Indeed, alpha2B-adrenoreceptor knockout mice or animals depleted in noradrenaline are nearly completely resistant to the antinociceptive effects of N₂O (Sawamura et al., 2000; Zhang et al., 1999). Under any of these circumstances, religion can provide a satisfactory account to its believers for what otherwise would be a paradox, namely, that both sides in a conflict can feel patriotic at the same time.

Conversely, alpha-adrenoreceptor antagonists block the antinociceptive effects of N₂O when given directly to the spinal cord, but not when applied directly to the brain (Fang et al., 1997; Guo et al., 1999; Guo et al., 1996). This view often characterized the beliefs of the European powers during the colonialist period, when their armies often fought against pagan opponents. Several experiments have shown that opioid receptor antagonists applied directly to the brain block the antinociceptive effects of N₂O, but these drugs have no effect when injected into the spinal cord. Yet another version of religious patriotism is the belief that a god or set of gods is on one’s side, and that the god or gods of the other side simply do not exist. Drugs which inhibit the breakdown of endogenous opioids also potentiate the antinociceptive effects of N₂O (Branda et al., 2000). This may have characterized the conflicts between the ancient Israelites and their Canaanite opponents, as narrated in the Old Testament. Administration of antibodies which bind and block the activity of some endogenous opioids (not beta-endorphin) block the antinociceptive effects of N₂O (Branda et al., 2000; Cahill et al., 2000). Another variant is for each side to worship different gods, acknowledge that the other side’s god exists, and believe that their own god is superior.

When animals are given morphine chronically they develop tolerance to its antinociceptive (pain killing) effects; this also renders the animals tolerant to the antinocicpetive effects of N₂O (Berkowitz et al., 1979). This is perhaps a fair characterization of the attitude of many of the participants in the American Civil War or most of the fronts of the First World War. Most interestingly, the effects of N₂O seem somehow linked to the interaction between the endogenous opioid system and the descending noradrenergic system. In one variant, patriotic participants in a war acknowledge that the enemy worships the same god, but judge that this god is on their own side, thus providing the external justification for patriotism noted just above. Indeed, in humans given 30% N₂O, benzodiazepine receptor antagonists reduced the subjective reports of feeling “high”, but did not alter psycho-motor performance (Zacny et al., 1995). At various points in history, particularly in time of war, various relations of religion and patriotism have prevailed. Mirroring this, animals which have developed tolerance to the anxiolytic effects of benzodiazepines are partially tolerant to nitrous oxide (Czech & Green, 1992; Emmanouil et al., 1994; Quock et al., 1992). Throughout history, patriotic feeling has often been linked to religion.

This anti-anxiety effect is partially reversed by benzodiazepine receptor antagonists. Depending on whether they see patriotism as good or bad, they would attribute it to a free will choice for good or evil. In many behavioral tests of anxiety, low doses of N₂O is a successful anxiolytic. For them, their religious beliefs explain why the human character is the way it is. Unlike most general anesthetics, N₂O seems to somehow affect the benzodiazepine receptor. Others would reject the kin selection theory of patriotism, simply because they reject the theory of evolution on religious grounds. Unlike many anesthetics, however, N₂O does not seem to affect calcium channels (Mennerick et al., 1998). They would emphasise the great malleability of the human character, including the apparent possibility of creating patriotism through the instruction of youth, as in the Hitler Youth example above.

These channels are largely responsible for keeping neurons at the resting (unexcited) potential (Gruss et al., 2004). Some people accept the theory of evolution in general but reject efforts to invoke it in the explanation of human behaviour. N₂O, like other volatile anesthetics, activates twin-pore potassium channels, albeit weakly. Hamilton that govern kin selection. The evidence on the effect of N₂O on GABA-A currents is mixed, but tends to show a lower potency potentiation (Dzoljic & Van Duijn, 1998; Mennerick et al., 1998; Yamakura & Harris, 2000). D. Like many classical anesthetics, N₂O non-competitively inhibits the NMDA receptor with high affinity and efficacy at concentrations directly proportional to its anaesthetic concentrations (Jevtovic-Todorovic et al., 1998; Mennerick et al., 1998; Yamakura & Harris, 2000). The controversy hinges on what numerical values are to be plugged into the (generally accepted) equations of W.

It is chemically inert at body temperatures, and so it is carried free in the blood rather than binding to hemogloubin. Some evolutionary biologists believe that the quantitative conditions needed to make kin selection effective in small human societies were simply not met. Nitrous oxide diffuses through membranes much faster than any other anesthetic gas, giving it an extremely rapid onset. Both kin selection theory, and its use to explain patriotism, are disputed. This makes it effective for propelling whipped cream and also permits the gas to quickly penetrate fatty phospholipid cell membranes. In the kin-selection account of patriotism, this kind of metaphor might be viewed as seeking to focus the natural feelings people have towards kin, onto the political community as a whole. Nitrous oxide is relatively non-polar and has a low molecular weight, allowing it to dissolve through fats easily. The political rhetoric associated with patriotism often compares the nation to a family, as in, for instance, the terms Fatherland and ‘Mother Russia’ or the Shakespearian expression ‘band of brothers’, from the play Henry V.

Nitrous oxide shares many pharmacological similarities with classical gaseous and intravenous anesthetics, however, there are well-documented unquestionable differences. Speculatively, there was nothing to stop the feeling of group loyalty from carrying over, without biological purpose, from small groups to large. However, such auto-grade nitrous oxide is mixed with hydrogen sulfide and would cause significant deleterious effects if inhaled. Yet the forces believed to have created human nature, and hence these feelings, were in effect over a period of many millennia, during which time all human societies were very small. There have been numerous reported instances of police officers arresting drivers of vehicles equipped with nitrous oxide injection systems on the grounds that he or she intends to inhale it. Today, of course, the feelings of intense patriotism that grip (for example) many Americans cannot possibly be supported in the evolutionary sense by kin selection, since Americans form a huge and genetically very diverse population. Some localities also require certified system components. Gene-centric theories imply that members of such groups have an evolutionary interest in the long-term success of each other's genetic endowment.

Nitrous oxide injection systems for automobiles are usually legal, although the use of a nitrous oxide system is likely to result in speeds that are in violation of other traffic laws. Frequently, animals in such species have been observed taking actions that risk their own lives but benefit the safety of the group as a whole (an example is the issuance of a warning call against predators, an act which directs the predator's attention to the individual who gave it). Possession of nitrous oxide is illegal in most localities in the United States for the purposes of inhaling or ingesting if not under the care of a physician or dentist. Since Darwin's time, evidence for kin selection has been observed among many species that live in small groups. Human activity is thought to account for somewhat less than 2 teragrams (this is multiplied by appx 300 when calculated as a ratio to Carbon Dioxide) of nitrogen oxides per year, nature for over 15 teragrams [2]. Loyalty to the group might have led individuals to take actions that were poorly justified on grounds of self-interest, but helped the group as a whole: this is the analogy with kin altruism. Human activity contributes to the release of the gas through the cultivation of soil and the production and use of nitrogen fertilizers, the production of nylon, and the burning of fossil fuels and other organic matter. This idea was expressed by Charles Darwin in 1871 as follows:.

Nitrous oxide is naturally emitted from soils and oceans. Since genes tended to be shared by the entire group, and cooperation likely was critical to group survival, a propensity to experience feelings of loyalty to the group was probably favoured by natural selection. Behind carbon dioxide and methane, nitrous oxide is the third most important gas that contribute to global warming. Our ancestors certainly lived in small groups of genetically related individuals. Therefore, nitrogen oxides are a subject of efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, such as the Kyoto Protocol. To explain patriotism, it would have to apply to a group. Nitrogen oxides, nitrous oxide included, are greenhouse gases; per kilogram, nitrous oxide has 296 times the effect of carbon dioxide for producing global warming [1]. Kin altruism, in its simplest form, implies that one animal would sacrifice itself to ensure survival of more than one other genetically related individuals, for instance siblings.

Contamination with fuels has been implicated in a handful of rocketry accidents, where small quantities of nitrous / fuel mixtures detonated, triggering the explosive decomposition of residual nitrous oxide in plumbing. This explanation is speculative and disputed, and no explicit genetic basis for patriotism has been evidenced. Liquid nitrous oxide acts a good solvent for many organic compounds; liquid mixtures can form somewhat sensitive explosives. Why do so many people experience intense patriotic feelings? An evolutionary biology explanation is that patriotism is a form of kin altruism, which is both posited and explained by the theory of kin selection. While normally inert in storage and fairly safe to handle, nitrous oxide can decompose energetically and potentially detonate if initiated under the wrong circumstances. Patriotism can also be seen as one of the greatest psychological barriers to civil war because a feeling of duty common to all citizens can give democratic politics a legitimacy lacking in those states that contain a much more fragmented citizenry. The major safety hazards of nitrous oxide come from the fact that it is a compressed liquified gas, and a dissociative anaesthetic. Nevertheless, some states combined tyrannical systems of government with high levels of patriotism, including later Napoleonic France, after Napoleon had made himself emperor.

It is very important with nitrous oxide augmentation of internal combustion engines to maintain temperatures and fuel levels so as to prevent preignition, or detonation (sometimes referred to as knocking, pinging or pinking). Similarly, it is often thought that the French Revolution, by eliminating monarchy, set off a great surge of patriotism that led to the great success of the French armies in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. See nitrous. For instance, it could be imagined that the military forces of Ancient Greece succeeded in fending off much larger numbers of attacking Persians because ancient Persia was a despotism, whereas many of the Greeks lived in democracies, which gave them a sense of solidarity and hence of patriotism. You will find Dry kits, Wet kits & Direct port. On the other hand, some people suggest that democratic government is a cause of patriotism. Nitrous kits such as such as NOS, Nitrous Express, Nitrous Direct brands offer different solutions. Adolf Hitler condemned the democratic politicians who approved the November 1918 armistice (which ended the First World War) as the ‘November criminals’.

There are several ways of introducing nitrous into a motor. In some democracies, the claimed treason of the political elite became a central issue, notably in Germany itself. Power increases of 100-300% are possible, and unless the mechanical structure of the engine is reinforced, most engines would not survive this kind of operation. In the view of many, the nature of these comments harm political discussion and provide less opportunity for deliberative democracy to flourish, because it appeals only to a visceral negative emotion (mistrust and angry patriotism), rather than to voters’ reasoned views on policy. One of the major problems of using nitrous oxide in a reciprocating engine is that it can produce enough power to destroy the engine. Politicians often appeal to patriotic emotions in attacking their opponents, implicitly or explicitly accusing them of betraying the country. Accordingly, it was only used by specialized planes like high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, high-speed bombers and high-altitude interceptors. Presumably, for such individuals, it would be quite coherent to claim that Lafayette was an American patriot, since he fought on behalf of (what are held to be) American virtues.

Originally meant to provide the Luftwaffe standard aircraft with superior high-altitude performance, technological considerations limited its use to extremely high altitudes. For example, there exist Americans who profess to be patriots and yet claim that their patriotism is not an arbitrary preference for their paticular political community, but is rather is based on special virtues (for instance, "freedom"), that happen to be uniquely defended by that community. The same technique was used during by World War II Luftwaffe aircraft with the GM 1 system to boost the power output of aircraft engines. Others conceive of those ideals in more abstract terms. This results in a smaller, denser charge, and can reduce detonation, as well as increase power available to the engine. Charles Blattberg's conception of patriotism, however, is more nuanced: to him, a patriot can be critical of his or her country for failing to live up to its ideals. Additionally, since nitrous oxide is stored as a liquid, the evaporation of liquid nitrous oxide in the intake manifold causes a large drop in intake charge temperature. For MacIntyre, patriotism by definition can only be a preference for one's own country, not a preference for the ideals that a country is believed to stand for.

In car racing, nitrous oxide (often just "nitrous" in this context) is sometimes injected into the intake manifold (or just prior to the intake manifold) to increase power: even though the gas itself is not flammable, it delivers more oxygen than atmospheric air by breaking down at elevated temperatures, thus allowing the engine to burn more fuel and air. Under this view, Lafayette was only devoted to the ideals of political liberty that underlay the American Revolution, but was not specifically patriotic for America. An episode of MythBusters featured a hybrid rocket built using paraffin wax mixed with powdered carbon as its solid fuel and nitrous oxide as its oxidizer. Alasdair MacIntyre would claim that they were not; that these and similar cases are instances of idealism, but not of patriotism. It is also notably used in amateur and high power rocketry with various plastics as the fuel. Such cases call into question what we mean by "patriotism": for instance, was Lafayette an American patriot, or the Philhellenes Greek patriots?. The combination of nitrous oxide with hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene fuel has been used by SpaceShipOne and others. The "Philhellenes," western Europeans who fought in the Greek War of Independence, are another example; as are the Americans who fought on the Allied side before the entry of their country into the First World War.

Nitrous oxide has notably been the oxidizer of choice in several hybrid rocket designs (using solid fuel with a liquid or gaseous oxidizer). For example, the Marquis de Lafayette was a Frenchman who fought for the independence of the thirteen British colonies in America. This has the advantages over other oxidizers that it is non-toxic and, due to its stability at room temperature, easy to store and relatively safe to carry on a flight. History includes many cases of individuals who acted with impassioned selflessness on behalf of countries not their own. Nitrous oxide can be used as an oxidizer in a rocket engine. Charles Blattberg, in his book From Pluralist to Patriotic Politics (2000), has developed a similar conception of patriotism into a full-blown political philosophy. There is also usually a negligible amount of N2O in the cans. MacIntyre goes on, however, to construct a sophisticated alternative conception of morality that would be compatible with patriotism.

However, if one is using the Nitrous for recreational purposes, using N2O straight from a whipped cream can is unadvisable due to the fact that it is frequently cut with certain chemicals that can cause headaches or nausea. In his influential article "Is patriotism a virtue?" (1984), the philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre notes that most contemporary conceptions of morality insist on a kind of impartial blindness to accidental traits like local origin in the just treatment of our fellow humans - and therefore, that patriotism is inevitably not moral under these conceptions. One can easily obtain the propellant by slowly turning the canister upside down (NO SHAKING) and letting all the contents out, leaving you the N2O. Yet citizenry does not have to be indexed to race. In aerosol whipped cream, it is dissolved in the fatty cream until it leaves the can, when it becomes gaseous and thus creates foam. For this reason it has often been compared to racism, most notably in a 2002 paper by Paul Gompert, Patriotism is like racism. The gas is excellently soluble in fatty compounds. Patriotism seems to ethically condone these distinctions.

Its most common uses in this context are in aerosol whipped cream canisters and as an inert gas used to displace staleness-inducing oxygen when filling packages of potato chips and other similar snack foods. Immigration law is based on that principle: merely by accident of birth in a country, some people have an automatic entitlement to live in it, but foreigners do not. The gas is licensed for use as a food additive, specifically as an aerosol spray propellant. All patriots favour their own citizens above those of other political communities. Nitrous Oxide is liquid at approximately 760 psi at room temperature, and is usually stored and shipped as a self-pressurized liquid. The 'Ode to Joy' is the official anthem of the European Union and the phrase is regarded with deep distrust by many patriots in Europe. Less than 0.004% is metabolised in humans. Many people have promoted the alternative concept of a universal human community, as expressed for instance in the idealistic phrase "Alle Menschen werden Brüder" ("all people become brothers") of the Ode to Joy, part of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

It has a MAC of 105% and a blood:gas partition coefficient of 0.46. This selectivity is the most ethically controversial aspect of patriotism. Its lower solubility in blood means it has a very rapid onset and offset. Patriotism implies that citizens - members of the civic or political community - owe a greater allegiance to each other than to foreigners. In general anesthesia it is often used in an 2:1 ratio with oxygen in addition to more powerful general anaesthetic agents such as sevoflurane or desflurane. The wartime example of patriots fighting each other, illustrates the point that even self-sacrificing patriotism is selective in its altruism. However, it has a very low short-term toxicity and is an excellent analgesic, so a 50/50 mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen ("gas and air", supplied under the trade name Entonox) is commonly used during childbirth, for dental procedures, and in emergency medicine. Some people, according to their prejudices, might well admire the second soldier more than the first, even though he could be considered the less patriotic of the two.

the nitrous oxide is a very strong analgesic and a week mixture o it with oxygen is used in operation.n NOTE""""----IT does not produce laughing fits-------"""""" general anesthetic, and is generally not used alone in anaesthesia. The second cares nothing for the Dutch country as such, but has carefully studied Fascism and has a deep commitment to save the world from its perceived evils. Finally, nitrous oxide should not be confused with nitric oxide, an extremely poisonous gas. The first soldier is motivated by a patriotic preference for his country's independence. Inhaling industrial-grade nitrous oxide is also dangerous, as it contains many impurities and is not intended for use on humans. We can imagine two soldiers, equally brave and self-sacrificing. It can be habit-forming, mainly because of its short-lived effect (generally from 1 - 5 minutes in recreational doses) and ease of access. In other words, there is a distinction between a non-egoistic act which benefits the community, and one that is specifically motivated by patriotic feelings.

In chronic use it is also teratogenic, and foetotoxic. Some certainly fought because they hated Fascism, and many soldiers fight because they do not want to appear to be cowards. Long-term use in large quantities has been associated with dangerous symptoms similar to vitamin B12 deficiency: anemia due to reduced hemopoiesis, neuropathy, tinnitus, and numbness in extremities. We can ask whether any particular self-sacrificing Dutch soldier acted out of devotion to the Dutch national state in 1940. While the pure gas itself is not toxic, death can result if it is inhaled in such a way that not enough oxygen is breathed in. Self-sacrifice is inevitable on the battlefield, the question is how much it is inspired by patriotic emotions. For those reasons, most recreational nitrous oxide users will discharge the gas into a balloon before inhaling. Even if battlefield self-sacrifice is considered virtuous, it can be difficult to determine whether a particular act is admirable for its ’’patriotism’’.

Inhalation of nitrous oxide directly from a whipped cream charger or a tank poses serious health risks, as it can cause the lungs to collapse from high levels of pressure, forcing air into the chest cavity, and can cause frostbite since the gas is very cold when released. Throughout history, governments have invoked patriotic as well as nationalism feelings to support military aggression, arbitrary imprisonment of foreigners, and even murder, acts considered evil by most individuals. Since nitrous oxide can cause dizziness, dissociation, and temporary loss of motor control, it is unsafe to inhale while standing up. It is now generally accepted (also in Germany) that the invasion had no justification, and to the extent that patriotism facilitated it, then in that case it should not be considered a virtue. 381b.) The Centre for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics, a nonprofit law and policy center in the United States, contends that such laws are unconstitutional "prior restraints on speech" and constitute "cognitive censorship.". Many of them had been indoctrinated in a form of unquestioning nationalism during their teenage years, while they were members of the Hitler Youth. Code, Sec. Yet many of the invading Nazi soldiers doubtless felt, too, that they were engaged in a patriotic act, in this case on behalf of a German Reich that has been conflated with the nation.

Pen. The near-hopeless defence of the Netherlands against the May 1940 invasion by Nazi Germany provided an example of military patriotism - Dutch soldiers giving their lives to defend their country. In California, for instance, inhalation of nitrous oxide "for the purpose of causing euphoria, or for the purpose of changing in any manner, one’s mental processes," is a criminal offense under its criminal code Cal. One of the challenges of treating patriotism as a virtue, is that specific patriotisms conflict. The recreational use of nitrous oxide is restricted in many districts. In the United States, explicitly patriotic history has been consistently criticised for its de-emphasising the post-Colombian depopulation, the Atlantic slave trade, the population expulsions and the wars of conquest against Native Americans. One slang term for the drug is Hippie Crack; this term implies commentary on the typical user of the substances as well as purported similarities between its psychological addiction potential or the short-lived duration of its effects and similar properties of "crack" cocaine. The 'black armband' view of our history reflects a belief that most Australian history since 1788 has been little more than a disgraceful story of imperialism, exploitation, racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination..

It was often sold at Grateful Dead and Phish concerts. Conservative Prime Minister John Howard, who would undoubtedly describe himself as an Australian patriot, said of it in 1996:. The drug currently enjoys moderate popularity in the United States psychedelic community as an inhalant. It concentrates on the suffering of Indigenous Australians during the British colonisation of Australia. Memory of this experience, however, quickly faded and any attempt to communicate was difficult at best. The Australian political conflict about the Black arm band theory of history is a classic example. James claimed to experience the fusing of dichotomies into a unity and a revelation of ultimate truth during the inhalation of nitrous oxide. In some countries such disputes are driven by the fact that a minority feels excluded from the whole and so asserts that there is no reason to be proud of it.

During the 19th century, William James and many contemporaries found that inhalation of nitrous oxide resulted in a powerful spiritual and mystical experience for the user. Patriots can certainly argue amongst themselves, proffering different interpretations of the common good. It can also result in mild nausea or lingering dizziness if too much is inhaled in too short a time. Thinkers such as Habermas, however, have advocated a European-wide patriotism. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a dissociative that can cause analgesia, euphoria, dizziness, flanging of sound, and, in some cases, slight hallucinations and mild aphrodisiac effect. In the European Union, patriotism usually coincides with Euroscepticism, and may therefore be rejected on pro-European grounds. And so it came into use as an anaesthetic, particularly by dentists, who do not typically have access to the services of an anesthesiologist and who may benefit from a patient who can respond to verbal commands. The loyalty of the Muslim, they say, can only be to the Ummah, the community of all Muslims.

They soon realised that nitrous oxide considerably dulled the sensation of pain, even if the inhaler were still semi-conscious. For example, like cosmopolitans, some Islamists despise patriotism as un-Islamic. Humphry Davy in the 1790s tested the gas on himself and some of his friends, including the poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey. Others reject such communities, however, given their specificity. The gas was discovered by Joseph Priestley in 1772. Patriotism consists of a both rational and emotional support for the civic or political community. The CAS number of nitrous oxide is 10024-97-2 and its UN number is 1070. In much of eastern Europe, for instance in the Baltic States, patriotism is indistinguishable from politicised nationalism.

Nitrous oxide can be used to nitrites by mixing it with boiling alkali metals, and to oxidize organic compounds at high temperatures. However, in the zone of the most recent wars, in the states of former Yugoslavia, patriotic emotions are still intense. Nitrous oxide can be prepared by heating ammonium nitrate in the laboratory. Patriotism in western Europe often has specific anti-immigration connotations, and the historical perspective on nationalism and war is shaped by the destruction in World War II. Note that nitrous oxide is isoelectric with carbon dioxide. Although many forms of symbolic patriotic expression originated in older western European nations, they are now less pervasive there. Nitrous oxide [[N₂O]] should not be confused with the other nitrogen oxides such as nitric oxide NO and nitrogen dioxide NO₂. In the United States, personal patriotic expression is ubiquitous.

It can be considered a resonance hybrid of. Typically, patriotic intensity is higher when the state is under external threat. The structure of the nitrous oxide molecule is a linear chain of a nitrogen atom bound to a second nitrogen, which in turn is bound to an oxygen atom. Levels of patriotism vary across time, and among political communities. . Saluting the flag is considered equally patriotic, if it is done every morning at a government office, or under enemy fire on the battlefield. Nitrous oxide is present in the atmosphere where it acts as a powerful greenhouse gas. Peacetime patriotism can not be so easily linked to a measurable gain for the state, but the patriot does not see it as inferior.

It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anaesthetic and analgesic effects. Symbolic patriotism in wartime is intended to raise morale, in turn contributing to the war effort. It is commonly known as laughing gas due to the exhilarating effects of inhaling it, and because it can cause spontaneous laughter in some people; it's also known as NOS or nitrous in racing and motorsports, where its usage is widespread. Patriotism relies heavily on symbolic acts, such as displaying the flag, singing the national anthem, participating in a mass rally, placing a patriotic bumper sticker on one's vehicle, or any other way of publicly proclaiming allegiance to the state. Under room conditions, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, with a pleasant, slightly-sweet odor. For various reasons, the government may also launch a ‘patriotism campaign’, to promote identification with the state and its symbols. Nitrous oxide, also known as dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide, is a chemical compound with chemical formula N₂O. National monuments, and veterans days and commemoration ceremonies are typical examples.

In the Munsters episode where Herman sneaks into the hospital to visit Eddie after hours, Herman is given Laughing Gas by the staff. It is a logical consequence of the state itself, which derives legitimacy from being the expression of the common good of the political community. In Black Sheep, the two main protagonists borrow a police car and its nitrous oxide boosters leak after hitting a pothole, intoxicating the duo. In any case, governments always promote an official patriotism which has a high symbolic and ceremonial content. The main character of Zodiac, Sangamon Taylor, uses it as a drug, and even came up with Sangamon's Principle to explain why it should be used over other drugs. Two proposed amendments to the United States Constitution illustrate the similarity: one enforces Christian values and would effectively prohibit same-sex marriage, one enforces patriotic values and would forbid flag-burning. Two of the main characters in Taxi get trapped in a room filled with laughing gas. The political expression, in both cases, consists of campaigns to legally enforce the values in question.

One of the main characters in the musical film version of Little Shop of Horrors dies from the inhalation of Laughing Gas. It is structurally similar to other values ideologies and movements, such as the family values movement. Laughing Gas is one of the main weapons used by the Batman villain, The Joker, only he uses a concoction which is portrayed as being green and lethal. However, patriots often insist that the entire citizenry shares adherence to these values. Laughing Gas (novel). The patriot in this sense adheres to certain patriotic values, such as respect for the flag. Laughing Gas (movie). The first is personal patriotism, which is emotional and voluntary.

Three forms of patriotism can be distinguished. In wartime they can be directly correlated to military necessity: the home front supports the army, and individual effort contributes to military success. Less dramatic forms of patriotism include a wide range of attitudes, expressions, and acts. Death in battle for the homeland is the archetype of extreme patriotism.

In practice, many patriots would see treason as the 'opposite of patriotism'. The opposite of patriotism consists of the corruption often referred to by such classical republican thinkers as Aristotle and Machiavelli, in which citizens are more concerned with their personal and group interests than with the common good of the political community as a whole. In Belgium, pro-Belgian patriotism is weak, while the nationalism of the country`s nations are strong. In Northern Ireland two parallel national cultures co-exist, one Irish-Republican and one pro-British unionist.

What often then arises are national liberation movements, such as Irish Republicanism, Basque and Québécois seperatism. National movements are also concerned with the state, however, especially when it is felt that the national community has not been sufficiently recognized by the state, with the consequence that the nation cannot be considered wholly free. National sentiments often dovetail with the patriotic, but they should not be confused, since national communities are unlike civic or political ones in that they are, for the most part, located within civil society rather than in and around the state. It can be voluntary and emotional empathy, and it can be officially promoted by the government - usually both.

The term patriotism is generally used in the context of an already existing political community. There is no specific name for this doctrine, but there is for its opposite: ethical cosmopolitanism is the doctrine that no distinction should be made among humans, in the degree of moral obligation. The primary implication of patriotism in ethics is that a person has more moral duties to fellow members of the political community, as distinct from non-members. The expression my country right or wrong - a misquotation of the American naval officer Stephen Decatur (but actually attributable to Carl Schurz, a nineteenth century German revolutionary who later immigrated to the United States)- is the extreme form of this belief.

As such, patriotism has ethical connotations: it implies that the political community is in some way a moral standard or moral value in itself. Others, however, associate patriotism with the common good, with the aim of responding to conflicts in ways which ensure that everyone benefits. In this context patriotism is seen as an explanation for the apparent suspension of the instinct for self-preservation, which implies that all humans would avoid a battlefield. In wartime, patriotism as so understood is assumed to be the main driving force for participation in military operations, certainly if it is voluntary.

To some, patriotism has connotations of self-sacrifice, implying that the individual should place the interests of the community above their personal interests, and in extreme cases their lives. Positive attitudes and actions towards other countries, or to non-civic groups, are not generally described as 'patriotic', and they may be referred to by a specific name, such as pro-Greek philhellenism. The word patriotism is used to describe emotions and attitudes, political views, symbolism, and specific acts, with respect to a political community - its territory, history, culture, values, and symbols. .

Patriotism is often conflated with nationalism, but the two should be distinguished, as political philosophers such as Jürgen Habermas and Charles Blattberg have increasingly argued. The word is derived from the Latin patria, fatherland, which has a much broader meaning than a geographical territory. Patriotism denotes positive attitudes by individuals to their own civic or political community, to its culture, its members, and to its interests.